The Borexino detector consists of two massive transparent nylon balloons filled with a petroleum-based liquid called “scintillator,” which emits a flash of light when it detects a neutrino. These flashes are picked up by an array of sensors embedded in a stainless steel sphere that surrounds the balloons. (Image courtesy of the Borexino collaboration)
The detection announced Aug. 28 of an elusive subatomic particle forged in the sun's core was a crowning achievement in the 25-year international effort to design and build one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors in the world, a feat that directly involved Princeton University scientists and engineers, including CBE's Prof. Jay Benziger and his students. With ongoing improvements in its sensitivity, the Borexino neutrino detector located a mile beneath a mountaintop at Italy's Gran Sasso National Laboratory has the potential to reveal more about how the sun and other stars produce energy. Benziger's contribution was the design and building of the purification system for the petroleum-based ultra-pure "scintillator" liquid that serves as the detection medium.
For more information, see the research article in the journal Nature, or the story posted on the university's web page.
