Grant: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Major Resources Support Program

This grant is to support the operating costs associated with the new SNOLAB facility. The construction of the facility was made possible through an award of about $40M from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).The core physics program is to investigate the properties of elusive neutrinos, to search for "dark matter", to observe cataclysmic supernovae explosions, and to probe the inner workings of the sun and the earth. We know very little about neutrinos, the most prolific form of matter in the Universe. Experiments planned for SNOLAB will investigate neutrino properties, ultimately discovering the nature of this fundamental particle and determining how it shaped the structure and evolution of the Universe. Other experiments will search for dark matter. It is now clear that 95% of the content of the Universe is in forms completely unknown to us. Dark matter may exist as massive particles, left over  relics from the big-bang. Neutrinos can also be used as a probe into the inner workings of the earth. By observing neutrinos from radioactive decay in the earth, we can learn something of the poorly understood heat production processes.SNOLAB will build on the success of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and will allow Canadian physicists to remain at the forefront of the field of astroparticle physics. SNOLAB will be the deepest and cleanest facility on the planet when it becomes operational. It will be staffed by a highly experienced technical staff accustomed to working on complex detectors deep underground in a clean-room environment. This grant will support the salaries of SNOLAB personnel and the operational costs of the laboratory. It does not intend to support the direct costs of the experiments. It is expected that a partnership will be developed between NSERC and other potential funding agencies. The pooled resources will enable us to operate the world's premier facility of its kind. Canadian physicists will lead this scientific renaissance.