Why does the universe exist? Here’s how the US and Japan are working to solve the cosmic mystery

In the remote forests of South Dakota, a state-of-the-art laboratory is where scientists are examining one of the deepest puzzles of physics: the reason behind the existence of the universe. Along with them, a rival team in Japan which is currently years ahead is also pursuing the same question, setting the stage for a global scientific race.The prevailing models of the Universe's origin are trying to examine why matter, from galaxies to planets, exists in such abundance. To explore this mystery , both teams are constructing sophisticated detectors designed to study neutrinos that are elusive subatomic particles that may hold critical clues.The American-led group believes that the key to this understanding may lie beneath the Earth’s surface, where they’re developing the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) that is a massive international effort to unlock the secrets of our cosmic origins.To reach the heart of their experiment, scientists will descend 1,500 meters beneath the Earth's surface into three enormous underground chambers. The scale of the excavation is so immense that construction crews and their machinery appear dwarfed, like miniature models in a vast diorama.Now, the facility is entering a critical phase as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is ready to begin building its detectors which is an international collaboration involving over 1,400 scientists from 35 countries, united by one goal that is to understand the reason behind the existence of universe in its current form.According to prevailing theories, the birth of the Universe produced equal quantities of matter and antimatter which are mirror versions of each other. In theory, these should have destroyed one another, leaving behind nothing but pure energy. And yet, matter remains—forming the stars, planets, and life itself. The mystery of that imbalance is what Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment aims to resolve.To uncover why matter succeeded over antimatter and why we exist at all, scientists are turning their focus to one of the Universe’s most elusive particles: the neutrino, and its antimatter counterpart, the antineutrino.The experiment involves firing high-energy beams of these particles from a site in Illinois, sending them on an 800-mile journey underground to sophisticated detectors in South Dakota. As they travel, neutrinos and antineutrinos subtly shift their identities in a process known as oscillation.Researchers aim to determine whether the behavior of neutrinos differs from that of antineutrinos. If such a difference exists, it may offer the long-sought explanation for why the early Universe didn’t self-eradicate in a burst of energy and why matter and ultimately life survived.The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) brings together a global team of over 1,400 scientists from 30 nations. Among them is Dr. Kate Shaw of the University of Sussex describes the project’s potential as "transformative" for both physics and our broader understanding of humanity's place in the cosmos.On the other side of the globe, a team of Japanese scientists is also on the hunt for answers to one of physics’ deepest mysteries. Inside a vast facility enhanced with glowing golden spheres, they are constructing Hyper-Kamiokande- a next generation neutrino detector set to surpass its predecessor named Super-Kamiokande in both scale and sensitivity.The vast chamber, with its reflective surfaces and golden glow, resembles a shrine to scientific discovery mirroring the grandeur of the underground halls at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment in South Dakota which is located at some 6,000 miles away.Hyper-K is part of a major international collaboration, and its neutrino beam is expected to go online in under three years and well ahead of the U.S.-based project. Although experts have different views on it as some think that having both experiments operational will ultimately benefit the scientific community providing complementary data and stronger results. While the race is underway, the first results from both experiments won’t be available for several years. For now, the question of what triggered the beginning of time and ultimately led to our existence is what makes people curious to know about the facts behind this mystery.Also read: James Webb Space Telescope identified Milky Way’s cosmic twin from the universe’s first billion years