Which neutrino is the heaviest?

Three factoid cards, which look similar to playing cards or a baseball card, appear on a background of stars in a night sky (or in outer space) in a cartoon rendering. On each of the cards is a circle adjusted its sunglasses, presumably each a type of neutrino. Underneath these images on the cards are scribbles representing text and a question mark. In the upper left corner, the abbreviations for electron neutrino, a muon neutrino or a tau neutrino appear.

Which neutrino is the heaviest?

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Figuring out which type of neutrino is heaviest, or solving the puzzle of neutrino mass hierarchy, would be a huge leap in our understanding of both neutrinos and the physics that govern our universe. The NoVA experiment or DUNE could help physicists do just that.

The conveyor belt taking the rocks from the crusher to the Open Cut passes close to the town of Lead, South Dakota. Image: Fermilab

Rock transportation system is ready for excavation of DUNE caverns

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Fermilab contractors have successfully commissioned a system that will move 800,000 tons of rock to create space for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment’s detectors in South Dakota. Excavation crews will transport the rock from a mile underground to the surface using refurbished mining infrastructure and the newly constructed conveyor system.

Where science meets the sacred

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Sanford Underground Research Facility is making an effort to build bridges with Native American communities and operate with respect for the sacred land it is built on.

A simulated supernova neutrino interaction in the MicroBooNE detector, produced using MARLEY. This work lays a strong foundation for future supernova neutrino measurements with DUNE. Credit: MicroBooNE collaboration

Modeling collisions between argon nuclei and neutrinos from a supernova

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A new computer program called MARLEY simulates supernova neutrino interactions in argon-based particle detectors.

Gina Rameika elected DUNE co-spokesperson

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On April 1, Gina Rameika assumed the role of co-spokesperson for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, elected by a collaboration of more than 1,000 physicists and engineers. DUNE, hosted by Fermilab, comprises people from more than 200 institutions in 33 countries.

Crews complete major upgrade to Ross Hoists

From the Black Hills Pioneer, March 25, 2021: Ross Hoists will power the excavation of 800,000 tons of waste rock and serve as the conveyance for people, materials and equipment underground of the DUNE at LBNF.

Peruvian space agency studies the neutrino, an abundant particle on the universe

From Andina (Peru), March 22, 2021: Read more about the participation of Peruvian engineer Juan Vega from the Directorate of Astronomy and Space Sciences (DIACE) of the Peruvian Space Agency in the development of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment managed by Fermilab.

South Dakota’s DUNE Project — Kiewit-Alberici Preps Former Goldmine for Science Experiment

From Construction and Engineering, March 16, 2021: A construction and engineering short view on the development of DUNE and the impressive engineering and excavation process involving hundreds of thousands of tons of rock almost a mile below the surface.

The tale of two detectors

From the Oxford University Department of Physics, March 16, 2021: Oxford University explores the potential of the DUNE experiment and how it could unlock the mysteries of matter and how it was formed in our universe.

One of the DUNE near detector's subdetectors, SAND, will detect neutrinos with an electronic calorimeter, which measures particle energy, and a tracker, which records particle momenta and charge. A second subdetector will use liquid argon to mimic the neutrino interactions in the far detector. The third will use gaseous argon. Working together, they will measure particles with more precision than other neutrino detectors have been able to achieve. Credit: DUNE collaboration

Particle detector at Fermilab plays crucial role in Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

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DUNE’s near detector, located at Fermilab, will take vital measurements of neutrino beam energy and composition before it reaches the experiment’s far detector in South Dakota. Its unmatched precision measurements will offer its own opportunities for the discovery of new physics.