Highlight Nikhef: neutrino detector KM3NeT places new line 2400 metres deep in the sea

At the end of February, a team of French technicians sunk the first of four new lines with measuring equipment for neutrino detector KM3NeT at a depth of 2400 metres from a vessel in the Mediterranean Sea near Toulon. A diving robot connected the line with 18 glass detector spheres attached to it. The spheres are filled with phototubes that measure light flashes which indicate the presence of neutrinos. Eventually, the KM3NeT detector will consist of a series of hundreds of lines with detector spheres in the deep sea near France and Italy, and in a later phase near Greece as well.

The measurement network will be used to investigate the fundamental characteristics of neutrinos as well as astrophysical sources of cosmic neutrinos. KM3NeT will also facilitate marine research and research into marine mammals.
Nikhef together with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), TNO and KVI-CART designed nearly all parts of the detector. With this Nikhef is leading the construction of the detector and plays a crucial role in the scientific research.

More information
Please visit the website of NWO Institute Nikhef for more information about KM3NeT.