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Neutrino Detector Yields Early Results

Sudbury, Canada - A huge Neutrino detector was constructed deep underground, promising early results.

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15 Comments

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neon neophyte : LVL 5: VP 1.4: said:

neon neophyte

63 votes NegativePositive

722 days 16 hours ago...

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) results have provided revolutionary insight into the properties of neutrinos and the core of the sun. The detector was built 6800 feet under ground, in INCO`s Creighton mine near Sudbury, Ontario. SNO is a heavy-water Cherenkov detector that is designed to detect neutrinos produced by fusion reactions in the sun. It uses 1000 tonnes of heavy water, on loan from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), contained in a 12 meter diameter acrylic vessel. Neutrinos react with the heavy water (D2O) to produce flashes of light called Cherenkov radiation. This light is then detected by an array of 9600 photomultiplier tubes mounted on a geodesic support structure surrounding the heavy water vessel. The detector is immersed in light (normal) water within a 30 meter barrel-shaped cavity (the size of a 10 story building!) excavated from Norite rock. Located in the deepest part of the mine, the overburden of rock shields the detector from cosmic rays. The detector laboratory is extremely clean to reduce background signals from radioactive elements present in the mine dust which would otherwise hide the very weak signal from neutrinos.

Heavy water is chemically the same as regular (light) water, but with the two hydrogen atoms (as in H2O) replaced with deuterium atoms (hence the symbol D2O). Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen; it has one extra neutron. Thus the deutrium atom consists of one proton and one neutron in the atomic nucleus and one orbiting electron. It is the extra neutron that makes heavy water "heavy", about 10% heavier in fact.

Heavy water is essential to the operation of Canada`s CANDU nuclear power reactors; used as both a moderator and a heat transfer agent. The function of the moderator is to slow down the emitted neutrons, which increases the fission reaction rate, thus enabling a sustained chain reaction. Ordinary water is also a good moderator, but it absorbs neutrons, which is why light water reactors must use enriched fuel. The use of D2O in CANDUs makes it possible to use non-enriched natural uranium.

Personal comments:
-I apologize for the crackle in audio. The cable connection to my set top box isn`t clean.
-I never did buy into dark matter. I wonder how much unaccounted for mass in the universe is now accounted for. Just how much mass do neutrinos have?

grae : LVL 36: VP 4.4: said:

grae

17 votes NegativePositive

722 days 15 hours ago...

Here`s hoping for equally speedy, surprising, and definitive results from the early days of the LHC.

Good post.

neon neophyte : LVL 5: VP 1.4: said:

neon neophyte

37 votes NegativePositive

722 days 15 hours ago...

Someone voted my first comment down? Gave my video a 1? I don`t get it. If you took the time to come in and vote me down so badly, at least leave a comment telling me why. I felt I was providing a decent video (which I recorded, edited and transcoded by the way.) Backed up with some interesting facts. *sigh* You people are so hard to please.

*edit* Ah, thats whats going on. I wish they would at least say something. I would even be happy with a "you suck" so I at least know who it is. I will keep on clipping from National Geographic Canada for you guys. Try and keep it interesting and/or entertaining.

velocity73R : LVL 35: VP 4.3: said:

velocity73R

17 votes NegativePositive

722 days 14 hours ago...

^^^There are some high rank losers on Spiked, that take joy in giving good video`s, and or comments a negative score, or `1` for video. It is life, but if it`s good enough it will find it`s way to the front page I assure you...
*** edit ***
@ Geep67, I never said it was worth an automatic, `5` but to give his comment, which I think is a pretty good one, and video a ,`1` I think is a little low...But I do agree, I didn`t give it a, `5` either, and I had almost exact same questions as yourself...I don`t know how they come up with the new Neutrino idea either, and it would be nice to have a better explanation..

Geep67 : LVL 35: VP 4.3: said:

Geep67

7 votes NegativePositive

722 days 13 hours ago...

^ velocity73R, its not much different from people automatically voting 5 on every science video in my opinion.

