Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

Deep underground physics: facility and experiment developments at SNOLAB

Nigel Smith

SNOLAB

Following the success of the SNO solar neutrino project, the astroparticle physics research facility based 2km underground at the Vale Inco Creighton nickel mine, near Sudbury Ontario, has been expanded to host a variety of new experiments. These require the quiet radiation environment, from the cleanliness and reduction in cosmic rays activity, that SNOLAB affords. The construction phase of the expansion is now drawing to a close, and infrastructures for the initial suite of experiments are being implemented. These experiments focus primarily on sub- atomic physics, with studies of supernova and low energy solar neutrinos, neutrino-less double beta decay and Galactic dark matter searches.

This talk will outline the initial science programme that will be conducted at SNOLAB, detailing some of the first projects which will be deployed, with a focus on the dark matter search experiments. The status of the facility itself will be discussed, illustrating the purpose and requirements for a deep underground laboratory, and a brief review of the global situation in underground science will be given.