Experiment Looks at Neutrinos, Local Professor Involved

Researching the Most Abundant Massive Particles in the Universe

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It’s been a project a decade in the making and a local UMD professor has played an integral role.

Project Scientist Alec Habig is one of hundreds looking to learn more about ghostly particles, known as Neutrinos, which are able to go through everything.

They are one of the most abundant massive particles in the universe, but scientists didn’t know much about them until this exciting new experiment.

“To be able to make a beam of these (neutrinos) in the Fermilab in Chicago and then measure them up north in Sudan or the new lab in Ash River, 500 miles away and see how they change along the way,” said UMD Professor and Project Scientist Alex Habig.

The detector is composed of 14,000 metric tons of vinyl siding filled with baby oil.

Scientists are able to tell where the neutrinos hit the detector through a light beam.

The project will collect data for the next few years to come.