@snolabscience.bsky.social ... and here is the original post from the #SNOLAB Bluesky social channel. Follow them for more tales of underground science!
https://mastodon.cooleysekula.net/@sno[email protected]/116381391768122504
It was fantastic to have the benefit of Hilding's expertise, insights, and wisdom last week at #SNOLAB. I learned a lot about the view of many Indigenous peoples regarding the connection of land and sky, and the erasure of boundaries between those concepts. It is also good to have a shared concern about the sky being taken away from the eyes of all living things on Earth by means of light and satellite pollution.
Découvrez la récente entrevue du Chargé de recherche SNOLAB Matt Stukel à l’émission « Le matin du Nord » de Radio-Canada!
Interested in ultra-cold #darkmatter detectors and work at #SNOLAB to advance the frontier of low-mass particle candidate searches? Membre de la #Francophonie?
Check out SNOLAB Research Scientist Matt Stukel’s recent interview on Radio-Canada’s “Le matin du Nord” program!
« Un nouveau projet au Snolab 100 fois plus froid que l'espace »
Another great day working in the underground laboratory at #SNOLAB. My focus was on supporting the #PICO bubble chamber team today. Activities included starting the check of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) in an underground “dark box” setup; and applying retroreflector material to steel cone sections.
The PMTs will be used in PICO-500’s water tank muon shield.
The reflectors help direct light onto the bubble chamber for good bubble photos.
Queen’s researchers use geoneutrinos to study Earth’s composition - The Queen's Journal https://www.queensjournal.ca/queens-researchers-use-geoneutrinos-to-study-earths-composition/
For centuries, scientists have tried to answer the question, “What’s the Earth made of?” While drilling projects and geological studies have revealed clues about the planet’s crust, the deeper layers remain largely inaccessible.Now, researchers at Queen’s University are turning to an unlikely source of information—subatomic particles known as geoneutrinos—to probe the planet’s interior.The research comes from a Queen’s-led team working with the SNO+ neutrino detector at SNOLAB in Sudbury, Ontario. Located two kilometres underground to shield it from radiation and other interference, the detector is designed to capture faint flashes of light produced when neutrinos interact with a liquid scintillator, a solution of organic compounds that emits light when exposed to radiation, inside a spherical tank.
I was thrilled to be working in the 2km-deep underground laboratory yesterday. This is the flagship laboratory location for #SNOLAB
I focused on working with teams on the #cryogenic distillation column (“#Xenon Still”) and the #PICO #darkmatter detectors. There were a number of small tasks to complete, but all were key to operations.
I also took photos of the original “blue doors” that used to be the main entrance to the SNO experiment. These are now INSIDE the expanded clean lab.
Students at #SNOLAB are starting to engage in our common orientation for research experiences. One particle that comes up really early is the #muon. Students often don't learn about subatomic particle properties other than #electrons, #protons, and #neutrons until late in university. I made this video explicitly to help early-career students get familiar with the muon and see how it was the first direct test of the #relativity of time:
It was great to welcome to SNOLAB a new winter class of #students and share with them pieces of the #SNOLAB science portfolio. I loved the questions afterward about #neutrino mass measurement!
Very pleased to be in #Ottawa this week to support conversations with the laboratory's funding partners in the Federal Government, and to participate in the 2025 Canadian Science Policy Conference.
I am very grateful to be able to share #SNOLAB's science mission and learn from others about the evolving science policy landscape.
Stephen Sekula