How does muon tomography compare to X-rays for imaging inside pyramids?

Muon tomography is similar to X-rays in principle but uses muons with vastly higher energy (millions of times more than X-rays). This allows muons to penetrate much thicker materials, like the stone of a pyramid, enabling imaging of internal structures without invasive methods.

What is the main goal of the NAUM experiment at Chichen Itza?

The primary goal is to use muon tomography to search for previously unknown hidden chambers or substructures within the pyramid at Chichen Itza. They aim to prove the technique by first identifying known structures and then looking for new ones.

What challenges did the team face in building their muon detector?

A significant challenge was the scarcity of essential processor chips, largely due to demand from the automotive industry. This led the team to purchase specialized processors from CERN suppliers and redesign other electronic components to overcome the delay.

How does the detector's 'triangle technique' work and why is it used?

The triangle technique involves arranging scintillator strips in triangular shapes. By analyzing the signals in adjacent triangles, the system can interpolate to determine a muon's precise path, achieving good positional resolution while reducing the number of readout channels and thus the cost.

What are the next steps for the Chichen Itza muon tomography project?

The team plans to conduct a mock-up test of the detector in the tunnel, measure rock density, finalize detector placement, and refine their simulation software. They aim to be ready for full detector deployment and data acquisition.

Why isn't the pyramid perfectly aligned north-south, and what is the significance of the serpent head?

The speaker notes the pyramid's non-standard alignment and connects it to the serpent head only appearing on the north face. On the equinox, the setting sun casts a shadow that aligns with the serpent head, suggesting a deliberate celestial alignment and deep knowledge of astronomy by its builders.

Key Moments

Search for hidden chambers using cosmic-ray muons – Public lecture by Mark Adams

Fermilab

Science & Technology3 min read45 min video

Aug 10, 2022|24,097 views|914|70

Fermilab Physics

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Using muon technology to scan Mayan pyramids for hidden chambers.

Key Insights

Cosmic-ray muons, generated by exploding stars, can penetrate deep into objects, making them ideal for non-invasive imaging of ancient structures.

Muon tomography, similar to X-ray imaging but with vastly higher energy, can detect density variations and voids within structures like pyramids.

The Kukulcan pyramid at Chichén Itzá is being studied using muon detectors, with the goal of identifying previously unknown internal chambers.

Researchers are developing cost-effective muon detectors utilizing scintillator triangles and silicon photomultipliers, leveraging previous high-energy physics research.

The project also serves an educational purpose, training students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM through hands-on experience with advanced physics techniques.

The team is collaborating with archaeologists and leveraging extensive 3D laser mapping of the pyramid's interior to model known structures and identify anomalies.

THE PRINCIPLE OF MUON TOMOGRAPHY

The lecture introduces the concept of using cosmic-ray muons for non-invasive imaging, particularly for detecting hidden chambers within structures like the Kukulcan pyramid. Cosmic rays, originating from exploding stars, generate muons when they collide with Earth's atmosphere. These muons are highly energetic and interact minimally with matter, allowing them to penetrate deep into the ground and structures. This property makes them ideal for 'muon tomography,' a technique analogous to X-ray imaging but with a million times greater energy. By placing detectors below a structure and measuring the rate and trajectories of muons that pass through, scientists can infer the presence of denser materials or empty spaces within.

THE KUKULCAN PYRAMID AND THE CHICHÉN ITZÁ PROJECT

The project focuses on the Kukulcan pyramid at Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Access to the pyramid's interior has been restricted for decades, making muon tomography a valuable non-invasive method for exploration. The team aims to map the pyramid's interior, searching for voids that could indicate undiscovered chambers or substructures, potentially revealing a hidden third pyramid beneath the known ones. The research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is also an educational initiative to train students in STEM from institutions like Chicago State and Dominican University.