I personally voted 3 on this video because it left a lot of questions in my mind and didn`t provide much new information. For instance, the narrator says that billions of neutrinos pass through the chamber every hour but only one produces a detectable flash of light. From this information he seems to jump to the conclusion that 2/3rds of the neutrinos that pass through the planet are somehow changed into a different type of neutrino. How does he come to this conclusion? You can`t see the particle. You can only detect it because it has some effect on the environment around it. It’s a theoretical ghost particle. If the particles that are arriving here are changed to the point that they have no effect on their surroundings then what proof is there that they have changed or that they are there at all? The whole experiment is supposed to prove the existence of the neutrino. It seems kind of strange that when you do not find the proof you are looking for you simply come up with a new theory and present it as fact.

I EAT SAND : LVL 30: VP 3.9: said:

I EAT SAND

2 votes NegativePositive

722 days 10 hours ago...

Half a Billion for what? sum it up in two sentences...

novaflash : LVL 32: VP 4.1: said:

novaflash

1 votes NegativePositive

722 days 10 hours ago...

I believe in dark matter.

neon neophyte : LVL 6: VP 1.5: said:

neon neophyte

6 votes NegativePositive

722 days 10 hours ago...

^^ Help bring some definition to the smallest and least known particle. Discovering anything has mass, when you previously didn`t know is a HUGE deal. As it stands the scientific community have made up something called "dark matter." Dark matter is every bit of mass in the universe that we can`t account for. We like to think its an invisible, untouchable substance. In all actuality, its just a big ol` number we can`t account for. This is a start.

@patsch: well, neutrinos were never known to actually exist. its all really just been theory up until now. how can something that youve never been able to quantify and/or qualify have known mass? even now we only measure the results of them *rarely* colliding with an atom (thats why they use water, its so dense, atoms are all squeezed together)

sn00ke : LVL 3: VP 1.2: said:

sn00ke

22 votes NegativePositive

722 days 10 hours ago...

They need to put some better transportation in that place, screw being on an elevator for a half hour and walking a mile to work.

On the upside, it`ll be a nice place to hide when the zombies/machines take over.

Equand1 : LVL 23: VP 3.2: said:

Equand1

1 votes NegativePositive

722 days 9 hours ago...

nice video, but gives more questions then answers for half a billion dollars.

IamDAN : LVL 22: VP 3.1: said:

IamDAN

21 votes NegativePositive

722 days 9 hours ago...

At least all the money didn`t go to buying bombs. I choose science every time. Money doesn`t really exist anyway.

The question is why is it important that neutrinos have mass? Will it change every assumption we have about physics? Or is it important because it gives us an idea for what questions we should be asking? Also, will any of this new information assist me in getting super powers? This is very important.

stndspec : LVL 34: VP 4.2: said:

stndspec

2 votes NegativePositive

722 days 7 hours ago...

long term research like this is vital for superpowers, which will happen when we all have nanobots in our blood and synthetic red and white blood cells powering synthetic muscle fibers controlled by an ai-enhanced brain filled with even more nanobots so you are infinitely smarter too in just 25 more years.. yeah I just watched the Quantum revolution vid with Kaku and Kurzweil.. that was good, it keeps my spirits up.

Actual question - Why do we consider make-believe money being used to accomplish something profoundly real a potential waste?

noneother : LVL 35: VP 4.3: said:

noneother

Hidden (Show Comment) -8 votes

722 days 7 hours ago...

that guy quit his job at princeton so he can huddle next to dozens of men in an elevator :S

Patsch : LVL 37: VP 4.5: said:

Patsch

0 votes NegativePositive

722 days 6 hours ago...

I dont understand how Neutrinos could NOT have mass!? Without mass, particles theoretically couldnt move because there is no velocity without mass and energy. These three always go together.

Can someone explain please?

h0ser : LVL 26: VP 3.5: said:

h0ser

2 votes NegativePositive

722 days 6 hours ago...

i think if you go any faster ur head will implode lol

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