Teotihuacan Sun Pyramid's Turn for a Cosmic-Ray Probe
Friday, January 11, 2008
 
Keywords: cosmic rays, high-energy physics, muon radiography, remote sensing Summary and Comments: Forty years ago, Noble-Prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez and his colleagues made use of cosmic rays to look for hidden chambers in one of Egypt's Great Pyramids. Last year researchers used a similar technique to probe mounds in Belize thought to cover Maya ruins. Now scientists in Mexico have built six sensitive detectors that will be put around the Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan and measure the differences in muon absorption for over a year, revealing any hidden chambers. These researchers hope that such chambers would hold burials or offer valuable information about the builders, like their political structure. Above: The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, about 50 km northeast of Mexico City. Credit: Suvi Korhonen. Excerpt from Inter Press Service (IPS): Teotihuacan Sun Pyramid in for a Muon Scan By Diego Cevallos Who ruled the pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacan, in Mexico? Where are their bodies buried, what ethnic group did they belong to, and what kind of political system did they develop? A project to delve into these mysteries is under way, and may start producing answers next year. The Sun pyramid at Teotihuacan, which is climbed by about 500,000 tourists a year, will be subjected to a kind of computerised tomography, or CT-scan, to find out if there are tunnels or chambers hidden inside. The information may help clear up some of the enigmas surrounding a culture that has been heavily studied, but remains little understood. The pyramid is the largest monument in Teotihuacan. It is as high as a 20-storey building, and has a square base with sides measuring 215 metres each. In order not to disturb the venerable structure, Mexican scientists are going to place muon (subatomic particle) detectors around it, which they will monitor until March 2009. Muons are produced when cosmic rays hit the Earth’s atmosphere. Like electrons, they are charged particles that will penetrate any kind of material. Dense material deflects muons from their path, whereas they can pass straight through hollow spaces, so a muon scan yields an image similar to an X-ray. The Institute of Anthropological Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Physics Institute of the same university have developed six muon detectors for the Sun pyramid. . . To read the rest of the article, visit the IPS website: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40754http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40754shapeimage_2_link_0
 
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