Photos, graphics and videos
Photos
Groundbreaking
Fermilab Director Pier Oddone and Deputy Director Young-Kee Kim take a break from digging at the groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of the NOvA neutrino detector.
NOvA Special
Local businesses welcomed the new patrons the NOvA project brings to Ash River, Minnesota.
NuMI horn
Scientists use the NuMI horn to focus and steer a beam of particles that eventually decay into neutrinos.
Construction
Construction crews recently completed the roof over the loading dock area at the future site of the NOvA neutrino experiment, as shown in this photograph taken April 18. Photo by Dan Traska of Einarson Flying Service.
Collaboration
Members of the NOvA collaboration pose during a collaboration meeting the weekend of April 24, 2009. Credit: George Joch of Argonne National Laboratory.
Collaboration
Members of the NOvA collaboration pose with the beginnings of the near detector at a meeting in April 2010.
PVC
The detectors are made up of 385,000 cells of extruded, highly reflective plastic PVC like these, filled with liquid scintillator.
Groundbreaking
Officials break ground at the entrance to the future site of the NOvA detector facility in Ash River, Minnesota.
Graphics
Beamline
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which manages the NOvA project, will generate a beam of neutrinos to send to a 15,000-ton detector in Ash River, Minnesota. The particles will complete the 500-mile interstate trip in less than three milliseconds.
Neutrino mass
Scientists know that there are three types of neutrinos and know pretty well how much time they spend as electron, muon and tau flavors. However, it is uncertain which of the neutrinos is the heaviest.
Far Detector
The NOvA experiment uses two detectors: a 222 metric-ton near detector at Fermilab and a much larger 15 metric-kiloton far detector in Minnesota just south of the U.S.-Canada border.
The neutrinos' path
Scientists will detect a small fraction of the neutrinos in a near-detector at Fermilab and in a larger far-detector in Minnesota looking for signals that the neutrinos are changing from one type to another on their trip.
Far Detector
The NOvA experiment uses two detectors: a 222 metric-ton near detector at Fermilab and a much larger 15 metric-kiloton far detector (pictured here) in Minnesota just south of the U.S.-Canada border.
Videos
NOvA detector facility
This video depicts the plans for the NOvA detector facility. Animation courtesy of Kevin Lind, EI; Virtual Construction Manager; Adolfson & Peterson Construction.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty visited the future site of the NOvA detector facility on May 14, the weekend of the annual Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener.
Neutrinos: A fishy explanation
Aside from its proximity to the site of Minnesota's 2010 Governor's Fishing Opener, held on Lake Kabetogama, does the NOvA experiment have anything to do with fishing?
Community Voices
Residents of northern Minnesota and construction workers building the NOvA detector facility discuss the benefits the high-energy physics research project has brought their communities.
NOvA first blast
Blasting began at the future site of the NOvA detector facility near Ash River, Minn., on Monday, July 20.
Congressman Bill Foster at the NOvA groundbreaking ceremony
Congressman Bill Foster, who has also worked as a physicist at Fermilab, speaks knowingly of the NOvA neutrino experiment groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony took place on May 1, 2009 at Ash River, Minn.
Congressman James Oberstar at the NOvA Groundbreaking Ceremony
Congressman James Oberstar of Minnesota shares a robust presentation at the NOvA experiment's groundbreaking ceremony in Ash River, Minn.
Mayor of Orr, Minnesota
Mayor Joseph Long of Orr, Minn., discusses the impact of the Fermilab NOvA experiment on his community.
Community Voices
Local proprietors Steve and Deb Wieber discuss the impact of the NOvA experiment on their community.