The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Understanding how the universe was formed from dark matter is one of the universe’s biggest mysteries.
Deep underground, within the Stawell Gold Mine, major inroads have been made into the development of the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory.
This ground-breaking facility will become the new epicentre of dark matter research in Australia.
About the Laboratory
The Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory was unveiled in August, 2022.
The event marked the completion of Stage 1 of the project, which included the construction of the laboratory that will be the epicentre of the search for dark matter in Australia.
The project was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, which each allocated $5 million in funding for the building of the laboratory.
In late 2019, this funding was boosted by the Australian Research Council awarding a $35 million grant for the development of a Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics.
The SABRE experiment will be transported into the lab by the end of the year, with data collection expected to begin in 2023.
About the Science
The underground laboratory will provide a dynamic environment for advances in ultra-sensitive detectors, ultra-low radiation techniques, spin-technology translation, and highly trained graduates ready to lead innovation in both the global search for dark matter and cutting-edge technological development to benefit Australian industry.
In conjunction with the new Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, the Stawell laboratory ushers in an exciting new development in the search for dark matter, and the understanding of how our universe was formed.
Image by Millie McDonald, c 2019