The world's largest acrylic sphere — a 35.4-meter-diameter acrylic sphere of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, is expected to be completely installed by the end of July in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The installation of the world's largest acrylic sphere — a 35.4-meter-diameter acrylic sphere of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, is expected to be completed by the end of July.

"Previously, the world's largest acrylic sphere, which is also used in neutrino detection experiments, was 12 meters in diameter," said Tang Yuesheng, chairman of Donchamp (Jiangsu) Material Technology Co Ltd. The company based in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, is the developer and manufacturer of the acrylic sphere.

According to him, the acrylic sphere is composed of 263 large spherical panels, each with a thickness of 120 millimeters.

Tang said the installation work of the acrylic sphere has entered the final stage, and 50 workers from his company will ensure the installation be completed by the end of July.

The observatory, located 700 meters underground in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, will be used to capture and analyze neutrinos, which are tiny, near-massless particles that travel near the speed of light.

The facility consists of a stainless steel shell spanning 41 meters in diameter, an acrylic sphere measuring 35.4 meters in diameter, 20,000 metric tons of liquid scintillator and 45,000 photomultiplier tubes. (China Daily)

The world's largest acrylic sphere — a 35.4-meter-diameter acrylic sphere of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, is expected to be completely installed by the end of July in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The world's largest acrylic sphere — a 35.4-meter-diameter acrylic sphere of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, is expected to be completely installed by the end of July in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The world's largest acrylic sphere — a 35.4-meter-diameter acrylic sphere of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, is expected to be completely installed by the end of July in Jiangmen, Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]