Main Hall Cross-Section and Hall B

The New Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC)

Laboratory of Nuclear and High Energy Physics, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. http://www.unizar.es/lsc

•The Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) is an underground scientific facility devoted to experimental research in Astroparticle and Neutrino Physics since 1985. The LSC is operated by the Research Group on Nuclear and Astroparticle Physics of the Zaragoza University.

•It is located in the Somport railway tunnel (7.8 Km long, not in use). The LSC connects Spain and France across the Central Pyrenees.

Scientific equipment• Low temperature facility (12-20 mK)• Electroforming copper facility (for small pieces)• Underground clean room for R+D on detectors• Ultralow background Ge detectors (for

radiopurity measurements)• Tons of archaeological and very old lead (for

passive shieldings)

LAB-11985-1995

LAB-2 Mobile

1992-1995

1980 m1700 m

1440 m

780 mwe 1200 mwe 2500 mwe

Ultra-Low Bkg Lab.15 x 10 m (h=7 m)

20 x 5 m (h=4,5 m)

LAB-31995 - Present Time

LAB-4. New Canfranc Underground Facility

Physics at the LSC •Dark Matter Physics: Direct detection of

galactic WIMPs •Neutrino Physics: Double beta decay •R+D on Low Background Physics: Natural

underground sources, radiopurity of materials, active and passive shieldings development, ...

780 m

Madrid

PauToulouse

Bordeaux

Paris

Bern

Amsterdam

Brussels

London

Berlin

Prague

Vienna

RomeCANFRANCCANFRANC

Emergency exit

RAILWAY INTERNATIONAL TUNNEL

Main hall (600 m2)

40x15 m (h=10 m)

Low-background lab. (2 x 150 m2)

15x10 m (h=7 m)

Lab3 (100 m2)20x5 m (h=4,5 m)

CERN

Access gallery (91,2 m)

Unloading zone

SPAIN FRANCE

Facilities and offices

Clean rooms

Road tunnel entrance PK. 5278

Railway entrance PK. 2550

New Canfranc Underground Facility

Main Hall

LSC: Status and future plans • The new LSC was officially inaugurated in March 2006• At present a complete background characterization of the laboratory is being carried on• Experiments to be considered in the new laboratory (with the partnership of ILIAS) are:

Double Beta Decay, Dark Matter, Gravitational Waves, Neutrino Oscillations, …

Main Parametersn ~ 10-6 n/cm2 ~ 2 x 10-2 g/cm2 s

~ 2 x 10-7 m/cm2 s Rn ~ 50-100 Bq/m3

Spanish Pyrenees

1120 m

Somport Road Tunnel

New LSC access to facilities/offices

New LSC Main Hall

LSCLSC

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Depth (m.w.e.)

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

(m-2 s

-1)

102

100

10-2

10-4

10-6

Surface

OROVILLE (USA)

IMB (USA)

SOUDAN (USA)

CANFRANC (Spain)

KAMIOKA (Japan)

ST. GOTHARD (Switzerland)

BOULBY (UK)

GRAN SASSO (Italy)

HOMESTAKE (USA)

FREJUS (France)

MONT BLANC (Switzerland)

BAKSAN (Russia) SUDBURY (Canada)