Search for the Invisible Infinite Intensifies

While all across the planet scientists are searching for undiscovered galaxies, stars, and black holes, a new lab being set up in Japan will allow scientists the chance to head in the other direction, by studying anything and everything smaller than an atom.

The Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC Center) cost 150 billion yen to build, which equates to approximately $1.36 billion USD. The project is also almost entirely funded by the government, and is set to open in December, and become the third of three hubs for atomic science, along with one in the US and one in Western Europe.

"Researchers will be able to study some lighter atoms that X-rays cannot analyse, most notably those of water," said Kunihiro Suzuki, chief spokesman at the J-PARC Center. "This means they could unzip the mechanism of any living organism -- whose main part consists of water."

The new lab, which is able to run up to 23 studies simultaneously, will also be conducting experiments searching for neutrinos. Neutrinos are elementary particles that travel close to the speed of light, and are extremely difficult to detect because they not only lack any electric charge, but can pass through ordinary matter almost totally undisturbed.

But neutrinos are also thought to be key to understanding the universe as a whole. Stars and supernovae expel masses of neutrinos out in to the universe, which then fail to make any sort of interaction with mass. Trillions of neutrinos also pass through the human body every day, but scientists are baffled as to just what their purpose is.

One project, set to start at the J-PARC Center in April next year, will see about 400 scientists attempt to send trillions of neutrinos on a 295-kilometre (183-mile) voyage, through the Earth’s crust, to the Super Kamiokande lab, located in western Japan. The travel time for one neutrino, will be 1,000th of a second, and scientists are hoping they can detect 10 or 20 a day, but scientists still hope they will make big discoveries in doing so.

Posted by Josh Hill.

Related Galaxy post:

Search for the "God Particle"
The "God Particle" -Holy Grail of Physics, has it been Found?

http://www.physorg.com/news139030592.html

Comments

[Barrie O'Leary]

Absolutely stunning. The concentrated (and costly) efforts that science is achieving right now is astounding. Aren't we the fortunate who live in an age which has such giants whose shoulders we can stand on? and creaing ever greater giants in the doing. How fortunate am I to be able to tap into this information daily on my p.c. Thank you, all.