Looking
for the elusive neutrino
"The
hope is that the particle that is almost nothing will tell
us almost everything about the universe."
-Francis
Halzen, principal investigator of the AMANDA detector
The Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array, fondly known
as AMANDA, was created to detect high-energy neutrinos. These
hard-to-find particles may be very tiny, but they can tell
us immense things about the creation of matter and the universe.
The
detector consists of several strings of "optical modules,"
basketball-sized sensors that can pick up very small flashes
of light. The strings hang almost two miles under the surface
of the South Pole, and take advantage of the extraordinary
clarity of the ice to capture light released when a high-energy
neutrino hits it.
The
strings are installed by an elaborate procedure that involves
drilling a column, using hot water to melt the ice, and then
quickly putting the sensors down the hole before it freezes
up. There's no way to remove AMANDA's modules from the ice;
it will stay there until the continent warms up and the ice
sheet melts, millions of years from now.
Antarctic
Dreams
A literary essay about AMANDA by Francis Halzen, the detector's
chief physicist.
The
Hunt for Neutrinos
How do you track a particle that leaves no footprints?
How
does AMANDA work?
A video describing what happens inside the detector. In German,
with an
English transcript
.
Other links about AMANDA:
Schematic
of AMANDA's detector array
Animated
gif of an AMANDA "event"
The rare, much sought-after occurrance of a high-energy neutrino
hitting the optical modules.
Ice
fishing for Neutrinos
Another essay by Francis Halzen, written in 1996.
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