A team of scientists will use advances in high-energy physics to scan the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza using cosmic ray muons.
The researchers want to look deeper into one of the seven wonders of the world and map the object’s internal structure. The project is called Explore the Great Pyramid (EGP). During the mission, scientists will use muon tomography. The difference between EGP and the previous project, ScanPyramids, is that the new system of muon telescopes will be 100 times more powerful.
EGP will use very large sensors that will move to different points outside the pyramid. The detectors will be assembled in temperature controlled shipping containers for easy transport. Each will be 12m long, 2.4m wide and 2.9m high. In total, the project will involve two muon telescopes.
Cosmic ray muons are created when high-energy particles known as cosmic rays crash into Earth’s atmosphere. Cosmic rays are fragments of atoms – high-energy protons and atomic nuclei – that constantly fly from the Sun to Earth and out of the galaxy. When these particles collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, the collision produces streams of secondary particles. Some of these particles are muons.
Muons are unstable and decay in just a couple of microseconds (millionths of a second). But they move at a speed close to the speed of light. This allows them to penetrate deep into the object. There is an endless source of muons from cosmic rays that constantly bombard the Earth. The task of muon tomography is to efficiently measure particles.
Muon tomography is used in a variety of applications, such as checking shipping containers for contraband. Recent technological innovations in muon tomography increase its power and lead to new applications. For example, scientists in Italy will use muon tomography to image the interior of Mount Vesuvius, hoping to understand when it might erupt again.
Photo: On the left is an illustration of the containers that make up the telescope. On the right is an illustration of how the telescope will be set up in place.
Credit: Mission “Explore the Great Pyramid”, Bross et al. 2022
