China Completes Jiangmen Neutrino Observatory

China's Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a $300 million facility located 700 meters underground in Guangdong province, is set to start experiments on neutrinos, elusive subatomic particles, aimed at unraveling fundamental mysteries in particle physics. Scheduled to operate by the latter half of 2025, JUNO will analyze neutrinos emitted by nearby nuclear power plants and from solar processes, with the potential to enhance understanding of the universe's early conditions and the nature of matter. Alongside JUNO, China is also investing in other significant research projects like the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL), which focuses on dark matter and neutrinos at a depth of 2,400 meters. As global competition in scientific research intensifies, these projects underscore China's ambition to lead in advanced physics research, potentially surpassing initiatives like the U.S.-based Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The observatory's construction, which began in 2014, highlights China's commitment to advancing its scientific capabilities and addressing key questions in cosmology and particle physics.