The quiet of the underground makes Sanford Lab a perfect place for experiments that need to escape cosmic rays. The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, Majorana Demonstrator and Center for Ultra-low Background Experiments in the Dakotas (CUBED) all benefit from the low background noise on the 4850L. Soon the Compact Accelerator System Performing Astrophysical Research (CASPAR) experiment will be there as well.
Researchers from Notre Dame, South Dakota School of Mines and Colorado School of Mines are going underground to study the processes in stars that produce half of all the elements in the universe. ?We understand the recipe of how stars work,? said Manoel Couder, assistant professor at Notre Dame. ?But we sometimes can?t reproduce that recipe exactly in a computer model.? CASPAR?s low power accelerator will allow researchers to mimic nuclear fusion reactions in stars.
?CASPAR represents a new type of science experiment for the Sanford Lab,? said Executive Director Mike Headley. ?We?re excited to host them on the 4850 Level and add this world-leading experiment to our science program.?
Before experiments can begin, said Director of Engineering Joshua Willhite the site must be prepared by installing ground support, lighting and utility connections; building a shield around the accelerator; and a thick concrete maze at the doors.
The laboratory site is expected to be ready by December 2014. While the site is under construction, Couder and Dan Robertson, a professor at Notre Dame, will be preparing equipment for CASPAR and renovating the accelerator, which has been in use above ground for 10 years at Notre Dame.
Installation of CASPAR will begin in January 2015, said Project Manager Elizabeth Freer. ?Our goal is to begin the first experiment sometime in summer 2015.?
When operational, CASPAR will be the only underground accelerator program in the world doing this type of research, Headley said. ?It holds promise to deliver another significant physics science result for the Sanford Lab.?
Most of the funding for CASPAR is in place, as are the in-kind contributions from the participating institutions, which has allowed the project to move forward more quickly, Freer said.
Although the National Science Foundation has provided some funding, Couder said CASPAR exists because of the Sanford Underground Research Facility. ?That funding has been crucial.?