US turns gold mine into giant -303°F fridge using five Olympic pools’ worth of liquid argon

Inside a protoDUNE detector.Max Brice / CERN The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, hosted by the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, will soon start building the world’s largest cryogenic particle detector.

The team behind the new detector, called the DUNE far detector, will build it a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. According to a press statement, “The challenges are legion, among them, the sheer size and scope, worldwide coordination, logistics, and importantly, safety for both people and detector components.” The world’s largest cryogenic particle detector The DUNE far detector is planned as a series of enormous modules that will be constructed sequentially over several years. Each module will feature ultrasensitive detector components immersed in liquid argon. Impressively, the first two modules will each require roughly five Olympic swimming pools’ worth of liquid argon. As the liquid has 1.4 times the density of water, this would equate to 17,000 metric tons for each pool. To fill the first module, the DUNE cryogenics team is preparing to receive roughly 1,000 truckloads of liquid argon over a period of about a year. International collaborators would then contribute two additional modules. While these would be slightly smaller, the final volume of liquid argonfor DUNE is expected to exceed 50,000 tons. Liquid argon must be kept at temperatures of minus 303 degrees Fahrenheit. Cryostats will be used to keep the argon in its liquid form and run the experiment for roughly 20 years. According to the Fermilab, work on cryogenic systems and steel structures is advancing. The first two modules of the DUNE far detector are expected to be operational by 2032. Probing matter, antimatter, and supernovae Once one of the cryostats is filled, external pumps will continuously recirculate the liquid argon through a purification system. The immersed detector will then start collecting data. Once completed, DUNE will be the world’s largest and most advanced liquid-argon neutrino detector. The operational detector will precisely image interactions using detailed 3D tracking, enabling measurement of neutrino oscillations, as well as differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos. It could also provide new insights into the neutrino mass hierarchy, rare proton decay searches, and supernova neutrino bursts. This capability will allow teams at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment to answer fundamental physics questions. DUNE could, for example, shed light on why the universe contains vastly more matter than antimatter. It could also refine neutrino properties to test theories beyond the Standard Model, probe unification through proton decay, and provide unique astrophysical data on core-collapse supernovae. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTByChris YoungChris Young is a journalist, copywriter, blogger and tech geek at heart who’s reported on the likes of the Mobile World Congress, written for Lifehack, The Culture Trip, Flydoscope and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including NEC and Thales, about robots, satellites and other world-changing innovations.TRENDINGLATEST1Alibaba's RynnBrain smashes 16 robotics records, tops Google and NVIDIA AI models2Small nuclear reactors could replace fossil plants after key supply win3Ex-SpaceX engineer plans to fly satellite using water-powered propulsion system4US may need 500 next-gen fighters and bombers to counter China: Report5DOE selects 5 US firms to advance used nuclear fuel recycling tech at homeMore from ScienceSee AllScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyWEAR YOUR GENIUSShop NowJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobMore from ScienceSee AllScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobInside a protoDUNE detector.Max Brice / CERN The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, hosted by the US Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, will soon start building the world’s largest cryogenic particle detector.

The team behind the new detector, called the DUNE far detector, will build it a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. According to a press statement, “The challenges are legion, among them, the sheer size and scope, worldwide coordination, logistics, and importantly, safety for both people and detector components.” The world’s largest cryogenic particle detector The DUNE far detector is planned as a series of enormous modules that will be constructed sequentially over several years. Each module will feature ultrasensitive detector components immersed in liquid argon. Impressively, the first two modules will each require roughly five Olympic swimming pools’ worth of liquid argon. As the liquid has 1.4 times the density of water, this would equate to 17,000 metric tons for each pool. To fill the first module, the DUNE cryogenics team is preparing to receive roughly 1,000 truckloads of liquid argon over a period of about a year. International collaborators would then contribute two additional modules. While these would be slightly smaller, the final volume of liquid argonfor DUNE is expected to exceed 50,000 tons. Liquid argon must be kept at temperatures of minus 303 degrees Fahrenheit. Cryostats will be used to keep the argon in its liquid form and run the experiment for roughly 20 years. According to the Fermilab, work on cryogenic systems and steel structures is advancing. The first two modules of the DUNE far detector are expected to be operational by 2032. Probing matter, antimatter, and supernovae Once one of the cryostats is filled, external pumps will continuously recirculate the liquid argon through a purification system. The immersed detector will then start collecting data. Once completed, DUNE will be the world’s largest and most advanced liquid-argon neutrino detector. The operational detector will precisely image interactions using detailed 3D tracking, enabling measurement of neutrino oscillations, as well as differences between neutrinos and antineutrinos. It could also provide new insights into the neutrino mass hierarchy, rare proton decay searches, and supernova neutrino bursts. This capability will allow teams at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment to answer fundamental physics questions. DUNE could, for example, shed light on why the universe contains vastly more matter than antimatter. It could also refine neutrino properties to test theories beyond the Standard Model, probe unification through proton decay, and provide unique astrophysical data on core-collapse supernovae. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTByChris YoungChris Young is a journalist, copywriter, blogger and tech geek at heart who’s reported on the likes of the Mobile World Congress, written for Lifehack, The Culture Trip, Flydoscope and some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including NEC and Thales, about robots, satellites and other world-changing innovations.TRENDINGLATEST1Alibaba's RynnBrain smashes 16 robotics records, tops Google and NVIDIA AI models2Small nuclear reactors could replace fossil plants after key supply win3Ex-SpaceX engineer plans to fly satellite using water-powered propulsion system4US may need 500 next-gen fighters and bombers to counter China: Report5DOE selects 5 US firms to advance used nuclear fuel recycling tech at homeMore from ScienceSee AllScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyWEAR YOUR GENIUSShop NowJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobMore from ScienceSee AllScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyScienceFrontier supercomputer maps 3D turbulence at record 35 trillion grid pointsScienceUS largest particle collider wraps up final run after 25 years of discoveriesScienceChina claims first successful test of wireless brain-computer interface in spaceInnovationNATO-backed startup raises USD 8.8M to recycle Eurofighter Typhoon parts for dronesScienceLasers scan chemicals in 200-year-old Darwin jars without breaking them at 95% accuracyJOBSSee AllGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobGeneral ApplicationRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee JobEditorRemote • RemoteNot specifiedSee Job