The 2×2 detector has captured its first neutrino interactions at Fermilab with help from scientists at SLAC. The prototype neutrino detector will help fine-tune a full-size version of the DUNE Near Detector Liquid Argon detector and will capture up to 10,000 neutrino interactions per day.

Two colossal caverns, each more than 500 feet long and seven-stories tall, were completed to contain the gigantic particle detector modules for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international collaboration led by Fermilab. A third cavern will house utilities for operation of the DUNE far detector.

The More You Neutrino…

How I spent my summer learning about enigmatic particles that pass right through me by the billions every second!

Fermilab scientists have taken a major step in preparing for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment with a prototype particle accelerator. The 2×2 detector prototype has four liquid argon modules arranged in a square whereas the DUNE detectors will have 35 liquid argon time projection chambers, allowing scientists to track the movements of particles and determine their physical properties.

Michele Weber

The prototype of a novel particle detection system for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment successfully recorded its first accelerator neutrinos, providing a first look at the ability of this innovative technology to handle large numbers of the mysterious particles’ interactions.