Nuclear Physics Division

How do neutrinos transform over time? By observing their "oscillations" across very long distances and at very large scale, physicists are seeking to settle a fundamental question regarding the differences in the behavior of matter and antimatter.

With this in mind, the WA105 collaboration is developing a new neutrino detection technology, called "double phase", which, to a certain extent, combines the advantages of the bubble chamber and the easier-to-use gas detectors that were more recently invented. When neutrinos are travelling by, a large volume of extremely sensitive liquid argon releases electrons, which are processed in 3D by a surface gas detector. This system, called a Large Electron Multiplier, can be extrapolated on a broad scale.

Today, the WA105 "time projection chamber" contains 25 metric tons of liquid argon in a volume of 3 m³. It will make it possible to validate the technical choices to be applied to the future demonstrator, which contains 300 metric tons of liquid argon (6x6x6 m³) and will collect data in 2018 using a beam from CERN.

The objective is to build detectors which contain ten thousand metric tons of liquid argon
(60x12x12 m³) for the DUNE neutrino oscillation experiment. The construction of the DUNE underground laboratory began in July 2017. 

Contacts : Edoardo Mazzucato, Alain Delbart