Beyond the Classroom: Profiling Muon Flux in Relation to Overburden in Fermilab's Minos Tunnel

With support from QuarkNet, high school students investigated the effect of overburden on muon flux by collecting data from Fermilab's Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search (MINOS) tunnel. Muon flux varied due to a change in overburden created by a 103-meter deep access shaft. A profile of muon flux as a function of distance from the access shaft was measured by observing muon flux from different locations within the tunnel.