Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory
{{Short description|Particle physics laboratory in Victoria, Australia}}
{{redirect|SUPL|Secure User Plane Location|Assisted GNSS#SUPL}}
{{Infobox laboratory
|name = Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory
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|established = 2022
|type = Research laboratory
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|research_field = Physics, dark matter
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|city = Stawell
|state = Victoria
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|country = Australia
|coordinates = {{coord|37.07|S|142.81|E|type:landmark_region:AU-VIC|name=Stawell Gold Mine|display=inline}}
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|affiliations = University of Melbourne
the Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics
the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
University of Adelaide
Italian National Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics.
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|website = https://www.supl.org.au/
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}}
The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (SUPL) is a laboratory 1 km deep in the Stawell Gold Mine, located in Stawell, Shire of Northern Grampians, Victoria, Australia. Together with the planned Agua Negra Deep Experiment Site (ANDES) at the Agua Negra Pass, it is one of just two underground particle physics laboratories in the Southern Hemisphere and shall conduct research into dark matter.{{Cite press release
|url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/government-digs-deep-with-plan-for-stawells-future
|title=Government Digs Deep With Plan For Stawell's Future
|date=13 February 2015
|publisher=Premier of Victoria
}}
The project is a collaboration between six international partners. It will be led by the University of Melbourne with the Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Adelaide, the Australian National University, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/latest-news/2019/07/swinburne-goes-underground-in-search-for-dark-matter.php|title=Swinburne goes underground in search for dark matter|date=2019-07-29|website=Swinburne University of Technology|access-date=2019-09-12}}
It is expected that the project will collaborate closely with the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy.{{cite news
|url=http://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/2579285/stawell-particle-physics-laboratory-scientists-to-speak-on-tuesday/
|title=Stawell particle physics laboratory - scientists to speak on Tuesday
|first=Matt |last=Coughlan
|date=24 September 2014
|journal=Wimmera Mail-Times
}}
Construction commenced in 2019,{{cite web |author1=Staff |title=Progress on dark matter lab |url=https://www.ansto.gov.au/news/progress-on-dark-matter-lab |website=www.ansto.gov.au |publisher=ANSTO |access-date=13 May 2020 |date=24 September 2019}} and though it was expected to be complete by the end of 2021{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/10/waiting-for-a-ghost-the-search-for-dark-matter-1km-under-an-australian-town|title='Waiting for a ghost': the search for dark matter 1km under an Australian town|date=9 October 2021|website=the Guardian}} due to delays from corporate mergers it opened in August 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-18 |title=Laboratory to study dark matter opens 1km under Australian town – with no bananas allowed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/19/laboratory-to-study-dark-matter-opens-1km-under-australian-town-with-no-bananas-allowed |access-date=2022-08-19 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}
General information
The project's Southern Hemisphere location has bearing on the possible differential detection of the putative WIMP-wind. Northern Hemisphere instruments are showing hints of a June "bump" of possible dark matter hits,{{Cite news
|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20434-second-experiment-hints-at-seasonal-dark-matter-signal.html
|title=Second experiment hints at seasonal dark matter signal
|date=3 May 2011
|first=Valerie |last=Jamieson
|publisher=New Scientist
}} which is expected given the galaxy's rotation, but it is hard to be sure that it is not a false signal due to some subtle seasonal environmental effect. A Southern Hemisphere location, on the opposite side of the Earth with its converse seasons, could help to provide valuable confirmation one way or another.
