Feasibility Study for Developing the Boulby Underground Laboratory into a Facility for Future Major International Projects

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy

Abstract

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Planned Impact

The project will continue the collaborative interaction between the university and government science sectors and the commercial partner, ICL Boulby, which was started back in ~1987. This partnership has been scientifically very fruitful. It has also been successful in leveraging funding from various sources, such as the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) award from the Department of Trade and Industry, and in attracting a broad range of activities which go beyond scientific research into studies relevant to environmental issues noted above, such as carbon storage, and wider questions, such as life in extreme environments and technology development for planetary exploration. Boulby now hosts arguably the best facility in the world for material radio-assays (BUGS). There is no doubt that activity at the Boulby Underground Laboratory has stimulated a lot of local interest, as evidenced by the recent setting up of a new display at the Whitby museum using ZEPLIN III as the centrepiece. In addition, the activity has bought a useful stream of researchers as visitors to the region.
The linkage between academia and industry which exists at Boulby offers specific prospects that link to at least three out of the five 'new fund' opportunities as highlighted in the recent STFC Town Meeting. These are the 'Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund', 'Strength in Places Fund' and 'Fund for International Collaboration'. This study will provide a forum for exploring these.

Publications

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Description The results of the work were summarised in the report submitted to STFC. The main result of the project was the confirmation that the Boulby Underground Laboratory can be a place for the next generation dark matter experiment and its current location (depth) together with standard detector configuration and analysis techniques are sufficient to attenuate cosmic-ray (muon) induced background to an acceptable level.
Exploitation Route The outcomes of the project can be used in the design of the extension to the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host next generation experiments.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education
 
Description The results have informed the stakeholders about an opportunity to extend the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host next generation experiments.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education
Impact Types Societal,Economic
 
Title Monte Carlo modelling of muon events (from 2008) 
Description This is the method of simulating and analysing muon events that produce background for rare event search experiments. This method was developed and improved over a number of years as part of various projects and affected the outcomes of these projects. R&D towards new facility at the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host large rare event search experiments DUNE and other neutrino related experiments (Monte Carlo generator for cosmic-ray muons) LZ experiment Muon tomography work 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2008 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Many scientific collaborations are using this method. 
 
Description Boulby Feasibility Studies 
Organisation Imperial College London
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This is the collaboration of scientists from several UK institutions: Imperial College, UCL, RAL, Boulby Laboratory, Sheffield and includes also the Director of SNOLab (Canada).
Collaborator Contribution UK partners are responsible for a conceptual design of the laboratory at Boulby that would host a future experiment. Sheffield is carrying our simulations of muons and muon-induced background.
Impact Regular meetings discussing the progress. The output (paper and a report) is expected at the end of the project.
Start Year 2019
 
Title Muon simulation code (from 2013) 
Description A Monte Carlo code for modelling cosmic-ray muons at different underground sites, including SURF at South Dakota, USA (site for DUNE, LZ and LUX experiments), Modane, France (site for the EDELWEISS experiment) and Boulby in the UK (potential site for the next generation rare search experiment). 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2013 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact The code allows calculation of the muon fluxes and energy spectra underground. Initial simulations have been done for underground laboratories in Italy, France and others. In 2015 the model and method have first been applied to the SURF underground laboratory in the USA. Recent improvements to the model have been made for the DUNE experiment at SURF and recently for the Boulby site. Also used for muon simulations in geological repositories.