Japan surprised everyone by building the world's largest 'cosmic' mystery decoding project

To carry out this project, Japan had to hollow out a mountain. Once completed, this megaproject will be unlike any existing construction.

Hollowing out mountains to build huge projects

This is a super project and is 4.5 times larger than the world's number 1 aquarium Seaworld Abu Dhabi.

According to The b1m site, Japan is 'hollowing out' a mountain to solve the 'difficult' puzzle of the universe. Specifically, this country has built the world's largest neutrino cosmic particle observatory - Hyper-Kamiokande at Nijuugo mountain, Kamioka town. This is a super project and is 4.5 times larger than the world's No. 1 aquarium Seaworld Abu Dhabi.

It is expected that this project used to detect neutrinos will cost 600 million USD (more than 14.8 trillion VND), completed in 2026 and carry out other experiments in 2027. It is known that Hyper-Kamiokande Led by the University of Tokyo and supported by researchers from 21 countries.

The entire Hyper-Kamiokande structure consists of a giant cylindrical structure carved into the rock and is accessed by an upper tunnel and a secondary tunnel at the base. At 88m high and 69m wide, it is large enough to accommodate an entire Boeing 747.

Hyper-Kamiokande consists of a giant cylindrical structure, 88m high and 69m wide.

The plan to build Hyper-Kamiokande started in 1999, after more than two decades of development, in May 2021, the access tunnel began construction.

Using the drill and blast method, it took a team of engineers only 9 months to dig a 2km long tunnel, then spray concrete to create a smoother and more stable surface. This access tunnel leads to the center of what will become the roof of the observatory.

Because the observatory is located at a depth of 681m below the top of the mountain, the construction team designed a dome-shaped structure, then added a steel truss to reinforce the huge weight of the rock above.

Dome-shaped structure.

It is known that phase 1 was completed in October 2023 and the team has now begun the next phase of the project, which is to destroy the 71m layer of rock below to create a giant cave containing an observatory.

This was a big challenge for the construction team, but it was an important factor that made the site perfect for neutrino detection. The density of the rock mass is equivalent to an observatory located 1.7km below sea level.

These construction conditions provide excellent isolation from cosmic rays and background radiation, which could damage this experiment.

What does Hyper-Kamiokande mean?

The universe has very small subatomic particles , such as quarks, bosons, and neutrinos. They fly through space, and if humans understand how that happens, it could change the way we think about the universe and answer many questions.

The universe is made up of extremely small subatomic particles, such as neutrinos.

Previously, traditionally, to detect these particles, the team would smash larger particles together at high speed and record the reaction. That's what's happening at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

However, researchers have now found an easier way to observe these particles. That is listening. However, to get ideal results, a remote and quiet place is needed. And luckily Japan has such favorable places.