Detectors & experiments

Neutrino experiments & detectors

The instruments that turned neutrino theory into measurement — 15 detectors, each with its objective, method, results and significance. Jump to a status, or browse the cards below.

Operating

Detectors taking data today.

• SK operating Super-Kamiokande Water-Cherenkov · Kamioka, Japan · 1996 Discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillation (1998)
• IC operating IceCube Water-Cherenkov · South Pole, Antarctica · 2010 First high-energy astrophysical neutrinos (2013); first identified source (2017)
• KLAN operating KamLAND Liquid scintillator · Kamioka, Japan · 2002 Reactor antineutrino oscillation (2003); geoneutrinos; 0νββ search
• COHE operating COHERENT Liquid scintillator · Oak Ridge, USA · 2017 First observation of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS)
• CONU operating CONUS+ Germanium · Leibstadt, Switzerland · 2023 First observation of reactor CEvNS in the fully coherent regime (2025)
• JUNO operating JUNO Liquid scintillator · Guangdong, China · 2025 Determining the neutrino mass ordering; first results 2025
• KATR operating KATRIN Tritium beta decay · Karlsruhe, Germany · 2019 Tightest direct laboratory limit on the neutrino mass (< 0.45 eV)
• LEGE operating LEGEND-200 Germanium · Gran Sasso, Italy · 2023 Leading search for neutrinoless double beta decay in germanium-76

Under construction

The next generation, being built now.

• DUNE construction DUNE Liquid argon · Fermilab → SURF, USA · late 2020s Mass ordering and leptonic CP violation over a 1,300 km baseline
• HK construction Hyper-Kamiokande Water-Cherenkov · Kamioka, Japan · ~2027 CP violation, mass ordering, supernovae, and proton decay at unprecedented scale

Completed & historic

Experiments that have finished, including the field’s milestones.

• SR completed Savannah River Liquid scintillator · Savannah River, USA · 1956 The first detection of the neutrino
• SNO completed SNO Water-Cherenkov · Sudbury, Canada · 1999–2006 Proving solar neutrinos change flavour (2002)
• B completed Borexino Liquid scintillator · Gran Sasso, Italy · 2007–2021 Real-time solar pp (2014) and CNO (2020) neutrinos
• H completed Homestake Radiochemical · South Dakota, USA · 1968–1994 First solar neutrino detection; the solar neutrino problem
• DB completed Daya Bay Liquid scintillator · Guangdong, China · 2011–2020 Measuring the mixing angle θ₁₃ (2012)