On September 16, the PolarquEEEst 2025 – OvEEErland mission was launched. This new initiative by researchers from the EEE Collaboration was dedicated to studying cosmic ray flux at different latitudes using one of the POLA-R detectors, developed as part of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project. Researchers from CREF, INFN, and the University of Oslo took part in the mission.
Following previous expeditions—in which the POLA-R detectors were deployed on the innovative eco-friendly vessel Nanuq in 2018 to circumnavigate the Svalbard islands, were permanently installed in the Norwegian archipelago in 2019, and accompanied the training ship Amerigo Vespucci in 2022—this year the mission took a new direction: an overland journey from Bologna to Tromsø, in the heart of Arctic Norway, by car!
The route crossed six countries—Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway—covering a total of approximately 8,200 km round trip. It enabled the study of cosmic rays at latitudes from 44.5°N to 70°N, complementing the measurements taken during the previous PolarquEEEst missions.
Along the way, scientific stops and outreach events were held at German and Norwegian educational institutions: the Gymnasium Villa Elisabeth in Wildau (with the support of Carolin Gnebner, head of the DESY-Zeuthen group for the International Cosmic Day), the Department of Physics at the University of Oslo, and the Thora Storm Videregående Skole in Trondheim. The three events were a great success and saw significant participation from Italian students, who connected remotely to present the work done on the detectors in their schools.
This mission used a POLA-R type detector made with plastic scintillators and silicon photomultipliers, along with a trigger/readout/management system, all developed with the support of INFN Bologna Division’s services.
The support from the administration in preparing the trip was essential for this mission’s success.
The mission concluded on October 8 with the return to Bologna.
You can follow the journey step-by-step on the EEE social media channels: updates, curiosities, and the story of this exciting scientific adventure.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialEEEcref.it
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eee__experiment/