SNOLAB hopes to host new $400M US international physics project

An underground lab in Sudbury, Ont., wants to be home to at least one international project that could dramatically advance our understanding of physics and the cosmos.

Recently, the lab hosted 60 of the world's leading particle physicists and representatives from science funding bodies.

"Tonne-scale neutrinoless double beta decay experiments have been a priority of the international particle physics community for several years," said Jodi Cooley, executive director of SNOLAB.

"With this two-day summit completed, we have agreed to continue our efforts to pursue this exciting field of study, and SNOLAB is well positioned to play a significant role."

SNOLAB is in Vale's Creighton mine in Lively in Greater Sudbury, Ont. It's the deepest underground research laboratory in Canada. The centre said it "provides an ideal low background environment for the study of extremely rate physical interactions."

Two large international projects proposing tonne-scale experiments, nEXO and LEGEND-1000, were presented to the summit. According to SNOLAB, "both promise unprecedented sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decays, and both are looking for a home."

A third experiment, called CUPID, is already being planned for the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy.

The experiments would observe how particles called neutrinos decay, and whether or not they are their own antiparticle. 

"That has implications for the early universe," Cooley said. "It has implications about how structure might have formed."

'Global leader'

Cooly anticipates SNOLAB "will almost certainly" host at least one of the projects.

"Our site, from a scientific standpoint, is very attractive," she said. "It has to do with everything with how deep we are and how clean we are."

Cooley said the original research done at the lab, the SNO research, required a space the size of a 10-storey building. She said one of the new experiments would require space for a seven-storey building. 

Cooley said the meeting with scientists, from a variety of countries — including Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Germany — was positive. She said everyone wants to move the projects forward, and now the work will be to decide where and what countries can pay for what. She said the cost of the project is about $400 million US.

She said if SNOLAB is chosen, it would benefit both the lab and the community.

"It means that we would be hiring local technical staff, we'll be buying local products," she said.

"And we'll be attracting new scientists and their families to the area."

She added it would also "furthering Canada's reputation as a global leader in underground science."

She said if SNOLAB isn't chosen to host any of the projects, other research will continue at the lab, including research on dark matter and neutrino experiments.

"We're very excited," she said.

"We have a large portfolio. I'm very positive this experiment will come. But … if we miss the opportunity, I'm certain we're going to find others out there."