SNO expanded and given permanent status

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) is being transformed into permanent international research facility with the assistance of the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s International Access Fund. The CFI is providing $38.9 million to establish the new International Facility for Underground Science.

The funds — originally announced in June/02— go toward excavating a new cavern in the active Inco mine, new labs at Laurentian Univ, experimental equipment and operational support for five years.

SNO conducts experimental particle physics and astroparticle physics research to increase the understand solar neutrinos and to determine if solar neutrinos are oscillating. The project is backed by a consortium of six universities with Carleton Univ as the administrative centre.

Over the past year and a half, CFI has finalized negotiations with the consortium and design plans on the new facility have been finalized. A public unveiling today marked the beginning of construction, which is expected to take three years. The CFI is covering 100% of the project costs.

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