CUTE

Dark Matter

CUTE, the cryogenic underground test facility, is not a typical SNOLAB experiment. Rather than being a detector itself, CUTE is a facility built to test components of other dark matter experiments. It is well shielded from background radiation, can operate at very low temperatures, and is designed to prevent micro-vibrations that could interfere with testing.

Did you know?

• CUTE uses a combination of lead, water, and polyethelene as shielding from background radiaiton in addition to SNOLAB’s depth.
• The first experiment CUTE is conducting tests for is SuperCDMS. It is currently testing some of the germanium and silicon crystals that will be intalled in the SuperCDMS detector.
• Although CUTE is the only detector specially-built for testing at SNOLAB, it is not the only testing facility on site. SNOLAB also has a low-background counting lab that is used to test materials before they are used in experiments.