Secondly, the sundry particles (apparently from the constellation Cygnus){{Cite journal|last1=Monroe|first1=Jocelyn|author-link=Jocelyn Monroe|last2=Battat|first2=James|year=2009|title=Winds of Change in the Hunt for Dark Matter|url=http://web.mit.edu/physics/news/physicsatmit/physicsatmit_09_windsofchange_monroebattat.pdf|journal=MIT Physics Annual}}{{Cite journal
|title=Directional detection of Dark Matter with MIMAC: WIMP identification and track reconstruction
|first1=J. |last1=Billard
|first2=F. |last2=Mayet
|first3=C. |last3=Grignon
|first4=D. |last4=Santos
|journal=Journal of Physics: Conference Series
|date=January 2011
|volume=309
|issue=1
|page=012015
|doi=10.1088/1742-6596/309/1/012015
|arxiv=1101.2750|bibcode=2011JPhCS.309a2015B |s2cid=85554552 }} would have travelled through the Earth itself before reaching SUPL's instruments.{{Cite news
|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329782.800-panning-for-dark-matter-in-an-australian-gold-mine.html
|title=Panning for dark matter in an Australian gold mine
|date=18 July 2014
|first=Michael |last=Slezak
|publisher=New Scientist |access-date=2015-05-20
}}
Finally, its Southern Hemisphere location also makes it potentially very sensitive to daily variation effects which would be a smoking-gun for self-interacting dark matter or dark matter with a significant stopping rate.{{Cite journal
|title=Daily modulation as a smoking gun of dark matter with significant stopping rate
|first1=C. |last1=Kouvaris
|first2=I. |last2=Shoemaker
|journal=Physical Review D
|date=2014 |volume=90 |issue= 9|page=095011
|doi=10.1103/PhysRevD.90.095011
|arxiv=1405.1729 |bibcode=2014PhRvD..90i5011K
|s2cid=118374091 }}{{Cite journal
|title=Diurnal modulation signal from dissipative hidden sector dark matter
|first1=R. |last1=Foot
|first2=S. |last2=Vagnozzi
|journal=Physics Letters B
|date=2015
|volume=748 |pages=61–66
|url=http://repo.scoap3.org/record/10889
|doi=10.1016/j.physletb.2015.06.063 |doi-access=free
|arxiv=1412.0762 |bibcode=2015PhLB..748...61F}}{{Cite journal
|title=Dissipative hidden sector dark matter
|first1=Robert |last1=Foot
|first2=Sunny |last2=Vagnozzi
|journal=Physical Review D
|year=2015
|volume=91 |issue=2 |pages=023512
|doi=10.1103/PhysRevD.91.023512
|arxiv=1409.7174 |bibcode=2015PhRvD..91b3512F|s2cid=119288106 }}
Inasmuch as neutrino experiments do not benefit in the same way from a Southern Hemisphere location, and IceCube is already extant, it is unlikely that any neutrino detectors will be housed at SUPL.
Funding
The first phase of the project received $1.75 million funding in the 2015 Australian federal budget. With matching funding from Victoria,{{Cite press release
|url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/funding-go-ahead-for-stawell-physics-lab/
|title=Funding Go Ahead For Stawell Physics Lab
|date=20 November 2015
|publisher=Victoria Minister for Regional Development
}} construction started 2016{{cite press release
|title=Work begins 1km underground at dark matter physics lab site
|date=5 May 2016
|publisher=Northern Grampians Shire Council
|url=http://www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/News-Directory/Work-begins-1km-underground-at-dark-matter-physics-lab-site
|quote=The drilling which commenced on 28 April will extract a 50 metre long core from the main cavern site.
}} and was expected to be complete in 2017.{{Cite conference
|title=SABRE: WIMP Modulation Detection in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
|last=Froborg |first=Francis
|date=20 July 2016
|conference=Identification of Dark Matter 2016
|location=Sheffield
|url=https://idm2016.shef.ac.uk/indico/event/0/session/11/contribution/94
|page=11
|conference-url=https://idm2016.shef.ac.uk/
}} However, a series of corporate mergers in 2015 and 2016 disrupted plans.{{cite news
|title=Stock market the biggest obstacle to finding dark matter down a mine
|first=Liam |last=Mannix
|date=5 August 2018
|journal=The Age
|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/stock-market-the-biggest-obstacle-to-finding-dark-matter-down-a-mine-20180805-p4zvmo.html
}} The project was stalled when the new owners dismissed most of the labour force{{cite news
|title=Stawell gold mine in Victoria to close, up to 150 jobs on the line
|date=14 December 2016
|first1=Stephen |last1=Martin |first2=Nabila |last2=Petrucci |first3=Bridget |last3=Judd
|journal=Australian Broadcasting Corporation
}} and shut down the Stawell gold mine to a "care and maintenance" state in December 2016. In December 2017, yet another new owner announced their intention to reopen the mine and were supportive of the underground laboratory,{{r|Mannix}} allowing hope that construction would restart.{{cite news
|url=http://www.araratadvertiser.com.au/story/5107196/future-uncertain-for-stawells-underground-physics-lab/
|date=7 December 2017
|title=Future uncertain for Stawell's underground physics lab
|first=Anthony |last=Piovesan
|newspaper=Ararat Advertiser
|access-date=7 March 2018
}}
In 2019, the project resumed. The 2019 Australian federal budget included $5 million for SUPL,{{cite news
|title=$5 million federal government funding allocated to Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory
|first=Lachlan |last=Williams
|date=5 April 2019
|journal=Ararat Advertiser
|url=https://www.araratadvertiser.com.au/story/5992021/funding-boost-to-turn-underground-lab-dream-into-reality/
}} and in July 2019 a memorandum of understanding between Stawell Gold Mines Pty Ltd, the Northern Grampians Shire Council, and the University of Melbourne was signed{{cite press release
|title=MoU signed for Stawell Underground Physics Lab
|date=19 July 2016
|url=https://www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/News-Directory/MoU-signed-for-Stawell-Underground-Physics-Lab
|publisher=Northern Grampians Shire Council
}} to build and operate the laboratory.
