China has launched the world’s deepest and largest underground physics laboratory, the Deep Underground and Ultra-Low Radiation Background Facility for Frontier Physics Experiments (DURF), located beneath Jinping Mountain in Sichuan province. Commissioned after three years of extensive upgrades, the laboratory aims to revolutionize the global search for dark matter, a hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or electromagnetic fields.
Main features of DURF
Extreme depth
- Located at 2,400 meters depth, DURF offers a unique advantage in blocking most cosmic rays that could interfere with observations, allowing more precise experiments.
Promote dark matter research
- Scientists believe DURF will make an important contribution to advancing dark matter research by offering special testing conditions not available elsewhere.
Ultra-low cosmic ray flux
- The laboratory’s location exposes it to exceptionally small amounts of cosmic rays, about one hundred millionth of the rays present at the Earth’s surface, creating ideal conditions for precise experiments.
Benefits of DURF facility
- Ultra-low cosmic ray flux ensures minimal interference during experiments.
- Extremely low environmental radiation, providing a clean and controlled research environment.
- Extremely low radon concentrations, reducing background noise in experiments.
- The extremely clean space provides researchers with special conditions for advanced physics experiments.