By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

A group of SFU scientists and other researchers across Canada have started building a new neutrino telescope. SFU physics professor Matthias Danninger and University of Alberta professor Carsten Krauss are leading the project, which was made possible through $15 million from the BC Knowledge Development Fund. 

Neutrino astronomy involves observing subatomic particles called “neutrinos.” A basic atom has three tiny subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, and electrons.) Neutrino particles are transmitted at near lightspeeds, allowing for the emission of the “high-energy neutrinos.” Observations of these particles can aid our understanding of “neutrino mass, topological defects, and supersymmetric dark matter.” A neutrino telescope is a type of telescope that emits “large arrays of optical sensors deployed in a transparent medium, such as water or ice.” Several neutrino telescopes operate around the world, including the leading IceCube Neutrino Observatory in the South Pole. 

Upon finishing the build of the neutrino telescope, it’ll be situated off the coast of Vancouver Island and placed 3000 metres deep into the Pacific Ocean. The telescope will help scientists better understand the movement of tectonic plates and climate change findings. It will also aid in research around marine life and biology, including migration patterns of whales who reside in BC’s waters.

In an interview with SFU, Danninger explained there is still much to learn about neutrino astronomy and that building the telescope will help further understand black holes. SFU’s researchers built part of the neutrino telescope in their lab atop the Burnaby campus, which includes precision calibration detectors. These detectors are “high power light emitters that shine strong lights hundreds of meters into the ocean to calibrate the optical properties of water.” 

Danninger and the SFU neutrino telescope team are working alongside Ocean Networks Canada, which is an ocean observation facility based out of Victoria, BC. The facility’s expertise is ocean infrastructure, so they will help the researchers with the placement of the telescope and overall data collection.

So far, funding for the project only covers “the installation of the first phase of the experiment.” The research team is hoping to receive further funding to cover the costs of the expansion of the telescope and the physical distance it covers. 

The project allows for many new educational opportunities, as numerous volunteers and staff are needed to help with the ongoing phases of the project. Danninger stated that the project will be “a fantastic training ground for undergraduates, for graduate students, and for postdocs.

“This experiment is very exciting for students, because it is new, it’s up and coming, and we are developing new technology,” he said. “We expect to see the unexpected.”