For the last three decades, physicists have patiently waited for the next nearby supernova. Luckily, waiting is no longer the only option.
With an upgrade to the Super-Kamiokande detector, neutrino physicists will gain access to the supernovae of the past.
Physicists often find thrifty, ingenious ways to reuse equipment and resources. What do you do about an 800-ton magnet originally used to discover new particles? Send it off on a months-long journey via truck, train and ship halfway across the world to detect oscillating particles called neutrinos, of course. It’s all part of the vast recycling network of the physics community.
From Big Think, Sept. 10, 2018: This primer on the world’s neutrino experiments discusses the international, Fermilab-hosted DUNE.
This neutrino-watchers season preview will give you the rundown on what to expect to come out of neutrino research in the coming years.