Scientists prepare SABRE South experiment

A team of scientists involved with the SABRE South dark matter experiment visited the Swinburne University’s Wantirna campus in Melbourne to practice procedures that will later be repeated 1km underground in an active gold mine in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory.  

Dressed in clean room garments, team members from the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney mounted 3D-printed versions of extremely sensitive and fragile light detectors, called photomultiplier tubes, inside a large 3 m tall steel vessel.

Zuzana Slavkovska and Lindsey Bignell prepare SABRE South experiment.

This vessel will host a dark matter detector consisting of ultra-pure crystals. Furthermore, the team mounted reflective coating to the inside of the vessel, designed to reflect as much light produced by dark matter particles as possible into the light detectors.

The team used a UV torch to inspect the vessel and see even the tiniest specks of dust. Deep in the mine, the tested procedures will be performed under clean room conditions.  

These testing works represent an important milestone in the development of the SABRE South dark matter experiment.