Construction
SUPL is planned to be located at a depth of {{convert|1025|m|ft}}, providing approximately 2900 metre water equivalent shielding against background cosmic rays.{{r|HIAS|p=3}} As a decline (ramp) mine, cars and trucks can be driven to the laboratory site. The laboratory will consist of a bespoke cavity of approximately 10 metres high and 10 metres wide ({{Convert|10|*|10|m|disp=out}}) excavated into the rock from an existing part of the mine.
The laboratory will be divided into {{convert|25|m|round=5}} of clean room space for experiments, and {{convert|15|m|round=5}} of "dirty" loading area.{{r|HIAS|p=4–5}} A side tunnel 5 m wide and 20 m long ({{Convert|5|*|20|m|round=5|disp=out}}) will house physical plant and personnel facilities.{{r|IDM16|HIAS|p2=4–5}}
SABRE
{{main|DAMA/LIBRA#SABRE}}
The first experiment planned for SUPL is SABRE{{cite conference
|url=http://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2016/18/epjconf_hias2016_04002.pdf
|title=Searching for Dark Matter at the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory
|first=Phillip |last=Urquijo
|date=15 September 2015
|pages=1–7
|conference=Heavy Ion Acceleration Symposium 2016
|conference-url=http://hias.anu.edu.au/2015/
|location=Canberra
|journal=EPJ Web of Conferences
|volume=123
|number=4002
|doi=10.1051/epjconf/201612304002
|doi-access=free
|arxiv=1605.03299
}} Page 4 gives the latitude of the laboratory as 37°03′S = 37.05°S, but it is not clear if this is accurate for the laboratory proper, or is an approximation based on the latitude of the town of Stawell.{{Rp|4}}{{Cite web
|url=http://sydney.edu.au/science/physics/local/coll/coll2015.shtml
|date=2 November 2015
|first=Elisabetta |last=Barberio
|title=Direct Dark Matter Detection in Australia (colloquium abstract)
|publisher=University of Sydney School of Physics
|access-date=2016-01-17
}} (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection), based on 50 kg of thallium-doped sodium iodide.{{Cite conference
|title=SABRE: WIMP Modulation Detection in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
|first=Francis |last=Froborg
|url=http://www.taup-conference.to.infn.it/2015/day3/parallel/dma/7_froborg.pdf
|date=9 September 2015
|conference=Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics
|conference-url=http://taup2015.to.infn.it/
|url=https://theconversation.com/how-we-plan-to-bring-dark-matter-to-light-46989
|title=How we plan to bring dark matter to light
|first=Elisabetta |last=Barberio
|date=16 September 2015
|journal=The Conversation
}} Two detectors will be built: one at LNGS and one at SUPL. Improving on the DAMA/LIBRA experiment, the SUPL detector implements additional features for background rejection: a 12 kL liquid scintillator veto, and a muon veto (experiment member, M. Mews, remains the expert on said muon veto). {{Cite journal
|title=Australia's first dark matter experiment
|date=12 October 2015
|first=Glenn Jr. |last=Roberts
|journal=Symmetry Magazine
|url=http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2014/australias-first-dark-matter-experiment
}} Consistent results between the two would be very strong evidence.
As of August 2022, the SABRE experiment is expected to be constructed underground in SUPL during the last months of 2022, with data collection beginning in 2023.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|Australia|Physics|Astronomy}}
- [http://physsci.adelaide.edu.au/hep/research/supl_sabre/ SUPL and SABRE], University of Adelaide
- [http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/supl1 The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory]
- [http://www.coepp.org.au ARC Centre of Excellence for Particle Physics]
{{Underground laboratories}}
{{Dark matter}}
{{coord|37.07|S|142.81|E|type:landmark_region:AU-VIC|name=Stawell Gold Mine|display=title}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory}}
Category:Neutrino observatories
Category:Underground laboratories
Category:Research institutes in Australia
Category:Physics beyond the Standard Model
Category:Laboratories in Australia