China's Juno Lab: Unraveling the Universe's Secrets from Deep Underground"*

Beneath the lush landscapes of southern China, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (Juno) aims to solve profound scientific mysteries. As China invests heavily in advanced research, this state-of-the-art facility is designed to study elusive neutrinos—subatomic particles fundamental to understanding the universe.

Patrick Huber, director of the Center for Neutrino Physics at Virginia Tech, notes that Juno presents an "exciting" opportunity to explore these building blocks. Recently, an international media tour showcased the lab, which is accessed via a funicular train descending 700 meters underground to minimize radiation exposure.

Inside, a unique 35-meter stainless steel and acrylic neutrino detector is being completed. Project manager Wang Yifang highlights its unprecedented design, which is technologically complex.

Launched in 2014 with a budget of approximately 2.2 billion yuan (RM1.3 billion), Juno aims for completion next year and seeks to address the "mass hierarchy" problem of neutrinos—understanding their different mass states. Solving this could enhance our grasp of particle physics and the universe's evolution.

Juno's research will utilize neutrinos emitted by two nearby Chinese nuclear power plants, with scientists estimating six years of data collection will be required to tackle the mass hierarchy question. Although similar experiments are planned in the U.S. and Japan, Juno is considered "ahead in the race."

Around 750 scientists from 17 countries are involved in the collaboration, including two American groups. Despite tensions between the U.S. and China affecting scientific exchanges, some researchers remain optimistic about the project's potential to demonstrate the apolitical nature of science.