The world’s largest acrylic sphere is almost finished at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) in China, bringing the facility closer to a significant milestone. The capture and analysis of neutrinos—subatomic particles that store secrets about the universe—will be greatly aided by this huge construction.
263 huge spherical panels were used in the construction of the sphere
With a circumference of 35.4 meters, the acrylic sphere easily surpasses the previous record holder’s 12 meters. The company that created and produced this enormous sphere is Donchamp (Jiangsu) Material Technology Co Ltd., which has its headquarters in Taizhou, Jiangsu province.
The sphere, painstakingly built from 263 huge spherical panels, each about 12 centimeters thick, is an engineering marvel. Donchamp has a team of fifty workers working to complete the installation procedure, with a deadline of the end of July.
The JUNO observatory itself is located in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, 700 meters below the surface. The experiment is protected from background radiation by its deep position, which enables more accurate neutrino detection.
The acrylic sphere will be used by JUNO to hold 20,000 metric tons of liquid scintillator once it is operational. When neutrinos strike this unique liquid, they will cause it to release light, which will enable the observatory’s 45,000 photomultiplier tubes to identify and record these elusive particles.
Scientists hope to learn more about the nature of dark matter, the evolution of the cosmos, and the processes that drive supernovas and exploding stars by researching neutrinos. Now that the enormous acrylic sphere has been completed, JUNO is in a position to become a premier facility for neutrino research.