Physics:ScanPyramids

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The ScanPyramids[1] mission is an Egyptian-International project designed and led by Cairo University and the French HIP Institute (Heritage Innovation Preservation).[2] This project aims at scanning Old Kingdom Egyptian Pyramids (Khufu, Khafre, the Bent and the Red) to detect the presence of unknown internal voids and structures.[3]

The project, launched in October 2015,[4] combines several non-invasive and non-destructive techniques which may help to get a better understanding of their structure and their construction processes and techniques.[clarification needed] The team is currently using Infrared thermography, muon tomography, 3D simulation and reconstruction techniques.[5][6]

ScanPyramids is an interdisciplinary project mixing art, science and technology.[7] On November 2, 2017, the ScanPyramids team announced, through a publication in Nature,[8] its third discovery in the Great Pyramid, a "plane-sized"[9] previously unknown void named the "ScanPyramids Big Void".[10]

Discoveries

2016

On October 15, 2016, ScanPyramids confirmed their first unknown void discoveries thanks to muon tomography in the Great Pyramid.[11][12] A previously unknown cavity[13] was confirmed on the North-Eastern Edge,[14] roughly at 110 metres (360 ft) high with similar void volume characteristics as a known "cave" located at 83 metres (272 ft) on the same edge.[15]

A second void was discovered behind the chevrons area of Khufu's North Face above the Descending Corridor (referred to as "SP-NFC" in papers). This area was investigated after thermal anomalies observation that led the team to position muon emulsion plates in the Descending Corridor.[5][16] This void was further investigated during 2017 to provide more information about its shape, size, and exact position.[5][17]

2017

Detectors installed in the descending corridor (DC) and in the al-Ma’mun corridor (MC). a The Chevron, which consists of huge gabled limestone beams, covering the original entrance to the DC on the North side of Khufu's Pyramid. b 3D model and positions of the detectors from Nagoya University, indicated by red dots and of the detectors from CEA, indicated by orange dots, in the DC and in the MC. c–h The detectors. c shows EM3, d shows EM2, e shows EM5, f shows Charpak, g shows Joliot and h shows Degennes.[18]
East-West cut view of the Great Pyramid and front view of the North face Chevron area. a Subterranean chamber, b queen's chamber, c grand gallery, d king's chamber, e descending corridor, f ascending corridor, g al-Ma’mun corridor, h north face Chevron area, i ScanPyramids Big Void with horizontal hypothesis (red hatching) and inclined hypothesis (green hatching) as published in November 2017.[18]

In 2017 more muon-sensitive emulsion plates were positioned in the descending corridor and in Al-Mamun's tunnel. The void behind the chevrons could be confirmed through different points of view and its characteristics refined. Named "ScanPyramids North-Face Corridor" (SP-NFC), this void is located between 17 and 23 metres (56 and 75 ft) from the Great Pyramid's ground level, between 0.7 and 2 metres (2 ft 4 in and 6 ft 7 in) from the North Face. It could be horizontal or sloping upwards and it has a corridor-like shape.[19]

ScanPyramids Big Void (SP-BV)

On November 2, 2017, the ScanPyramids team published its third discovery in Nature, which was named "ScanPyramids Big Void", or "SP-BV" for short. It describes a newly discovered huge void in a circumscribed area above the Grand Gallery. It is estimated to have a length of at least 30 metres (98 ft) and a similar cross-section as the Grand Gallery. The ScanPyramids Big Void has been observed by three teams of physicists from different points of view (2 points of view in the Queen's Chamber and from outside in front of the North Face).[8]

Three scientific institutions specializing in particle physics have worked independently and each one used a different and complementary muography technique:

Like the work done on the "ScanPyramids North Face Corridor", more muography observations, from new viewpoints, need to be conducted in order to better determine the Big Void's shape, so that functional inferences can be drawn.[22] [23] As long the exact layout and function of the void is still unknown, the scientists have been cautious about using architectural nomenclature.[24]


North Facing Corridor (SP-NFC)

