SUPER-K : The Amazing SUPERNOVA Observatory
Brief Info : Super-Kamiokande, or Super-K for short, is a neutrino observatory in Japan. The observatory was designed to search for proton decay, study solar and atmospheric neutrinos, and keep watch for supernovas in the Milky Way Galaxy.
Super-K is located 1,000 m underground in the Mozumi Mine (Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co.) in Hida city (formerly Kamioka town), Gifu, Japan. It consists of 50,000 tons of pure water surrounded by about 11,200 photomultiplier tubes. The cylindrical structure is 41.4 m tall and 39.3 m across. 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). This creates a cone of light known as Cherenkov radiation, which is the optical equivalent to a sonic boom. The distinct pattern of this flash provides information on the direction and 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 that the particle came 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. The multiple scattering of electrons is large, so electromagnetic showers produce fuzzy cones. Highly relativistic muons, in contrast, travel almost straight through the detector and produce rings with sharp edges.
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SUPER-K :The Amazing SUPERNOVA Observatory !
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