Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, known as DUNE, is one of the most ambitious particle physics projects in the world, spanning two sites 1,300 kilometres apart.

About the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment

DUNE pairs a near detector at Fermilab in Illinois with a far detector nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota. More than 1,000 collaborators from over 30 countries are involved, and the project is hosted by Fermilab.

History

Construction began in 2017, with cavern excavation at the South Dakota site completed in August 2024. Commissioning is planned for 2028, with phased operations targeting the early 2030s. The project's cost has grown from under $2 billion to roughly $3.3 billion as its scope and timeline have evolved.

Telescopes & research

DUNE will send an intense beam of neutrinos from Fermilab through 1,300 kilometres of the Earth to the far detector in South Dakota, studying neutrino oscillations and searching for evidence of CP violation in the lepton sector, work aimed at understanding why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter. Other goals include determining the ordering of neutrino masses, studying supernovae and neutron star formation, and searching for proton decay.

Location & getting there

The near detector site is at Fermilab in Illinois; the far detector lies nearly 1,490 metres underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, United States.

Visiting

Both Fermilab and the Sanford Underground Research Facility offer public tours and visitor programmes independent of DUNE's active construction. Check each facility's official website for current tour availability before planning a visit.

See your named star from here

DUNE's far detector studies particles nearly a mile underground with no view of the sky at all, but supernovae and neutron star research still connect it to the wider universe above. If that connection inspires you, you can name a star and explore the star catalogue from anywhere near Illinois or South Dakota.