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neutrino-detection

The chapter explains the function of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, focusing on how neutrinos interact with heavy water to produce detectable light flashes.

1 chapter across 1 book

Hominids (2002)Robert J. Sawyer

Chapter 10

The chapter introduces Louise Benoît, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, who detects an unusual neutrino event that escalates into the discovery of a man trapped inside the heavy-water detector chamber. The acrylic sphere containing the heavy water is ruptured, flooding the chamber and forcing Louise and a graduate student, Paul Kiriyama, to attempt a risky rescue. The chapter blends detailed scientific description of neutrino detection with a sudden, mysterious human intrusion into a highly controlled scientific environment.