In March 2023, the team published[25] its finding of the North Facing Corridor (NFC) behind the original entrance; the void is called "SP-NFC" (ScanPyramids - North Face Corridor) in the paper.[26]

Reactions

Egyptologists

On November 2, 2017, the Egyptologist Zahi Hawass told the The New York Times : "They found nothing...This paper offers nothing to Egyptology. Zero."[27]

On November 3, 2017, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement, "The existence of several void spaces inside the pyramid is not a new thing. Egyptologists and scholars knew about it several years ago," adding, "the ministry sees that the ScanPyramid team should not rushed [sic] to publish their findings in media at that stage of their research because it requires more research and it is too early to say that there was a new discovery."[28]

On November 4, Khaled al-Anany, Egyptian Minister of Antiquities said, during a press conference, that the void space found inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu by the ScanPyramids project is a new revelation that brought the world's attention to Egypt. He added "What was discovered is new and larger than the known cavities, and we'll continue in our scientific steps".[29]

Other Egyptologists have welcomed the discovery. Yukinori Kawae told National Geographic "This is definitely the discovery of the century...There have been many hypotheses about the pyramid, but no one even imagined that such a big void is located above the Grand Gallery."[30][31]

Peter der Manuelian, from Harvard University, said that "This is an exciting new discovery, and potentially a major contribution to our knowledge about the Great Pyramid."[32][23]

Physicists

Lee Thompson, an expert in particle physics at the University of Sheffield (UK) told Science: "The scientists have "seen" the void using three different muon detectors in three independent experiments, which makes their finding very robust."[33] Christopher Morris, physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory called the findings "pretty amazing".[34] Jerry Anderson who worked on Khafre's Pyramid and was a member of the team of Luis Walter Alvarez, the first scientist to use muography inside a pyramid in 1965,[35] said to Los Angeles Times , with a laugh: "I am very excited and very pleased,...I wish we had worked in the Great Pyramid, now that I look back on it".[36]

International media

This discovery has been featured in many international media as one of the top discoveries of the year 2017 (NBC News,[37] Euronews,[38] Physics World,[39] Science News,[40] Global News,[41] Gizmodo,[42] Business Insider,[43] Altmetric,[44] Egypt Today,[45] NBC,[46] MSN News,[47] Le Monde,[48] CTV,[49] The Franklin Institute,[50] Radio Canada,[51] Sciences et Avenir,[52] RTÉ,[53] PBS,[54] Yahoo,[55] La Vanguardia,[56] France Info[57]).

