SNOLAB is an epicentre of global astroparticle physics and underground science discovery and research. It is located 2 kilometres below the Earth’s surface in the operational Vale Creighton nickel mine near Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. One of the deepest, cleanest underground laboratories in the world, with an experienced and skilled support staff, SNOLAB is an expansion of the existing facilities constructed for the Nobel Prize-winning Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) solar neutrino experiment, which was headed by Dr. Arthur McDonald. As the home for most of the experiments that McDonald Institute researchers are working on, SNOLAB is an essential partner for the McDonald Institute and a key member of its scientific collaboration.
SNOLAB’s great depth, cleanliness, in-house scientific expertise, and specialized technical and project management support enables the experiments it hosts. Researchers have the tools and support needed to build underground experiments, study extremely rare interactions and weak processes, and deliver world-class science in a highly productive way. This enables a cutting-edge science programme that is currently focused on neutrino and dark matter investigations; it is attracting internationally renowned scientists and experiments from across Canada and around the world, many of whom are faculty at the McDonald Institute or its partner universities.
SNOLAB has established a bold vision: to be an internationally recognized laboratory and partner of choice for deep underground science, delivering world-class research, scientific discovery, benefits to Canada and her global partners, by enabling national and international access to its unique capabilities, facilities and expertise. This vision aligns with the McDonald Institute’s goal of raising Canada’s profile within the international astroparticle physics community and becoming the location of choice for the next generation dark matter experiment.
The partnership with the McDonald Institute enables maximum scientific output from the current experiments at SNOLAB. This partnership strengthens the scientific resources at Canadian universities and fosters the development of a research community with the ability to lead global-scale, next generation experiments that attract international collaboration. It will also help create the next generation of Canadian scientists by creating opportunities for students at all stages of their careers to immerse themselves in this scientific culture, through training opportunities and partnerships with colleges, industries and international programs.
SNOLAB is located on the traditional territory of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850, shared by the Indigenous people of the surrounding Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation as part of the larger Anishinabek Nation. The SNOLAB community acknowledges those who came before and honour those who are the caretakers of this land and the waters. Read more