New antineutrino observatory set to capture more signals

In a recent collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), the Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO or JUNO-TAO) is set to be located at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. They have signed this cooperation agreement to share research and innovation outcomes.

As a major scientific facility jointly constructed by the CAS and the Guangdong Provincial Government, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a large-scale international scientific collaboration program led by China. Its primary scientific objectives are determining the neutrino mass ordering and measuring neutrino mixing parameters. The JUNO-TAO serves as a near-site experiment for JUNO, aiming to measure the high-energy resolution reactor neutrino energy spectrum and provide crucial input for JUNO. With the world's largest single-reactor power, the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is an ideal neutrino source for such detection experiments.

Due to the relatively weak neutrino signals in the JUNO experiment, which necessitate conducting the research at a depth of 700 meters underground, the JUNO-TAO offers a unique advantage by being deployable near the surface. The detector employs Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) and operates at minus 50 degrees Celsius, achieving an energy resolution of 2%. This makes it the liquid scintillator detector with the highest energy resolution internationally. In the same amount of time, the JUNO-TAO can capture 20 times the number of neutrinos compared to the JUNO experiment.

The installation of experimental equipment for the Taishan Neutrino Experiment has already commenced. On November 2nd, key detector components, including a steel tank, copper shell, and organic glass sphere, were successfully lifted and installed at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant.