Project Summary

High-Energy Geophysics: Earth sciences and geotechnics via measuring cosmic rays

The tracking of naturally occurring cosmic muon particles enables the passive and non-destructive exploration of the internal structure of solid, liquid and gaseous natural formations and objects and the monitoring of their conditions. This measurement method is muography, which is similar to X-raying, but it allows to inspect several orders of magnitude larger and inaccessible structures thanks to the high penetration ability of cosmic-ray muons. The High-Energy Geophysics Research Group of the Wigner Research Center for Physics of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) develops measurement procedures based on the tracking of cosmic muons, conducts earth science research and develops their social utilization in accordance with the green transformation and digital transition. The scientific goals are investigating the geology of the oceanic lithosphere by exploring the large-scale density structure of ophiolites; studyig active volcanism; characterizing the structural and geological properties of Earth subsurface; and studying the structure and dynamics of tropical cyclones. The planned social implementations of the research are the following: development of a muographic procedure for the assessment of volcanic and atmospheric hazards; mineral exploration for sustainable, efficient and safe mining; passive and non-destructive assessment of infrastructures; as well as the navigation and security application of muon positioning. The scientific objectives are related to the focus areas of John von Neumann Program.

The Research Group

The High-Energy Geophysics Research Group has been launched by 5 members. The members have different expertises and relevant experiences in research and development of instrumentation, in particle physics, Earth sciences and engineering. The research group is integrated into the structure of HUN-REN Wigner RCP's Department of High Energy Physics. The goal of the High-Energy Geophysics Research Group is to complete the research and development work carried out at Wigner RCP and enhance the focus on scientific research. The partners support the research group with various interdisciplinary expertises (instrumentation development, volcanology, geology, atmospheric physics). We aim to conduct the social implementation of our developments in cooperation with industrial partners.

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