3D Printing Allowing Researchers to Detect Decay of Rare Particles

For an experiment which needs to be some 10,000 times more sensitive than previous devices to track the fast-moving muon-to-electron conversion theory, designers on the Mu2e project are using 3D printing to build a detector which includes very little material, so little in fact, that it borders on being “nothing” in relative terms. Vadim Rusu of the Department of Energy's Fermilab says the 15 micron-wide straws he and his collaborators are creating will allow the team to "see' what has so far remained elusive. Rusu says the 3D printed straws at the thinnest ever used in a particle physics experiment. You can read the whole story here: http://3dprint.com/48748/muon-to-electron-conversion/


Below is a photo of scientists at work:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...7-683x1024.jpg