A signing ceremony for the procurement of 3-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) for the Jiangmen Neutrino Underground Observatory (JUNO) was held on May 25 in Beijing.

Hainan Zhanchuang Photonics Technology Co., Ltd (HZC) is now the official producer of the 3-inch photomultiplier tubes for JUNO. Prof. Wang Yifang, Manager of the JUNO project and Director of IHEP, stated that this was a great opportunity for HZC to develop domestic PMT technology and lead the international market in the future.

The JUNO central detector will be filled with 20,000 tons of LAB (linear alkyl benzene)-based liquid scintillator. When neutrinos go through the detector, a very small number of them will interact with the liquid scintillator, producing scintillation light, which should be seen by the 20,000 20-inch photomultiplier tubes and 25,000 3-inch photomultiplier tubes surrounding the central volume.

HZC was founded in November 2009, and was initially focused on innovative 3G mobile phone standard TD-CDMA communication modules. The company is now a Sino-foreign joint venture which mainly focuses on the research and production of various photomultiplier tubes.