Super-Kamiokande

Super-Kamiokande, or Super-K for short, is a neutrino observatory in Japan.

Related Topics:
Neutrino observatory - Japan

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The observatory was designed to study solar neutrinos and atmospheric neutrinos, search for proton decay, and detect neutrinos from a supernova anywhere in our galaxy.

Related Topics:
Solar neutrino - Atmospheric neutrino - Proton decay - Neutrino - Supernova

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Super-K is located 1,000 m underground in Mozumi Mine of the Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co. in Hida city (formerly Kamioka town), Gifu, Japan.

Related Topics:
1,000 m - Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co. - Hida - Gifu - Japan

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It consists of 50,000 tons of pure water surrounded by about 11000 photomultiplier tubes.

Related Topics:
50,000 tons - Water - Photomultiplier

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The cylindrical structure is 40 m tall and 40 m across.

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A neutrino interaction with the electrons or nuclei of water can produce a particle that moves faster than the speed of light in water (although of course slower than the speed of light in vacuum).

Related Topics:
Electron - Speed of light

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This creates a cone of light due to Cherenkov radiation which is the optical equivalent to a sonic boom.

Related Topics:
Cherenkov radiation - Sonic boom

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The distinct pattern of this flash provides information on the direction and in the case of atmospheric neutrinos, the flavor of the incoming neutrino. The difference in time between the top of the cone reaching the detector wall and the bottom can be used to calculate the direction the particle is coming from; the bigger the difference, the greater the angle from the horizontal of the particle's path. From the sharpness of the edge of the cone the type of particle can be inferred. A muon is very penetrative and so interacts rarely with the water giving a sharp cone. An electron will regulary interact causing extra particle showers to occur and therefore a fuzzier cone to be detected by a series of photomultiplier tubes.

Related Topics:
Atmospheric neutrino - Muon - Electron

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