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF MUON DETECTORS

Developing practical and affordable muon detectors is crucial. The team is constructing detectors using scintillator strips arranged in triangles. This 'triangle' design, a concept from a 1990s Fermilab experiment, allows for precise tracking by interpolating signals from neighboring triangles, thereby reducing the number of costly readout channels. They are using silicon photomultipliers as photodetectors and sourcing materials and expertise from Fermilab, which has a history of supporting similar research through its facilities and R&D efforts on detector technology.

CHALLENGES AND INNOVATIONS IN DETECTOR CONSTRUCTION

The project has faced challenges, notably the global shortage of processor chips, which are essential for data readout. To overcome this, the team decided to purchase processors from a CERN supplier and redesign other electronic components. They are developing a detector system capable of handling approximately 100 muons per second and transmitting data periodically. The detector modules have been built and tested in a beamline, demonstrating excellent performance and confirming the viability of their tracking technique, even with the specialized triangle geometry and interpolation method.

FIELD WORK AND DATA COLLECTION AT CHICHÉN ITZÁ

The team conducted initial field work in March 2022, gathering essential data and performing laser mapping of the pyramid's interior with the help of Ben Stocker from Skender Corporation. This detailed 3D mapping is vital for creating accurate models of the known structures, which is a prerequisite for identifying any unknown anomalies. They also deployed a portable cosmic ray detector to measure muon rates inside and outside the pyramid, comparing these real-world measurements with simulations to validate their understanding of muon behavior through different materials.

FUTURE PLANS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

The next steps include returning to Chichén Itzá to test a mock-up of the detector in the tunnels and conduct density measurements of the pyramid's materials. The team plans to deploy their detector in the northern tunnel and potentially other locations to leverage stereo imaging for improved accuracy. The ultimate goal is to successfully image known structures within the pyramid, validating their method, before searching for and revealing new, undiscovered chambers. The success of this project could pave the way for similar muon tomography explorations in other pyramids worldwide.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Products

●Tools

●Organizations

●Studies Cited

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Common Questions

Cosmic-ray muons are subatomic particles created when cosmic rays hit the Earth's atmosphere. They have high energy and don't interact much with matter, allowing them to penetrate dense materials like rock. By measuring the rate and direction of muons passing through a structure, scientists can infer the presence of density variations, such as hidden chambers.

Topics

Muon Tomography Pyramids Chichen Itza Hidden Chambers Non-invasive Imaging Geophysics

Mentioned in this video

Organizations

Skander Corporation

Provided Ben Stocker for drone and laser mapping of the pyramid.

Kansas State University (KSU)

Loaned a readout board, enabling operation in the test beam.

Paris Metro

Uses muon tomography to assess ground conditions before tunneling.

Chicago State University

One of the institutions involved in the project, an African-majority school contributing PIs and students.

Dominican University

Another institution involved, a Hispanic-majority school contributing PIs and students.

QuarkNet

An organization at Fermilab that provides cosmic ray experiments for high schools, offering analysis routines and hosting data for this project.

Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Assisted the team in characterizing the scintillator materials.

People

Mark Adams

The public lecturer discussing the use of cosmic-ray muons for imaging pyramids.

Ben Stocker

Associated with Skander Corporation, he performed the drone and laser mapping of the pyramid.

Sydney Roberts

A student from the University of Virginia who analyzed the detector's performance in the test beam.

Studies & Research

D0 experiment

A previous Fermilab experiment from the 1990s that utilized the triangle technique for detector design, which the current project is adapting.

Products

Silicon Photo Multipliers (SiPMs)

The photo detectors used in the muon detector modules.

Nuclear Emulsions

A different technology used in a previous pyramid imaging experiment.

Locations

Chichen Itza

The primary archaeological site where the muon tomography experiment is being conducted.

Concepts

NON-INVASIVE ARCHAEOMETRY USING MUONS (NAUM)

The name given to the experiment to explore the pyramid using muons.

Standard Model of High Energy Physics

Referenced to explain the nature of muons as heavy electrons, part of the second generation of particles.

Khufu Pyramid

Mentioned as a pyramid where previous muon tomography experiments detected a giant void.

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