SFU scientists working to build neutrino telescope to provide a new window into the universe

SFU scientists are among a team of researchers from universities across Canada that has received a multimillion-dollar government grant to build a state-of-the-art neutrino telescope off the B.C. coast.

SFU physics professor Matthias Danninger is co-leading the project with Carsten Krauss, associate professor at the University of Alberta. The researchers received $15 million in funding from the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund to develop a hi-tech neutrino telescope that will offer scientists a new view into the universe.

“Our telescope will open a new window to high-energy phenomena that are not yet understood – such as black holes,” says Danninger. “We expect to see the unexpected.”

Once built, the telescope will be deployed hundreds of kilometres off the coast of Vancouver Island at a depth of 3,000 meters into the Pacific Ocean. The initial funding will allow the installation of the first phase of the experiment, and the team hopes to secure future additional funding that will allow expansion of the apparatus to one cubic kilometre in size. 

Neutrino telescopes are large arrays of optical sensors deployed in a transparent medium, such as water or ice, to detect light emitted by the interactions of high-energy neutrinos –subatomic particles that travel at near lightspeeds.

“Neutrinos are messengers of energy in the universe because they do not get absorbed,” says Danninger. “We can learn about astronomical phenomena by observing them in neutrinos.”

As well as studying neutrinos to uncover new insights into high-energy phenomena like black holes, the sensors will also be used for applications beyond particle physics. The equipment will gather data for research into climate change, tectonic plate movement off the B.C. coast, and has the potential to track the migration of whales and provide a deeper understanding of marine biology. 

The telescope will work in conjunction with a cabled network spanning several thousand kilometers across the ocean developed by Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), a Victoria-based ocean observation facility the SFU researchers have partnered with for their expertise on ocean infrastructure. 

Danninger’s team built several parts for the telescope in their SFU lab, such as precision calibration detectors, high power light emitters that shine strong lights hundreds of meters into the ocean to calibrate the optical properties of water. 

The new telescope will further create educational opportunities for students at SFU, since the project will require volunteers, staff, and postdoctoral graduates to develop components for the telescope.

“This experiment is very exciting for students, because it is new, it's up and coming, and we are developing new technology,” says Danninger. “We are building an experiment, which is Canada-led and will be also on the ground here in BC. It's a fantastic training ground for undergraduates, for graduate students, and for postdocs.”