DUNE neutrino detector technology stress‑tested at CERN

An international collaboration led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermilab is preparing the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) by running a stress test on its prototype detectors at CERN. The two 770‑ton ProtoDUNE liquid‑argon time‑projection chambers are being pushed to their limits to prove that the technology will survive decades of operation underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota.

DUNE co‑spokesperson Sowjanya Gollapinni said, “Neutrinos are key in our understanding of how the universe evolved to what it is today, and where it is headed,” and emphasized that the prototype work is “heroic” and essential for detecting both accelerator‑produced and cosmic neutrinos, including early signals from supernovae.