https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/march-2007/deconstruction-katrin?language_content_entity=und Skip to main content symmetry | dimensions of particle physics symmetry symmetry | dimensions of particle physics * Topics + Higgs boson + Neutrinos + Dark matter + Dark energy + New physics + Applications + Full archive Follow [ ] Search A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication Photo of spectrometer moving through Karls Courtesy of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment KATRIN's odyssey 03/01/07 By Alison Drain People went to great lengths, traveling almost 9000 kilometers over more than 60 days, to deliver an essential, 200-ton component of the KATRIN neutrino experiment. In late 2006, a component of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino Experiment (KATRIN) traveled from Deggendorf, Germany, to a laboratory in Karlsruhe, only 400 kilometers away. The trip wouldn't have been a notable event, except that the spectrometer, an instrument used to measure the masses of particles, followed a near-9000-kilometer route to get from one town to the other. Illustration of map of KATRIN's trip Artwork by Sandbox Studio, Chicago To say it was difficult to move the spectrometer would be an understatement. Measuring almost 10 meters at its widest point and weighing 200 tons, the device was too large and too heavy to be transported along the roads between the two towns. Because the design of the detector called for a half-mile of specialized vacuum-tight welding between sheets of stainless steel, it had to be shipped from the Deggendorf site in one piece. Starting in 2010, the KATRIN experiment will take on the challenge of directly determining the mass of the neutrino, an elusive particle without electric charge. Because neutrinos cannot be detected directly, KATRIN will look for how much mass is missing when tritium decays, a process known to emit neutrinos. To do this, the experiment will rely on the capabilities of the specially-designed large spectrometer. As it traversed the course of its European odyssey, a team of a dozen scientists fretted over the spectrometer's every move. They watched, guided, worried, and then celebrated when, having navigated a carefully choreographed route across water and land, the instrument finally arrived in Karlsruhe after 63 days of travel. Photo of spectrometer beginning its journey on the river barge "Taifun," shoving off from Deggendorf along the Danube September 28, 2006 The spectrometer began its journey on the river barge "Taifun," shoving off from Deggendorf along the Danube. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of spectrometer slips under a bridge in Jochenstein lock in Austria October 5, 2006 With only seven centimeters to spare, the spectrometer barely slipped under a bridge at the Jochenstein lock in Austria. The barge continued its trip along the Danube through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and to the river delta on the Romanian coast without incident. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of spectrometer leaving the port on the sea-going ship Annegret at the Danube Delta in mid-October October 31, 2006 After transferring to the sea-going ship Annegret at the Danube Delta in mid-October, the spectrometer left the port of Constanta for the Black Sea. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of the spectrometer exposed after a storm tore away the instrument's half-ton plastic cover--the trip's only hiccup November 6, 2006 The spectrometer was exposed after a storm tore away the instrument's half-ton plastic cover--the trip's only hiccup. Here, at the port of Augusta in Sicily, the instrument was transferred to the Svenja, which carried it around Spain and France to the estuary of the Rhine. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of the spectrometer on the Rhine, transferred to a pontoon boat for unloading at the village of Leopoldshafen November 25, 2006 (Morning) On the Rhine, the spectrometer was transferred to a pontoon boat for unloading at the village of Leopoldshafen. A heavy crane, one of two in all of Europe large enough for the task, lifted the spectrometer from the boat to a vehicle waiting at the dock. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of spectrometer perched on a large carrier vehicle, making its way to the Karls November 25, 2006 (Afternoon) Perched on a large carrier vehicle, the spectrometer, like a displaced spaceship wedged between homes, made its way to the Karlsruhe Research Center through Leopoldshafen. Karlsruhe Research Center Photo of crane, reassembled at the research center, lifting the instrument to its final position through an open roof November 29, 2006 The crane, reassembled at the research center, lifted the instrument to its final position through an open roof, bringing the spectrometer's journey to an end. Karlsruhe Research Center Previous Next Download a PDF of this article. Follow * Print * Facebook * Twitter * Reddit * Hacker News Use your browser's print dialog box to create a pdf. popular on symmetry Photo of spectrometer moving through Karls 03/01/07 KATRIN's odyssey People went to great lengths, traveling almost 9000 kilometers over more than 60 days, to deliver an essential, 200-ton component of the KATRIN neutrino experiment. Coffee mug with equations on it 07/28/16 The deconstructed Standard Model equation The Standard Model is far more than elementary particles arranged in a table. 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DUNE will need lots of neutrinos--and to make them, scientists and engineers will use extreme versions of some common sounding ingredients: magnets and pencil lead. 10/14/19 DUNE scientists see particle tracks with dual-phase technology Scientists working at CERN have started tests of a new neutrino detector prototype that uses a promising technology called "dual phase." 08/01/19 Powered by pixels An innovative use of pixel technology is making liquid-argon neutrino detectors even better. 01/25/19 Success after a three-year sprint After a rush to start up the first large prototype detector, stellar results show the technology for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment is ready to shine. * Load More View full archive symmetry | dimensions of particle physics An online magazine about particle physics. * Subscribe * Contact * About * Archive Copyright 2024 Symmetry Magazine A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication Symmetry receives funding through the US Department of Energy. 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