SNOLAB
SNOLAB is a Canadian underground physics laboratory at a depth of 2 km in Sudbury, Ontario in Vale's Creighton nickel mine. The original Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment has ended, but the facilities have been expanded into a permanent underground laboratory.
SNOLAB is the world's deepest underground lab facility; the deeper Kolar Gold Fields experiments ended with the closing of the mine in 1992[1], and the planned DUSEL laboratory is not expected to begin construction before 2012.[2]
Although accessed through a dirty commercial mine, the laboratory proper is maintained as a class-2000 cleanroom, with very low levels of dust and background radiation. The 6800 ft (2070 m) overburden of rock provides 6010 metres of water equivalent (MWE) shielding from cosmic rays, providing a low-background environment for experiments requiring high sensitivities and extremely low counting rates.
History
A large deep cavity was originally constructed for the SNO experiment, but other experimental groups were interested in the very deep location. In 2002 funding was approved by the Canada Foundation for Innovation to expand the SNO facilities into a general-purpose laboratory,[3] and more funding was received in 2007[4] and 2008.[5]
Construction was completed in 2009.[6]
Status
As of August 2009[update], all excavation and concreting is complete, and the ladder labs (the first half of the phase 1 expansion of the original SNO) is operating under clean room conditions while fine cleaning is underway. The cube hall (phase 1b) is completed and painted but "dirty", and the phase 2 "cryopit" is almost complete, needing only the installation of a crane and laying a concrete floor in one service tunnel.[6]
It currently hosts three experiments:
- The PICASSO dark matter search,
- The POLARIS underground project at SNOLAB (PUPS), observing seismic signals at depth in very hard rock, and
- The DEAP-1 dark matter search.
Four more experiments are currently under construction:[7]
- The SNO+ neutrino detector (using the original SNO experiment chamber),
- MiniCLEAN dark matter detector,
- The second-generation DEAP-3600 dark matter detector, and
- The HALO (Helium and Lead Observatory) supernova neutrino detector.
- The COUPP 4-kg bubble chamber dark matter search.[8]
Additional experiments have requested laboratory space,[7] the EXO neutrinoless double beta decay detector, and several dark matter detectors: SuperCDMS and DarkSide.
The total size of the SNOlab underground facilities, including utility spaces and personnel spaces, is:[9]
| Excavated | Clean room | Laboratory | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor space | 7215 m² 77,636 ft² |
4942 m² 53,180 ft² |
3055 m² 32,877 ft² |
| Volume | 46648 m³ 1,647,134 ft³ |
37241 m³ 1,314,973 ft³ |
29555 m³ 1,043,579 ft³ |
References
- ^ Naba K. Mondal (January 2004). "Status of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)" (PDF). Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad. 70 (1): 71–77. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ Welcome to deep science. South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
DUSEL construction, which likely could not begin until fiscal 2012, will need the final approval of the NSF, the National Science Board, Congress and the White House.
- ^ "Canada selects 9 projects to lead in international research" (Press release). Canada Foundation for Innovation. 2002-06-20. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ "Province Supports Expansion of World's Deepest Lab Administered by Carleton University" (Press release). Carleton University. 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
- ^ "New Funding will Support Underground Lab Operations as SNOLAB nears Completion" (PDF) (Press release). SNOLAB. 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
- ^ a b Duncan, Fraser (2009-08-27). "SNOLAB Facility Status" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ a b Smith, Nigel (2009-08-27). "Status of SNOLAB Science Preparations" (PDF).
- ^ http://www-coupp.fnal.gov
- ^ Noble, T. (2009-02-18). "SNOLAB: AstroParticle-Physics Research in Canada" (PDF). p. 4.
External links
- SNOLAB website
- SNOLAB french presentations
- "Experiment Cave". WIRED Science. Episode 104. 2007-10-24. PBS.
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