High-energy particles called muons are constantly being born in the earth’s upper atmosphere. The Estonian company GScan built their detector, a device that allows them to penetrate impenetrable objects. They plan to use it in Ukraine to detect outwardly inconspicuous but very dangerous destruction.
Amazing muons
The war with Russia continues in Ukraine. The aggression has been going on not since 2022, but since 2014. During this time, the aggressor country has caused significant destruction to buildings and structures with its missiles and drones. They are often not visible at all, but the truth about them can be discovered thanks to the rays that come to us from space.
We’re talking about muons, and they’re not really cosmic rays. These high-energy particles, the ones we so commonly call them, crash into molecules in our planet’s upper atmosphere. That’s how something that doesn’t normally exist is born.
The particles born in the earth’s atmosphere are called muons. In general, they are very similar to electrons, but much heavier than them. They exist for only 2 milliseconds, but all that time they are traveling at light speed toward Earth.
They can not only reach the surface of the planet, but also go hundreds of meters deep into it. Along their way, they interact with irregularities in the structure of objects and carry information about their state.
Muon detector
The idea of a muon detector is based on these properties. These devices were proposed as early as the 1940s, and in the 1970s their first samples were used to identify cavities in Egyptian pyramids.
However, since then, the development of this technology has been on hold. And now Estonian company GScan is ready to make a new step. The company’s representatives claim that the detectors designed by the company are capable of looking into structures to the full depth, not just 10-20 cm, as the most advanced X-ray machines do. Also, unlike the last ones, muons are naturally occurring radiation that doesn’t harm materials or living things around them.
In addition, muons respond not only to differences in the material, but also to its composition. Rust on reinforcement inside concrete is clearly visible. And this property of the muon detector is planned to be used by GScan in Ukraine.
Paton Bridge, which is 1,543 meters long, is of particular interest. Problems with it were detected even before the large-scale invasion. Therefore, it is now worth to find out its fortune. GScan have been developing their technology since 2016 and already have a lot of experience with it.
Provided by www.space.com
