SNOLAB

SNOLAB is Canada’s deep underground laboratory enabling world-class research in particle physics, quantum technology, and life sciences. SNOLAB is an expansion of the original facilities constructed for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), whose solar neutrino experiments contributed to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of neutrino oscillations. The primary focus of the particle astrophysics program includes solar neutrinos, supernova neutrinos, neutrino-less double beta decay, and dark matter searches. SNOLAB supports multiple projects covering these research fields, including various aspects of the dark matter interaction parameter space, and both neutrino source and intrinsic physics studies. Projects range in size up to kiloton detectors.

While particle astrophysics is the principal focus for SNOLAB, there is a growing interest among other scientific fields in exploiting deep underground laboratories and their associated infrastructure. In particular, SNOLAB supports research in environmental monitoring, life, and quantum sciences, all of which benefit from SNOLAB’s low background environment.

The great depth at which SNOLAB is located is required to shield these sensitive detection systems from the ubiquitous cosmic radiations that bombard the Earth’s surface. By placing 2-km (6000-metre water equivalent) of rock between the detectors and the surface, these cosmic rays are sufficiently attenuated, by a factor of 50 million down to one cosmic ray muon every day per 4m², enabling researchers to separate rare signals of interest from background radiation. This ultra-low-radiation environment is a key capability supporting next-generation particle physics experiments.

SNOLAB is unique in the world because it is run as a Class 2000 cleanroom and low-background facility (including cosmic rays). The laboratory is located 6,800 feet underground in an active mine, which requires specialized expertise in contamination control, seismicity mitigation, engineering, logistics, and the operation of highly sensitive detection systems to maintain the cleanliness protocols and support world-class underground research.

SNOLAB also has multiple germanium detectors used to measure background radiation level in materials, an ultrapure water plant that produces highly purified water (H₂O), an underground liquid nitrogen plant, a precision radon gas measurement system and a scintillator processing plant. These capabilities support radiopurity assessment, environmental radioactivity measurements, detector development, and the operation of low-background experiments.