The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, a
solar neutrino detector that is also capable of detecting neutrino oscillations,
is about to begin underground installation of detector components. The photomultiplier
support structure, a major component supplied by LBL, has progressed from the
design and fabrication of individual parts to assembly and delivery of sub-components
to Sudbury. In July of '93 the entire geodesic dome was assembled above-ground
in Petaluma, CA and provided an occasion for a ceremony to mark the completion
of this stage of the project. The steel geodesic dome was delivered to Sudbury
in FY93 while the plastic panel assemblies, which house the PMTs, were assembled
in LBL's clean-room assembly facility and shipped in April, 1994. Additional
responsibilities have been assumed for contamination control and contamination
reduction in the cavity. The group's expertise in low-level radiation counting
and both its local and Oroville counting facilities are essential for this.
All materials used in the construction of the PSUP have been analyzed for uranium
and thorium contamination and are typically a factor of ten under project requirements.
The group effort in preparation for data analysis and in applying Monte Carlo
programs for the collaboration continues to expand, with heavy involvement in
developing the graphics interface and the on-line detector monitoring programs.
A low-energy on-line trigger using neural networks is being pursued. As effort
is shifted from engineering matters, the group will concentrate increasingly
on the problems of solar neutrino data collection and analysis.
For more information, contact Kevin Lesko, e-mail: KTLesko@lbl.gov