Playing Field for Sub-atomic Particles in South Asia: Sri Lankan Physicist Proposes Ideal Venue

The experiments that led to the recent headlines about the speed of light being ‘broken’, have stirred up the enthusiasm in the field of particle physics, both among the researchers and mere novices alike. The excitement among the observers, who chose to be open-minded about the whole project, has been elevated to a new level, as the ambitious move put Albert Einstein, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of all time, at the centre of attention as never before.

As the debate of the ceiling of the speed of light was hotting up, I had the opportunity to speak to a physicist on Friday, who is currently on holiday in Sri Lanka. Professor Kirthi Tennakone of Faculty of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, USA and Wayamba University, Sri Lanka was the former director of The Institute of Fundamental Studies in Sri Lanka.

Professor Tennakone had just reached his home in Kandy, having delivered a lecture at Sri Jayawardenapura University in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka – his alma mater - on the subject of neutrinos, when I caught up with him.

It was very clear to me at the outset of our chat that Professor Tennakone, who studied the subject of particle physics at the university in the early 70’s, hadn’t lost a jot of his keenness in the field. On the contrary, it is no exaggeration if I say that his intensity of focus on the subject is, now on a par with the very particle beams that he so passionately keeps studying.

When I insisted on his hunch about the recent experiments at the CERN which grabbed headlines, Professor Tennakone was in no mood to accept the end of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. He went on to say, “even if it is confirmed, it is most likely that relativity will survive and explanation lies elsewhere. In way it is a confirmation of Einstein’s relativity. OPERA result shows that neutrinos travel at the speed of light, if the discrepancy is an experimental error.”

Professor Tennakone who had studied particle physics under the guidance of Professor Sandip Paksva, an Indian expert in the field, had identified a location for a site for neutrino experiments in Sri Lanka, while being at Sri Jayawardenapura University as a graduate student in 1973. He was very fond of the move he made, when the field of particle physics was still in embryonic phase.

“In 1973, while at Vidyodaya,” said Professor Tennakone,”I also conducted a very preliminary investigation regarding a neutrino experiment in Sri Lanka. It occurred to me that the bottom of the Worlds End precipice near Balangoda, could be an ideal site for a neutrino experiment with many unprecedented advantages. At that time – in early nineteen seventies - neutrino experiments in the present form, were in their infancy; so, we did not believe that it would be possible to collimate and direct accelerator produced neutrinos long distances. Attempts were made to detect natural neutrinos (i.e., those coming from the sun or cosmic ray interactions) in detectors placed in deep mines (1 km or more).”

Then, Professor Tennakone justified his proposed venue by evaluating the existing natural factors that were in favour of the construction of such a site. According to him, an earth-shield of the order of 1km is necessary to filter cosmic radiation that would mask the minute neutrino signals. “A tunnel dug into a mountain,” he said, “has the ease of transportation of instrumentation and movement of the experimental team. The mountain shield has to provide, nearly 1km or larger thickness in all directions. A dead end tunnel of approximately 1km, dug at the bottom of a deep precipice will provide necessary shield in all directions.”

Professor Tennakone believes that the difference in elevation between Horton plains and Balangoda exceeds 1km and a shield as thick as 1km would provide an excellent cosmic ray shield in all the directions. Since There are no neutrino observatories at equatorial latitudes – given that all the existing observatories are in Europe, United States, Japan, South Pole with more than 35 degrees either to the north or south of the equator – the physicist believes a station near the equator is very important for many reasons: cosmic ray intensity is lesser near the equator compared to the Polar Regions; a detector near the equator will able to differentiate certain cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere that generate neutrinos. Furthermore, according to Professor Tennakone, a neutrino beam from Fermi Lab,Illinois Chicago will travel almost a diameter of the earth in reaching a detector at Balangoda, Sri Lanka.

Despite his enthusiasm, Professor Tennakone understands the importance of a thorough feasibility study which could address the potential geological and environmental issues. “An important factor is the stability of tunnel under high stress,” said Professor Tennakone while adding, “rocks in the Horton plains is mainly charnockite and granite gneisses and appears to possess the necessary strength.”

While referring to the environmental concerns, he said,” neutrino detectors are not hazardous; nor do they emanate radiation. Main environmental issue is digging the tunnel and effect of adverse monsoon weather during construction. It may be possible to utilize excavated rock for various developmental projects.”

Since the Western world is going through a very bad economic patch at present, it is inconceivable they have any desire to fund the mega projects on the scale of CERN in Switzerland or any other place. When particle physicists, who are supposed to focus on finding illusive particles, show the taxpayers red herring, instead, what is left of enthusiasm of the masses gets a battering exactly like what nuclei are being subjected to by high energy particle beams.

In these circumstances, Western public opinion may encourage manageable smaller projects instead of huge costly ones. Therefore, the site that Professor Tennakone proposes in Sri Lanka may stand a strong chance for at least looking at - in the light of emerging political-economic realities, of course.

- Asian Tribune -