Unicamp received, this Monday (13), a visit from Lia Merminga, director of Fermilab, a particle and high-energy physics laboratory linked to the United States Department of Energy. She participated in a workshop on the purification of liquid argon, an event promoted by the Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW) with the aim of celebrating the achievements already obtained in the first phase of the LBNF/Dune project and projecting the work to be carried out and the technologies to be developed in its second level. Dune is an international initiative to install a large neutrino detector in the North American state of South Dakota, 1.300 kilometers away from where the particle beam will be generated, near Chicago, Illinois (USA) . Another feature is the depth at which the large detector will be installed, 1.400 meters above the ground. Once installed, Dune is expected to be the largest neutrino detector in the world.
“Unicamp’s contribution to the Dune project is simply essential for the success of its execution. It is a project with an investment of more than 3 billion dollars by the United States Department of Energy that benefits the international community”, highlighted Merminga, who recognized the collaboration of many involved in the initiative. “I would like to thank the ingenuity of my colleagues at Unicamp, including its many researchers, and the generosity of Fapesp [Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo] for the support and great effort of the undergraduate and postgraduate students at this University.”
The opening of the workshop also included the participation of the dean of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, the pro-rector of Research, João Marcos Romano, the director of IFGW, Mônica Cotta, the deputy director of the LBNF/Dune project, Ron Ray, and the vice-president of the company Akaer, Fernando Coelho. Mônica Cotta highlighted Lia's presence at the University as an important model for other women in science and highlighted how the project demonstrates the magnitude of the research carried out by Unicamp. “We are doing very good science, recognized by Fermilab. Our gains are not only in knowledge about neutrinos, but also in materials science and the connection between people.”
The event continued with presentations from Fermilab, Unicamp and Akaer, a partner company in the initiative, to talk about phase two of the Dune project. João Marcos Romano highlighted the importance of partnerships established for research in Brazil, especially the importance of Fapesp. So that the new technologies involved can be produced, the team hopes for the creation, at Unicamp, of the Energy Center for Advanced High Energy Instrumentation, a project that will facilitate the application of the science developed at the University in partner companies. “Unicamp is proud of the role it plays in this project”, commented the dean.
The rector of Unicamp reinforced the University's commitment to the initiative and expressed its willingness to contribute to the establishment of bridges with other bodies capable of subsidizing the work in the country. Antonio Meirelles commented that the matter was discussed in meetings held with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). “As an institution, we lead a team that involves several institutions. Hereby workshop, we express our commitment to continue the partnership in the project."
Purify argon and detect neutrinos
The LBNF/Dune project (Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Facility, in English) is a program for research into neutrinos and elementary particles that will make it possible to investigate new subatomic phenomena and expand knowledge about neutrinos and their role in the formation of universe. It consists of installing a large neutrino detector in Leads, South Dakota, at a depth of 1.400 meters, to identify neutrinos emitted by a beam generated from the Fermilab headquarters, in the city of Batava, Illinois, located a distance of 1.300 kilometers.
The neutrino detector in South Dakota will cover an underground area equivalent to eight football fields, formed by three caves. Equipment to detect particles will be installed in two of them. A third, central cave will have equipment for purifying, circulating and condensing argon, a noble gas used in liquid form for experiments. When fully operational, the Dune facilities will use around 70 tons of liquid argon.
Unicamp's participation in the development of the project focuses on the development and scale production of equipment used to purify argon. The technology used in this process is developed in the IFGW laboratories, including the improvement of the inputs used to filter liquid argon. The technology used until then by Fermilab was able to remove the oxygen involved in it, which disrupts the interaction between argon and neutrinos, essential for detecting particles. With the technology developed by Unicamp, it will also be possible to capture nitrogen, increasing the purity of the liquefied gas and expanding the use of identification techniques, such as scintillation.
Another contribution from Unicamp to the project is the presence of the X-Arapuca in the detector, a device created at the University and responsible for identifying the neutrino by capturing the light emitted from the interaction of the neutrino with the argon in the tanks. The expectation is that 1.500 of these devices will be installed on Dune. The X-Arapuca technology was developed based on research carried out by professors Ettore Segreto and Ana Amélia Machado, from IFGW.
In phase two of the project, the challenge will be to produce the equipment in quantity and on a full scale and transport it to the United States. To achieve this, the partnership with Akaer, through the company Equatorial Sistemas, is decisive. Add another challenge: developing a production and transport dynamic that allows the equipment to be taken deep into the caves where it will be installed. “It’s like building a ship inside a bottle, every detail is a new challenge”, compares Fernando Coelho, vice-president of the company.
Professor at IFGW and project leader at Unicamp, Pascoal Pagliuso highlights the importance of the entire initiative not only for scientific development, but also for the economy and job creation. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the country. Everything will be built in Brazil, under the leadership of Unicamp. It is an investment by the country in the country. We cannot let this moment pass.”
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Unicamp signs cooperation agreement in High Energy Particle Physics with Fermilab
