Neutrino Observatory 

Department of Atomic Energy

WHAT

India based Neutrino Observatory is being planned in the Theni district in Tamil Nadu. Neutrinos are the smallest particles that form the universe.

 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

• India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a particle physics research project to primarily study the atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,200 meters deep cave under INO Peak near Theni, Tamil Nadu, India.
• This project is notable in that it is anticipated to provide a precise measurement of neutrino mixing parameters.
• The main experiment proposed at INO is the Iron-Calorimeter Detector which aims to probe the Earth matter effects on the propagation of atmospheric neutrinos and to determine neutrino oscillation parameters in the 2-3 oscillation sector.
• ICAL will be a 50000 tonne magnetised detector with iron as the passive detector element and resistive plate chambers (RPCs) as the active detector elements. i.e., the neutrinos will interact with the iron to produce final state particles.

 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is the nodal institution.
• The observatory is to be built jointly with the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.
• A project report says most of the neutrino detectors are at latitudes over 35 deg. It is possible to push such a detector down to almost 8 deg latitude in South India, within proximity to the Equator.
• This permits neutrino astronomy searches covering the whole celestial sky and study of solar neutrinos passing through the Earth’s core.

 

WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL

• It is an underground project and will comprise a complex of caverns.
• The main cavern, which will house the huge neutrino detector [50-kilo tonne magnetised iron calorimeter], will be 130 m long, 26 m wide, and 30 m high.
• Two smaller caverns will be used for setting up experiments for neutrino double detector and dark matter. Approach to this complex will be by a 2-km-long tunnel.

 

WHO ELSE HAS A NEUTRINO FACILITY

1. Underground: SNO, Canada, Kamioka in Japan and Gran Sasso, Italy.
2. Underwater: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica.  Antares – under Mediterranean sea off coast of Toulon, France.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Kolar Gold Field mines housed one of the earliest laboratories to study and detect neutrinos. It was located at a depth of 2,000 m. The first atmospheric neutrinos were detected here in 1965. The laboratory was shut following the closure of the mines.

 

Source: PIB

 

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