In the mid-1960s, the Nobel Prize–winning physicist Luis Alvarez had a wild idea. He proposed using muons, highly penetrating ...

In a muon tomography detector, cosmic-ray muons interact with an object and strike scintillators that emit photons. Wavelength-shifting fibers transmit the photons to photodetectors that digitize the ...

A recent study offers proof of feasibility for using cosmic radiation detectors to discover underground spaces. The detectors identify muons—particles created when cosmic radiation collides with Earth ...

Highly energetic particles called muons are ever present in the atmosphere and pass through even massive objects with ease. Sensitive detectors installed along the Tokyo Bay tunnel measure muons ...

When Debaditya Biswas was a high school student in India, his math teacher, Dr. Satyabrata Das, sparked his interest in physics. "Before I joined his class, I was really not sure what I was going to ...

Imagine being able to see through walls of steel and concrete without cutting, drilling, or opening a single door. For decades, this has been the dream of scientists and security experts tasked with ...

Superfast, subatomic-sized particles called muons have been used to wirelessly navigate underground in a reportedly world first. By using muon-detecting ground stations synchronized with an ...

There is rarely any sunlight in Spencer Axani’s home when he groggily rises from bed to log into his email. Axani is an assistant professor of physics at the University of Delaware, but it’s not ...

Subatomic particles called muons are born from cosmic rays bombarding the atmosphere. Because muons can penetrate objects, scientists are using them to peek inside volcanoes. This technique — called ...