The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project has recently made headlines as it is set to be established in Bodi West Hills, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. The INO project is a collective endeavor that aims to construct a state-of-the-art underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximately 1200 meters. The lab’s purpose is to facilitate non-accelerator based high-energy and nuclear physics research in India.
National Neutrino Collaboration Group
More than 50 scientists from about 15 Institutes and Universities in India comprise the National Neutrino Collaboration Group (NNCG). This group is tasked with outlining the various aspects connected to INO activity and formulating a proposal for an underground neutrino laboratory.
Financial Support For The Project
The financial backing for the INO project comes from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Objectives Of The INO Project
The INO will monitor neutrinos and anti-neutrinos produced in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is anticipated that over time this underground facility will evolve into a comprehensive underground science lab that will also conduct studies in areas such as physics, biology, geology, and hydrology.
Features Of The INO Project
Salient features of the INO project include the construction of an underground laboratory and associated surface facilities at Bodi West Hills. Furthermore, a magnetized Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector will be constructed for studying neutrinos. Upon completion, ICAL is set to possess the world’s largest magnet. Another highlight involves setting up the Inter Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics (IICHEP) at Madurai.
Advantages Of The Project
Observations from this project are expected to provide more insight into the properties of neutrino particles, primarily sourced from the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere. This knowledge will contribute to the development of a physics model that goes beyond the existing Standard Model of Particle Physics, which explains three out of four known fundamental forces in the cosmos. The project is expected to significantly impact various fields such as nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, and medical imaging.
Challenges Faced By The INO Project
The project has faced opposition due to concerns of adverse effects on the ecosystem of the Western Ghats. It was challenged before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). However, environmental clearance was granted by the NGT. Local residents from the Pottipuram Panchayat in Bodi West Hills have also protested against the proposed observatory.
About Neutrinos
First identified in 1959, neutrinos are the second most abundant particles globally. These subatomic fundamental particles bear no charge, minimal to zero mass, and only interact through weak subatomic force and gravity. They originate from various radioactive decays and cosmological events such as supernovas and cosmic rays striking atoms. Although they are considered massless according to the Standard Model of Particle Physics, recent experiments suggest that these neutral particles possess finite but minuscule mass.
Neutrino Detectors
Neutrino detectors are essential tools used to study these elusive particles’ interactions as they move undetected through most objects, including humans and the Earth’s surface. Scientists need to go deep underground and set up special detectors to capture the faint signals of neutrinos in a relatively noise-free and disturbance-free environment.
