The Proton’s Long Goodbye: A Mile-Deep Bet on the End of Matter
Deep in abandoned mines, physicists are waiting for a signal that may come once a century: the death of a proton. This episode explores the massive underground detectors built to witness an event that would prove all matter is slowly decaying, and the intergenerational commitment required to hunt for the ultimate expiration date of the universe.
Listen in the Fylom app.
Cosmic ray noise requires detectors to be buried two thousand meters underground to filter atmospheric interference.
Grand Unified Theories suggest protons eventually decay into lighter particles like positrons and neutral pions.
Protons have a confirmed minimum lifetime of at least ten to the thirty-fourth power years.
Liquid argon technology acts like high-definition video to track particle movements with superior resolution.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment monitors fifty kilotons of mass for signs of matter dissolving.
Physicists use radon suppression and water purification to maintain the extreme cleanliness required for detection.
- 01Intro1 min
- 02The Silence of the Mine2 min
- 03The Physics of the Unseen2 min
- 04The Great Detectors3 min
- 05The Intergenerational Watch2 min
- 06Outro1 min
- An Assessment of the Science Proposed for the Deep Underground ...
- [PDF] 92. Grand Unified Theories
- Chapter 7: Underground Laboratory Capabilities
- Proton decay - Wikipedia
- The Deep Underground
- TYPE Editorial
- Chapter: 4 Science Potential of a Deep Underground Laboratory
- The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment – DUNE: the precision era of neutrino physics
- Paths to proton stability in grand unification
- Underground physics with DUNE
- DUNE - Laboratory for High Energy Physics (LHEP) - Universität Bern
- DOE FY 2026 Volume 5
- [PDF] Science/High Energy Physics FY 2026 Congressional Justification ...
- Slide 1
- Super-Kamiokande - Wikipedia
- Particle Physics Summit at Fermilab: DUNE Advances Toward the Origin-of-Matter Question
Fylom generates episodes like this on any topic you're curious about.
Fylom episodes are researched, written, and voiced by AI. Automated checks help catch inaccuracies, but episodes aren't reviewed by a human and AI can still get things wrong. Treat them as a starting point, not a source of record — more in our accuracy disclaimer.