Sanford Underground Research Facility
The deepest underground laboratory in the United States, it houses multiple experiments in areas such as dark matter and neutrino physics research, biology, geology and engineering.
SURF operations are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and through a $70M donation from T. Denny Sanford.
Sanford Lab's depth, rock stability and history make it ideal for sensitive physics experiments that need to escape high energy cosmic radiation from the sun.
If the answer is yes, it will require rewriting the Standard Model of Particles and Interactions, our basic understanding of the physical world.
Boreholes at the 4100 level monitor water injection and recovery using electrical impedance tomography and seismic signal analysis.
Placed in a grid, the seismometers monitored ground motion, giving researchers a 3-Dimensional seismic picture that was used to inform the design of future gravitational wave detectors.
[16] The Education and Outreach program is a collaborative venture between Sanford Lab and Black Hills State University (BHSU).
Overlooking the ridge of the 1,000-foot-deep Open Cut, the visitor center promotes public appreciation of Lead's rich mining history and an understanding of the science advancing at Sanford Lab.
The SSEC is committed to developing and facilitating rich, innovative learning experiences and preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and educators.
[11] The Davis Cavern gave the experiment the environment it needed to become the most sensitive dark matter detector in the world, a spot it held for more than one year after it was decommissioned.
This state-of-the-art laboratory features a 72,000-gallon (272,549 liters) water tank, which serves as additional shielding from cosmic radiation; and a water-deionization system, cleanroom and control room for researchers.
[22] A consortium agreement between LBC owners allows the counters to be available to other universities and partners, creating opportunities for collaborative research.
To accommodate these processes, the SAL includes aluminum sheeting; air locks; a hoist; a 12-foot-deep pit for large assembly projects; and a radon-reduction system.
[25] Sanford Lab monitors the health of these streams, counting fish and macro invertebrate populations and tests for contaminants.
[15] The measurements' discrepancy with the flux predicted from the Sun's luminosity led to Davis's development of the solar neutrino problem.
However, in 2011 the Department of Energy, through the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, agreed to support science operations at the lab.
In October 2013, after an initial run of 80 days, LUX was determined to be the most sensitive dark matter detector in the world.
[4] The Majorana experiment is searching for a rare type of radioactive decay called “neutrinoless double-beta decay.” If this phenomenon were detected, it could confirm that neutrinos are their own antiparticles and provide clues as to why matter prevailed over antimatter.
