SNO+实验在加拿大萨德伯里地下2公里处首次检测到源自地球深部的地中微子[1]。该实验位于加拿大Snolab地下物理实验室，包含780吨油性闪烁液和近10000个敏感光探测器[1]。此次检测增加了约50个地中微子观测数据，标志着西半球首次测量地中微子[1]。
这一发现为理解地幔结构提供了新的线索。皇后大学粒子天体物理学家、SNO+合作组主任Mark Chen指出，初步数据表明这是地幔不均匀分布的第一个暗示[1]。研究显示，高产地中微子的区域位于大型低剪切速度省上方，分别位于非洲和太平洋下方[1]。此前日本Kamland在2005年首次检测到地中微子，意大利Borexino实验在2009年也观测到数十个地中微子[1]。
展望未来，中国JUNO实验预计今年报告首次地中微子通量测量结果，该实验拥有超过20000吨闪烁液[1]。此外，有研究人员建议在海底建造中微子探测器以进一步深化研究，但这一方案的估计耗资达数亿美元[1]。
The SNO+ experiment, located 2 kilometers beneath the surface at Canada's Snolab facility in Sudbury, has achieved the first detection of geoneutrinos—particles originating from radioactive elements deep within Earth's mantle [1]. This breakthrough, reported in November 2025, added approximately 50 observed geoneutrino events and marks the first such measurement in the Western Hemisphere [1]. The detector comprises 780 tons of oil-based scintillation liquid and nearly 10,000 sensitive photomultiplier tubes [1].
The findings offer fresh insights into the distribution of radioactive elements within the mantle. Mark Chen, a particle astrophysicist at Queen's University and principal investigator of the SNO+ collaboration, described the results as "the first hint that the mantle is not uniform" [1]. High-yield geoneutrino regions are positioned above large low-shear-velocity provinces, located respectively beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean [1]. Japan's Kamland experiment first detected geoneutrinos in 2005, and Italy's Borexino collaboration recorded dozens of events in 2009; the SNO+ detection represents a significant expansion of observational data from a new geographic location [1].
China's JUNO experiment is expected to report its inaugural geoneutrino flux measurement this year, utilizing over 20,000 tons of scintillation liquid [1]. William McDonough has proposed constructing neutrino detectors on the ocean floor to further study Earth's internal structure, an undertaking estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars [1].