Fermilab's Neutrino Detector Sees Its First Particles
Up Top Electronics get installed onto a Fermilab's neutrino detector. Photo by Fermilab They've traveled 500 miles underground, passing through soil and rock as easily as Casper the Friendly Ghost glides through walls. They've gone straight through the Earth, reaching their destination without needing any guidance—no tunnels, no cables—along the way. What are these little ghosts? They're neutrinos, particles scientists created at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago and then aimed at a 14,000-ton detector located in Ash River, Minnesota, near the Canadian border. Fermilab announced today it saw its first neutrinos arriving at Ash River. The detector isn't even finished yet. When it is, it will be part of the longest neutrino experiment in the world from end to end. The experiment is called NOvA, short for—deep breath—Neutrinos from the Main Injector Off-Axis...
