Lt. JG Dr. Chana Sinsabvarodom, a CMU researcher, is Thailand’s first-ever individual to be selected to join a mission to deploy neutrino detectors underneath the South Pole ice alongside fellow international engineers. The mission is set to take about two months in collaboration with IceCube Neutrino, a leading research group with over 350 researchers from 58 institutions in 14 countries, to carry out missions for the IceCube Upgrade initiative aiming to improve low-energy neutrino detection. This marks a great stride for the Thai people, who are very proud to have a representative, the first Thai, on this scientific mission, which is a result of the Neutrino IceCube collaboration and the Latitude Survey under Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's initiative, along with other ongoing missions.
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory was built to study neutrino particles entering the atmosphere using digital optical modules (DOMs) to detect Cherenkov light. The project IceCube Upgrade, by CMU and IceCube, is an engineering project that aims to deploy seven new strings inside the current array to improve IceCube’s efficiency in detecting low-energy neutrinos.
The Observatory is located at the heart of the Antarctic, more than 1,000 km from the coast, at a latitude of 90 degrees South, and at an elevation of 2,835 metres above sea level (about 300 metres higher than Doi Inthanon). The location is basically inaccessible, unless one is there for research purposes, due to extreme weather conditions. The temperature can be as low as -28 degrees Celsius in the summer and -60 degrees in the winter, thus requiring a specially modified aircraft by the US Air Force. The period of operation lasts only about four months, starting from November and lasting until February, which is during the summer months of the southern hemisphere.
In 2023, Thailand had two researchers that joined missions in the Antarctic. The first was Dr. Chana Sinsabvarodom, from the Department of Civil Engineering at the CMU Faculty of Engineering, who arrived at IceCube on December 13, 2023, and has started his two-month operation with international peers in deploying the detectors beneath the ice surface.
Another remarkable journey of Thai scientists is being undertaken by Ms. Acharaphon Phakwanm, a researcher at Mahidol University’s cosmic rays and high energy research group, who travelled with the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) on December 27 to install ChangVan, a mobile neutron monitor that was transported to the Antarctic by RV Araon to study changes of cosmic rays at different latitude lines, travelling from New Zealand to Jang Bogo Station, and finally to Gwangyang, South Korea.
The missions that the two Thai researchers are undertaking will bring about advancements in science and technology, including technology for extreme condition operation, fluid-assisted Boring, space weather forecasting, as well as studying the relationship between sunspots and solar cosmic rays, which can pose a danger to Earth. Beyond that, this is a start for workforce development and preparation for an era of advanced technology, which will drive the country’s industrial and economic development.