Status and Plans

Status and Plans

The Boulby Underground Science Facility (UK)

The Boulby Underground Science Facility (UK)

Boulby Science Facility• Boulby is a working potash mine in the North

East of England. Operated by Cleveland Potash Ltd – a major local employer.

• 1100m deep (2805 mwe giving ~106 reduction in CR muons).

• Surrounding rock-salt = low activity giving low gamma and radon backgrounds.

Middlesborough

Whitby

Staithes

York

JIF facilities - 2003 .> 1000 m2, fully equipped underground ‘Palmer lab’> Surface support facility.

Boulby Mine

Boulby Laboratory (UK)

Plymouth

London

Birmingham

Liverpool

Newcastle

Edinburgh

Inverness

Belfast

Dublin

Redcar

Hartlepool

Peterlee

Middlesbrough

Billingham

Newton Aycliffe

Stockton

Darlington

Middlesborough

Whitby

Staithes

York

Boulby Laboratory

Stub BStub A

Low Background Lab

ZEPLIN - II ZEPLIN - III

DRIFT-I Lab

Mess

Gas/fire sensorcontrol

Workshop

Store

DRIFT -II

Store / DRIFT -IIPhase B

Materialsclean-off

Change area

Air shower

Boulby Dark Matter Detectors

Current Boulby Projects (2010)

DRIFT-IILow pressure gas TPC

directional DM detector.Installed – 2005. Continuing

R&D and operation

ZEPLIN-III2 phase (liquid/gas) high field Xenon WIMP dark matter detector. Installed 2007- now operating

Low-background material screening

High sensitivity low-background Germanium detector and purpose built

Rn emanation

SKY-ZERO Danish/UK expt to study the effect of cosmic rays on aerosols & cloud production. Phase 1 near completion.

Boulby Palmer Laboratory

Activity at the Boulby FacilityThe ZEPLIN III dark matter experiment is continuing at Boulby, through second data run. Results from first run are now published (see next)

The DRIFT II dark matter experiment is supported by NSF. Recent visit by NSF (Jim Whitmore) very successful and awaiting extension funding for post 2012. Recent upgrade successful (see next).

The DRIFT III dark matter proposal underway.

SKY0 climate change experiment completed (cloud formation by cosmic rays). Next generation SKY-I experiment proposed for Boulby.

LAGUNA (50-1000kton neutrino physics) design study continues. Boulby is one of 7 European sites being considered (see next). Technical feasibility of cavern confirmed by AAE Ltd. mining consultants

Geo-physics and detector research projects also underway

Science at Boulby is strongly supported by the mine company CPL: There is an executive board that oversees this - Graham Clarke (CPL manager); Geof Tomlinson (Sheffield); David Petley (Durham Geophysics); Mike Cowling (Crown Estates); Sean Paling/Neil Spooner

Neil Spooner - SheffieldCOSMO2009 09/09/09

August 2009 First science runRecent ZEPLIN III Result

ZEPLIN III at Boulby

two-phase8 kg (fiducial)

31 2” PMTs bottom only

Recent DRIFTII Upgrade

QuickTime™ and aMotion JPEG OpenDML decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aMotion JPEG OpenDML decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Multi-panel 0.9μm thick DRIFT cathodecathode tested at full

voltage (32.5kV)

DRIFT II is now volume limited.... not background limited

No compromise on directional sensitivity needed to achieve this

DRIFTII SD LimitThis new SD llimit is achieved with no compromise on directional sensitivity (others experiments on plot do not have this)

this is ~x1000 better than any competitor directional WIMP detector

Boulby Update & Future

Future Science Aims / Plans• Continued hosting / supporting Dark Matter searches (DRIFT, ZEPLIN-III and beyond)• Development of UK centre of excellence for ultra sensitive low activity material screening • Development of geoscience studies – (local government funding already secured for geology/geophysics studies.) • Continued involvement with ‘ILIAS-type’ EU underground lab networking.• Pursual of possible future small and large projects – e.g LAGUNA, ELENA. SKY-II

Latest Boulby News:- June 2009: New facility manager Sean Paling - Boulby mine and the Underground facility awarded ISO18001 national H&S management award.

LAGUNA

Future expansion?• Plenty of space and low cost for future excavations @ Boulby• Proven track record for operations• Ongoing strong local support

ILIAS-nextILIAS-next

DRIFT-Cygnus

DRIFT III Concept for Boulby

LAGUNA Concept for Boulby

A major new global facility is possible at Boulby thanks to work to expand mine to deeper levels into hard rock (not salt like current labs)

LAGUNA at BoulbyGLACIER Liquid Argon Cavern Design completed by AMCO Ltd amd AAE Ltd.

diamater 80m

LAGUNA - new ramp complete

440 page design document completed for Boulby

New Ramp down into hard dolomite rock at 1200-1300m depth completed (this is 100-200m below the salt level of the Palmer lab)

ANSYS Geo-technical simulations by AAE Ltd. confirm technical feasibility of LAGUNA at Boulby

LAGUNA Cavern is Feasible at Boulby

Conclusion

We (including CPL) are waiting hopefully for STFC to honour commitment to interim support while we put in place alternative funding and new experiments.

Palmer lab operating costs are ~£300K/year (JIF/PPARC capital investment was £3.1M).

Decommissioning costs are high because of the need to remove all materials from the Palmer excavation for safety reasons.

Boulby continues to produce world leading science and is in demand (e.g. NSF, Danish agencies....)