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Scientists release underground dark matter experiment design

Scientists release underground dark matter experiment design
Schematic view of the full SABRE South detector. Credit: Journal of Instrumentation (2025). DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/20/04/T04001

Researchers, students and science-lovers across the world now have access to the design of the globally significant SABRE South dark matter experiment in the lead up to its installation in the Stawell Underground Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Laboratory.

"" was published in the Journal of Instrumentation in April.

The paper, published by the SABRE Collaboration, details the aims of the SABRE South experiment, which will provide data from the Southern Hemisphere to corroborate results seen in the DAMA/LIBRA Collaboration in Italy.

It also includes a technical description of the experiment, including the crystals and their encasements, muon detectors and liquid scintillator, and sets out the roles of each in detecting dark matter signals or providing a suitable environment for accurate detection to occur.

The supporting systems, including calibration and data acquisition systems, are also detailed in the paper.

The SABRE South collaboration involves researchers from The University of Melbourne, The University of Adelaide, The University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology and Australian National University.

Researchers expect the SABRE South experiment to be taking data by the end of 2025, with equipment currently being transported into the underground lab.

Scientists release underground dark matter experiment design
A diagrammatic depiction of the Earth’s motion through the WIMP galactic halo (the WIMP wind effect), and the times of year at which the rate is at a maximum and at a minimum. Credit: Journal of Instrumentation (2025). DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/20/04/T04001

University of Melbourne Ph.D. candidate Lachlan Milligan said the technical design summary will provide scientists and students with valuable information on the project and its development.

"These technical design papers can be highly impactful and assist scientists, students and post docs in the future," said Mr. Milligan.

Mr. Milligan has been involved in the project since 2019 and has valued the opportunity to contribute to the development of the vessel.

"It's great to be part of a project like this near the start, as Ph.D. candidates often don't experience the process of building the experiment, seeing as data-taking and analysis happens for longer than it is being developed. It's exciting to see it all come to fruition."

ARC Center of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Chief Investigator Professor Phillip Urquijo said the publication signaled a significant step forward in the project as it progressed toward the installation of the SABRE South vessel in the Stawell Underground Âé¶¹ÒùÔºics Laboratory (SUPL).

"Over almost a decade we have been working towards this point, and this publication shows how much planning, research and innovation has been undertaken to enable us to play such a significant role in the global search for dark matter.

"We anticipate that we will be taking data in SUPL by the end of the year, which will place us on a pathway towards answering one of the great questions of our time—"What is the nature of dark matter?'"

More information: E. Barberio et al, The SABRE South technical design report executive summary, Journal of Instrumentation (2025).

Citation: Scientists release underground dark matter experiment design (2025, April 28) retrieved 2 May 2025 from /news/2025-04-scientists-underground-dark.html
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