Here you feel like you lose connection to the earth. For about half a century, this tiny, elusive particle and messenger from the sun has puzzled scientists. Because of its weak interaction with atomic nuclei, the neutrino travels freely through any material object and is very difficult to observe. Deep underground, the elaborate experiment is shielded from interference with ubiquitous cosmic rays, allowing scientists to observe tiny bursts of light that take place when neutrinos collide with other particles. Among other things, scientists hope to determine why experiments over the years have noticed an apparent deficit of solar neutrinos, or whether or not the particle has even the tiniest mass.
Scientists take a break from work.
We can learn about the nature of the neutrino, and if it has a little bit of mass, perhaps even answer some questions about dark matter and missing mass in the universe. Peter Purgalis, now retired from the Lab, designed the geodesic sphere and Gary Koehler of the Engineering Division designed the panels and tube housings. The sphere was assembled in Petaluma and shipped to Canada four years ago. To oversee his part of the experiment, Lesko spends up to 100 days each year working inside the mine. You've got the infrastructure, you've got the engineers, the people you need.