In the cosmic silence under Spanish mountains the new Canfranc Underground Laboratory is opening. Firstly dedicated to dark matter research, it is also open to other fields such as geology, biology and environmental sciences.
The underground facilities of the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC) have been completed and delivered by the University of Saragossa on 30 June 2010. Support services are hosted in a surface building, whose construction will be completed by end 2010.
LSC is dedicated to basic research in a number of fields, which can profit from its unique location deep underground under the Spanish Pyrenees, the site provides 2500 metre water equivalent of shielding from cosmic rays and offers a low background environment for the next generation of experiments exploring the frontiers of particle and astroparticle physics. The main scientific goal is the search for naturally occurring extremely rare phenomena. Other scientific disciplines including geology, biology, environmental sciences, etc. can also profit from the unique location of the Laboratory. LSC is run by a consortium between the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia e Inovación”, the Government of Aragon and the University of Saragossa.
