Experiments at SNOLAB
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DEAP-1 - is a 7kg liquid-argon dark matter detector. We aim for a sensitivity of 10-44 cm2 for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV. To achieve this we require pulse-shape discrimination rejecting electromagnetic events with 10-8 leakage while retaining 50% of nuclear recoil events. |

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DEAP-3600 is a second generation experiment that will search for dark matter particle interactions on liquid argon The large detector (DEAP 3600) containing a total of 3600 kg of liquid argon is being designed, with a target sensitivity to spin -independent scattering on nucleons of 10−46 cm2, several hundred times more sensiive than current dark matter searches. |
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EXO - Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) is an experiment which will attempt to measure the mass of the neutrino and determine its nature, Majorana or Dirac. It will measure these properties by observing the neutrinoless double beta decay of 136Xe to 136Ba. This is a very a rare process with a lifetime greater than 10E26 years. |
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HALO - Helium and Lead Observatory used to detect supernovas. The observation of a galactic core-collapse supernova by a Pb-based neutrino detector, as a complement to other neutrino detectors, would provide a wealth of data for both particle physicists and astrophysicists. |
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Mini-CLEAN - experiment will contain an active mass of approximately 100 kg of liquid neon viewed by 32 photomultiplier tubes and will serve as a prototype for the 10 100 ton CLEAN detector. Mini-CLEAN will be used to test the practicality of liquid neon as a scintillation material for neutrino detection. Additionally, the liquid neon can be replaced with liquid argon to provide improved sensitivity to dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles. The ability to exchange the two cryogens, with different sensitivities to dark matter and fast neutrons, will allow the two event types to be accurately characterized. Radioactive backgrounds from gamma rays and 39Ar beta-decay will be rejected through pulse-shape discrimination. |
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PICASSO - experiment uses as a fluorine loaded active liquid C4F10, which is dispersed in the form of 50-100 µm diameter droplets in a polymerized or viscous medium. |
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PUPS - A unique field experiment in 3D seismic monitoring at SNOLAB. The focus of this project is engineering seismology studies related to source and site effects. |
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SNO+ - experiment a new experiment using the existing SNO detector. By replacing the heavy water used in the SNO experiment with liquid scintillator, the detector will able to study low energy solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos and reactor neutrinos as well as conduct a supernova search. The SNO+ experiment will also add neodymium to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 150Nd. |
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The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) results have provided revolutionary insight into the properties of neutrinos and the core of the sun. The detector was built 6800 feet under ground, in INCO's Creighton mine near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. SNO was a heavy-water Cherenkov detector designed to detect neutrinos produced by fusion reactions in the sun. It used 1000 tonnes of heavy water loaned from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), and contained by a 12 meter diameter acrylic vessel. |
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Research
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The experimental program at SNOLAB spans topics in particle astrophysics including Solar Neutrinos, Dark Matter searches, Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay searches and the detection of neutrinos from Supernovae. Other areas of scientific study such as earth science are also encouraged to participate at SNOLAB. Collaborations wishing to site experiments at SNOLAB submit Letters Of Interest (LOIs) to SNOLAB which are evaluated by the Experiment Advisory Committee (EAC). The most recent convening of the EAC was August 2007 and it's evaluation of experiments can be found here.
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