References

  1. ↑ "ScanPyramids" (in en). http://www.scanpyramids.org/. 
  2. ↑ "Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute". http://www.hip.institute/. 
  3. ↑ "CEA joins #ScanPyramids project - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online" (in en). http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/203962.aspx. 
  4. ↑ "Archaeologists Plan on Using Cosmic Ray Muons to Peer Inside the Pyramids" (in en-us). Motherboard. 2015-10-29. https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/53dmab/archaeologists-plan-on-using-cosmic-ray-muons-to-peer-inside-the-pyramids. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 HIP Institute (2016-10-15). "The " ScanPyramids " Project launch to crack the secret of the biggest Egyptian pyramids". http://www.hip.institute/press/HIP_INSTITUTE_CP2_EN.pdf. 
  6. ↑ "Researchers Will Use Lasers and Drones to Map the Pyramids Inside and Out" (in en-US). Popular Mechanics. 2015-10-29. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a18001/researchers-map-pyramids-scanpyramid-project. 
  7. ↑ "Scan Pyramids project" (in en-US). Altaplana. 2018-03-02. https://www.altaplana.be/en/dictionary/scan-pyramids. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Morishima, Kunihiro; Kuno, Mitsuaki; Nishio, Akira; Kitagawa, Nobuko; Manabe, Yuta; Moto, Masaki; Takasaki, Fumihiko; Fujii, Hirofumi et al. (2017-11-02). "Discovery of a big void in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons" (in En). Nature 552 (7685): 386–390. doi:10.1038/nature24647. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 29160306. Bibcode: 2017Natur.552..386M. 
  9. ↑ "What we know about the 'plane-sized void' scientists have just found in the Great Pyramids" (in en-GB). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/great-pyramid-egypt-giza-room-inside-void-plane-sized-mystery-scientists-chamber-a8033336.html. 
  10. ↑ "Historique ! Une gigantesque cavité de 30 mètres de long découverte dans la pyramide de Kheops" (in fr). Sciences et Avenir. https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/archeologie/historique-une-cavite-de-30-metres-de-long-decouverte-dans-la-pyramide-de-kheops_117964. 
  11. ↑ "In Photos: Looking Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza". Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/56510-photos-inside-great-pyramid-giza.html. 
  12. ↑ "Scanning the Pyramids: Hidden cavities beneath Giza's Great Pyramid" (in en-CA). https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/scanning-the-pyramids-hidden-cavities-beneath-gizas-great-pyramid/ss-AAjeP6q?li=BBoPOOl&parent-title=archaeologists-uncover-secrets-of-how-egyptians-built-the-great-pyramid-of-giza. 
  13. ↑ Procureur, S. (2018-01-11). "Muon imaging: Principles, technologies and applications". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 878: 169–179. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2017.08.004. ISSN 0168-9002. Bibcode: 2018NIMPA.878..169P. 
  14. ↑ "Deux cavités découvertes dans la grande pyramide de Khéops" (in fr-FR). FIGARO. 2016-10-15. http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2016/10/15/03004-20161015ARTFIG00133-decouverte-de-deux-cavites-dans-la-grande-pyramide-de-kheops.php. 
  15. ↑ Kanaya, Ichi; Kawae, Yukinori; Yasumuro, Yoshihiro; Chiba, Fumito (2013-10-28). "3D reconstruction of the "cave" of the great pyramid from video footage". 2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage). pp. 227–230. doi:10.1109/DigitalHeritage.2013.6743739. ISBN 978-1-4799-3170-5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258884202. 
  16. ↑ "More hidden 'cavities' found in Great Pyramid of Giza" (in en). Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3010559/more-hidden-cavities-found-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/. 
  17. ↑ "ScanPyramids first discoveries October 2016 - Official Video Report". H. I. P. Institute. 2016-11-09. https://vimeo.com/190875987. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Procureur, Sébastien; Morishima, Kunihiro; Kuno, Mitsuaki et al. (2 March 2023). "Precise characterization of a corridor-shaped structure in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons" (in en). Nature Communications 14 (1): 1144. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36351-0. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 36864018. Bibcode: 2023NatCo..14.1144P. 
  19. ↑ "ScanPyramids 2017 Video Report". H. I. P. Institute. 2017-11-16. https://vimeo.com/243085434. 
