Thomas Coan
NOvA neutrino detector in Minnesota records first 3-D particle tracks in search to understand universe
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The NOvA detector, currently under construction in Ash River, Minn., stands about 50 feet tall and 50 feet wide. The completed detector will weigh 14,000 tons. (Credit: Fermilab)[/caption]What will soon be the most powerful neutrino detector in the United States has recorded its first three-dimensional images of particles.
Using the first completed section of the NOvA neutrino detector under construction in Minnesota, scientists have begun collecting data from cosmic rays—particles produced by a constant rain of atomic nuclei falling on the Earth’s atmosphere from space. Scientists’ goal for the completed detector is to use it to discover properties of mysterious fundamental particles called neutrinos. Continue reading
Neutrino data to flow in 2010; SMU hosts NOvA scientists
Physicists may see data as soon as late summer from the prototype for a $278 million science experiment in northern Minnesota that is being designed to find clues to some fundamental mysteries of the universe, including dark matter.
But it could take years before the nation’s largest “neutrino” detector answers the profound questions that matter to scientists. Continue reading
Posted in Energy & Matter, Events, Researcher news
Tagged Dedman College, SMU Department of Physics, Thomas Coan
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Faculty mentor student researchers in both lab, field
Through their research, SMU professors not only bring new information and insights to their classrooms, but also serve as role models and collaborators to students who conduct research in their laboratories across campus. Maintaining a strong research program is significant for a number of reasons, says James Quick, associate vice president for research and dean of graduate studies.