The Super K or Super-Kamiokande Detector is a neutrino detector in Japan. Its built to catch neutrinos that are tiny particles that can pass through nearly anything and they can never stop. To capture these particles, the experiment relies heavily on a key subject, water. However, this is no ordinary water, let’s look into this.
What is Super-K?
Its a stainless steel tank that holds this special water in the underground mine of Japan. This tanks holds about 50 thousand tons of water. Its covered with around 11 thousand light sensor that capture the flashes produced by this particles in the ‘special’ water.
How does the flash happen?
The flashes happen when a neutrino enters the water and generates a ‘fast’ particle. This results in a very faint blue light which is known as Cherenkov light. This is what the sensors catch.
Why is this water ‘special’?
The water for this experiment needs to be extra clean with absolutely nothing in the water except H2O. This is because aunty type of dirt or element has the potential to block the blue light from appearing. Its already a very weak and faint light so more disturbances make it difficult to capture it.
Why this purity matters
Elements like radon, when entering the water creates a similar effect to neutrinos. So keeping the water clean regularly helps avoid such mishaps and accidental readings.
How is the water cleaned?
The water in this tank is cleaned regularly, it passes through different processes after being drained from the tank. Ultraviolet lamps, special resins, machines filtering out gasses and any similar unwanted material are all part of the cleaning process.
Maintaining the purity
As mentioned before, this water is not cleaned once in a period but regularly. That means it gets cleaned everyday without stopping. In this way, it stays clean for years.
The temperature
This highly pure water with nothing but hydrogen and oxygen in it and is maintained at 13 degree celsius cold temperature. This helps slow down the bacterial growth and prevent unwanted particles from accumulating, specially in the middle.
Regular checks
The maintenance for this water is understandably important. Scientists test this water through cosmic rays using lasers and particles, so if light reaches less, that means the water is impure.
How does this water help
The transparency and clarity of this water helps in cosmic science. It takes particles or neutrinos that have come from the sun and those that are present in the Earth’s atmosphere to study cosmic events. It can even study exploding stars.
What to know
Thanks to the highly keen filtration process, there is nothing dissolved in this water. As such, this water is ‘hungry’ to dissolve anything it can to maintain its chemical balance. If you dipped yourself in it, it will strip away your bodily oils and whatever it can lay itself on. Its chemically aggressive but you won’t dissolve immediately for sure. Consider it as a good exfoliator, not that you should use it for such. Drinking it is also not advised as this water yearns to dissolve something, anything.
