Overview
Bringing Neutrino Research to the Next Level
After the breakthrough discovery of neutrino oscillations in the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998, the properties of neutrinos have been determined, one after another, and it has become necessary to update the Standard Model.
In 2011, the T2K experiment, which used a neutrino beam from the high intensity accelerator J-PARC and the Super-Kamiokande detector, confirmed the third neutrino oscillation. Now that all neutrino oscillation modes have been confirmed, the field of neutrino research has opened up for further investigations and discoveries.
Based on the highly sensitive techniques for neutrino observation cultivated over the years, Hyper-Kamiokande represents a further improvement in sensitivity. Hyper-Kamiokande consists of a cylindrical tank, with a water depth of 71m and a diameter of 68m. The fiducial volume of tank is approximately 10 times larger than that of the Super-Kamiokande detector. On the tank wall, 40,000 ultra high sensitivity photosensors have been installed in order to detect the very weak Cherenkov light generated in the water.
Through the realization of the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment, we will lead neutrino research into the world of the future.
The large neutrino detectors in Japan
The history of Japan’s large neutrino experiments began with the Kamiokande experiment. The history of its development is summarized here.
Kamiokande 1983~1996 |
Super-Kamiokande 1996~Present |
Hyper-Kamiokande Aiming to start observation in 2027 |
Size | Size | Size |
---|---|---|
19m diameter x 16m hight |
39m diameter x 42m hight |
68m diameter x 71m hight |
Water mass ( Fiducial mass) | Water mass ( Fiducial mass) | Water mass ( Fiducial mass) |
4500 ton※ ※The waer mass in the tank(inner tank and, upper and bottom outer tank) is 3000 ton |
50000 ton |
260000 ton |
Photomultiplier Tubes | Photomultiplier Tubes | Photomultiplier Tubes |
50cm diameter / 948 |
50cm diameter / 11146 |
50cm diameter / about 40000 |
Main and expected Results | Main and expected Results | Main and expected Results |
World’s first observation of neutrinos from a supernova explosion and observation of solar neutrinos, leading to the creation of neutrino astronomy | Discovery of neutrino oscillations, showing that neutrinos have mass |
|
Major awards | Major awards | Major awards |
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2002 |
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2015 |
About Hyper-Kamiokande