  20. ↑ "Nagoya University Research Achievements". http://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/research/activities/news/2017/11/Physicists-at-Nagoya-University-discover-a-huge-void-in-Giza%27s-Great-Pyramid.html. 
  21. ↑ "Research of Egyptian Pyramids with Cosmic ray Imaging | Features". 29 July 2022. http://www.aip.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/public/nu_research/features/detail/0004136.html. 
  22. ↑ "We've brought ancient pyramid experts here to answer your questions about the mysterious, recently-discovered voids inside Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza." (in en). February 2018. https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/7uk3mx/weve_brought_ancient_pyramid_experts_here_to/. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "How cosmic rays revealed a new, mysterious void inside the Great Pyramid". Vox. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/11/2/16594408/great-pyramid-giza-cosmic-rays-void-particle-physics-nature. 
  24. ↑ Dvorsky, George. "Stunned Scientists Detect Suspected Hidden Chamber Within Great Pyramid of Giza" (in en-US). Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/stunned-scientists-detect-suspected-hidden-chamber-with-1820054009. "We're avoiding the word 'chamber', we know that it's a big void, but we're not calling it a chamber" 
  25. ↑ Procureur, Sébastien; Morishima, Kunihiro; Kuno, Mitsuaki; Manabe, Yuta; Kitagawa, Nobuko; Nishio, Akira; Gomez, Hector; Attié, David et al. (2023-03-02). "Precise characterization of a corridor-shaped structure in Khufu's Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons" (in en). Nature Communications 14 (1): 1144. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-36351-0. ISSN 2041-1723. PMID 36864018. Bibcode: 2023NatCo..14.1144P. 
  26. ↑ "Scientists discover corridor hidden for 4,500 years in Great Pyramid of Giza" (in en-AU). 2023-03-02. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-03/scientists-uncover-hidden-corridor-in-great-pyramid-of-giza/102047768. 
  27. ↑ Fleur, Nicholas St (2 November 2017). "Inside Giza's Great Pyramid, Scientists Discover a Void" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/science/pyramids-giza-void.html. ""They found nothing," said Dr. Hawass, noting that such construction gaps had been known of for at least two decades. "This paper offers nothing to Egyptology. Zero."" 
  28. ↑ "The response to the Ministry of Antiquities on the void space found inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu" (in en-US). 2017-11-03. https://facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1579925528719758&id=172009302844728. 
  29. ↑ "Khufu pyramid void draws world attention to Egypt: Minister - Egypt Independent" (in en-US). Egypt Independent. 2017-11-04. http://www.egyptindependent.com/khufu-pyramid-void-draws-world-attention-egypt-minister/. ""What was discovered is new and larger than the known cavities, and we'll continue in our scientific steps," Anany said" 
  30. ↑ "Mysterious Void Discovered in Egypt's Great Pyramid". 2017-11-02. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/great-pyramid-giza-void-discovered-khufu-archaeology-science/. ""There have been many hypotheses about the pyramid, but no one even imagined that such a big void is located above the Grand Gallery."" 
  31. ↑ "Kheops : Fausse polémique autour de la découverte d'une gigantesque cavité dans la grande pyramide" (in fr). Sciences et Avenir. https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/kheops-fausse-polemique-autour-de-la-decouverte-d-une-gigantesque-cavite-dans-la-grande-pyramide_118038. 
  32. ↑ Sample, Ian (2017-11-02). "Archaeologists discover mysterious void deep within Great Pyramid of Giza" (in en). https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/nov/02/archaeolgists-discover-mysterious-void-deep-within-great-pyramid-of-giza. "Peter Der Manuelian, professor of Egyptology and director of the Harvard Semitic Museum, said the discovery was "potentially a major contribution to our knowledge about the Great Pyramid."" 
  33. ↑ "Cosmic rays reveal unknown void in the Great Pyramid of Giza" (in en). Science | AAAS. 2017-11-01. https://www.science.org/content/article/cosmic-rays-reveal-unknown-void-great-pyramid-giza. 
  34. ↑ Fleur, Nicholas St (2 November 2017). "Inside Giza's Great Pyramid, Scientists Discover a Void" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/science/pyramids-giza-void.html. 
  35. ↑ Alvarez, Luis Walter (1965-03-01). "A proposal to "X-ray" the Egyptian Pyramids to Search for Presently Unknown Chambers". pp. 39–102. http://alvarezphysicsmemos.lbl.gov/physics_pdfs/APM541-550.pdf. 
