Scientists release dark matter experiment design
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 Physics Laboratory.
The SABRE South Technical Design Report Executive Summary was published in the Journal of Instrumentation yesterday, 8th April 2025.
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.
The University of Melbourne PhD candidate Lachlan Milligan says 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,” he says.
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 PhD 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 Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics Chief Investigator Professor Phillip Urquijo says the publication signalled a significant step forward in the project as it progressed toward the installation of the SABRE South vessel in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory.
“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?’”.