The JUNO detector seen from outside. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The world's largest liquid scintillator neutrino detector, a massive spherical facility located 700 meters underground in South China's Guangdong province, delivered its first set of experimental results on Nov 19. Scientists leading the effort say the findings from the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, or JUNO, have achieved remarkable accuracy.
The spherical facility was designed and produced by Jiangsu Donchamp New Material Technology, based in the Taixing Economic Development Zone, Taixing, Jiangsu province.
The JUNO detector can accurately capture neutrinos generated 53 kilometers away and measure their energy spectrum with unmatched accuracy.
The experiment completed the infusion of 20,000 metric tons of liquid scintillator in August, marking the start of the operation and data collection stage.
Donchamp entered into a cooperation agreement with the institute in 2017 to carry out the large-scale organic glass sphere project for the detector.
At that time, the world's largest organic glass sphere measured only 12 meters in diameter, and the sphere needed for this project not only had to be larger but also had very strict requirements for material accuracy.
In response to this, Tang Yuesheng, chairman of Donchamp, led a team to dedicate four years to research. They ultimately overcame the technical bottleneck of ultra-high precision material manufacturing and lowered costs by optimizing production lines and processes.