XENONnT detector achieves record low-energy solar neutrino detection

The XENON Collaboration has achieved a milestone in particle physics by directly detecting low-energy solar neutrinos. Using the XENONnT particle detector, researchers observed neutrinos scattering off electrons, extending the threshold for direct neutrino observations down to approximately 17 kiloelectronvolts (keV).

This measurement represents the lowest energy threshold ever reached for direct neutrino detection. The XENONnT observatory is located 1,400 meters underground within the Gran Sasso massif at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics laboratory in Italy. The deep underground location provides essential shielding from cosmic particle flux, which is necessary to reduce background noise.

To achieve this result, the collaboration had to suppress background signals, such as radon and decay contributions, to unprecedented levels over several years. The detector utilizes a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber containing 5.9 tons of high-purity liquid xenon. This breakthrough provides new insights into astrophysical processes and potential new physics.