The deployment device for China's underwater neutrino telescope has successfully completed sea trial, fully verifying its operational reliability.
The device, known as "the spider system", was inspired by spiders' spinning ability, and has been developed for China's Tropical Deep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT) or Hailing (meaning ocean bell in Chinese).
The telescope is designed to detect neutrinos, which can help uncover long-standing mysteries such as the origin of cosmic rays.
The telescope will comprise about 1,000 cables anchored to the seabed 3,500 meters below the South China Sea, with each cable measuring 700 meters and spaced about 100 meters apart. Each cable will connect 20 glass balls that detect light signals emitted by the reaction of neutrinos with seawater, allowing researchers to deduce the nature of neutrinos. The spider system was specifically designed to lay those cables.
"We also drew inspiration from spool, waterwheel and magnetic tape. The circular shaft design can operate with high stability," said Tian Xinliang, a professor at the School of Ocean and Civil Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and also deputy chief engineer of the TRIDENT.
The deployment device underwent eight major design upgrades and numerous trials before it can successfully lay cables in the deep sea.
"The research and development for the project began in 2018, followed by site selection in 2021. We aim to complete the laying of 10 cables by 2026, which will demonstrate the full technological identification for constructing a deep-sea neutrino telescope within China's waters," said Xu Donglian, principal scientist of TRIDENT.
The ultimate TRIDENT will be built around 2030, and it is expected to capture steady neutrino sources from NGC 1068, a galaxy in the constellation Cetus, within a year of operation.
Deployment device of China's deep-sea neutrino telescope completes sea trial
