Center for Ultra-Low Background Experiments at DUSEL (CUBED)

The selection of Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as the site for the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) opened new research opportunities to the faculty and students in the state of South Dakota. One of many efforts allowing these scientists a significant participation in the activities planned at DUSEL was the creation of a 2010 Research Center focused on ultra-low background or a Center for Ultra-low Background Experiments at DUSEL (CUBED). The main objectives of this research center are: 1) to bring together the current South Dakota faculty to develop a critical mass of expertise necessary for South Dakota’s full participation in the large-scale collaboration at DUSEL; 2) to increase the number of research faculty members in South Dakota to complement and supplement existing expertise in nuclear physics and materials sciences; 3) to train and educate graduate and undergraduate students as a way to develop the scientific workforce of the state. The main research focus of CUBED is aimed at experiments searching for rare and difficult to detect phenomena such as neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter. Major scientific activities proposed by CUBED include low a background counting facility driven by physics, biomedical research and homeland security, an underground crystal growth lab, a purification/depletion facility on noble gases, and an electroforming copper underground facility. We will discuss the current status of the center and provide detailed information of research activities at CUBED.