  36. ↑ Khan, Amina (3 November 2017). "Using particle physics, scientists find hidden structure inside Egypt's Great Pyramid". http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-egypt-pyramid-giza-20171102-htmlstory.html. 
  37. ↑ "5 groundbreaking scientific discoveries of 2017 that could change our future" (in en). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/long-story-short/video/5-groundbreaking-scientific-discoveries-of-2017-that-could-change-our-future-1124174403597. 
  38. ↑ "Here are the top science and tech stories of 2017" (in en). euronews. 2017-12-26. http://www.euronews.com/2017/12/26/8-top-science-tech-stories-2017-ncna832691. 
  39. ↑ "First multimessenger observation of a neutron-star merger is Physics World 2017 Breakthrough of the Year – Physics World" (in en-GB). Physics World. 2017-12-11. https://physicsworld.com/a/first-multimessenger-observation-of-a-neutron-star-merger-is-physics-world-2017-breakthrough-of-the-year/. 
  40. ↑ Travis, Kate (2018-02-15). "Revisiting the science stories that made us cry, think and say 'OMG' in 2017" (in en). Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/staff-favorite-science-stories-2017-yir. 
  41. ↑ "7 Earth-like planets, designer babies and a tower of human skulls: Best science discoveries of 2017" (in en). Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/3930204/top-science-discoveries-2017. 
  42. ↑ Mandelbaum, Ryan F.. "The Coolest Scientific Discoveries of 2017" (in en-US). Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/the-coolest-scientific-discoveries-of-2017-1821002375. 
  43. ↑ "The wildest scientific discoveries of 2017" (in fr-FR). http://www.businessinsider.fr/us/biggest-scientific-discoveries-2017-12. 
  44. ↑ "Altmetric's top 100 research articles – 2017". https://www.altmetric.com/top100/2017/#list&article=28295967. 
  45. ↑ "The best scientific breakthroughs of 2017 - Egypt Today". 20 December 2017. https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/6/37520/The-best-scientific-breakthroughs-of-2017. 
  46. ↑ "7 top science and tech stories of 2017" (in en-US). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/8-top-science-tech-stories-2017-ncna832691. 
  47. ↑ "20 important discoveries of 2017" (in en-US). http://a.msn.com/01/en-us/BBFVmJr?ocid=se. 
  48. ↑ "2017, une année de sciences en images" (in fr). Le Monde.fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/portfolio/2017/12/26/2017-une-annee-de-sciences-en-images_5234475_1650684.html. 
  49. ↑ Gajewski, Misha (2017-12-21). "The 17 most amazing moments in science of 2017" (in en-CA). CTVNews. https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/the-17-most-amazing-moments-in-science-of-2017-1.3702772. 
  50. ↑ "7 Most Exciting Scientific Breakthroughs of 2017" (in en). The Franklin Institute. 2017-12-27. https://www.fi.edu/7-most-exciting-scientific-breakthroughs-of-2017. 
  51. ↑ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Science -. "Rétrospective : 17 découvertes qui ont marqué la science en 2017" (in fr-ca). https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1073168/retrospective-science-2017. 
  52. ↑ "Rétrospective : ce qu'il faut retenir de 2017 en sciences - Sciencesetavenir.fr" (in fr). 27 December 2017. https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/fondamental/retrospective-ce-qu-il-faut-retenir-de-2017-en-sciences_119473. 
  53. ↑ Goodbody, Will (2017-12-27). "Ten science stories that grabbed headlines in 2017" (in en). RTE.ie. https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/1227/929763-ten-science-stories-that-grabbed-headlines-in-2017/. 
  54. ↑ "Big Idea of 2017: Cosmic Discoveries in Space and Time — NOVA Next | PBS" (in en-US). NOVA Next. 2017-12-27. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/physics/big-idea-of-2017-cosmic-discoveries-in-space-and-time. 
  55. ↑ "Les évènements scientifiques qui ont marqué 2017" (in fr-FR). https://fr.news.yahoo.com/%C3%A9v%C3%A8nements-scientifiques-marqu%C3%A9-2017-slideshow-wp-093926656/photo-p-c-doute-l-informations-photo-093926682.html?guccounter=1. 
  56. ↑ "Los grandes descubrimientos arqueológicos que deja este 2017". La Vanguardia. http://www.lavanguardia.com/cultura/20171227/433800424889/descubrimientos-arqueologia-2017.html. 
  57. ↑ "Douze avancées et découvertes scientifiques qui ont marqué 2017" (in fr-FR). Franceinfo. https://mobile-francetvinfo-fr.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/mobile.francetvinfo.fr/sciences/douze-avancees-et-decouvertes-scientifiques-qui-ont-marque-2017_2532615.amp. 



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