Playing with Dark Matter.. South Africa’s own Cern?

[Nat Quinn]

Playing with Dark Matter.. South Africa’s own Cern?

Deep underground laboratory will be a first for Africa
Africa’s first deep underground science laboratory may become a reality in the next five to ten years with the establishment of the Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory (PAUL) in the Du Toits Kloof mountains in South Africa.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1032086

Africa’s first deep underground science laboratory may become a reality in the next five to ten years with the establishment of the Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory (PAUL) in the Du Toits Kloof mountains in the Western Cape in South Africa, accessed via the existing Huguenot tunnel.

The PAUL project was officially launched in the aftermath of a week-long international symposium at Du Kloof Lodge last week, during which current and future research projects and collaborations with other deep underground laboratories around the world were discussed. The Symposium on Science at PAUL took place from 14 to 18 January 2023, and included a visit to the proposed site.

Already a decade in planning, the future Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory would be a first for Africa, and only the second such laboratory in the Southern hemisphere after Australia’s Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory. Currently there are a dozen such underground laboratories in Asia, Europe and North America.

Prof. Sibusiso Moyo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate studies at SU, says that PAUL, once fully implemented, will be a game changer for universities in the Western Cape, South Africa, Africa, and its partners.

“It has been great this week to see the interest from the local and international physics communities for this initiative. Thanks to support from the Department of Science and Innovation, our physicists were able to benchmark their work with physicists from world class laboratories. This will assist us with the long-term planning, implementation, and building of an ecosystem of research in this exciting field, leading to benefits for surrounding communities through the creation of new jobs and opportunities for research and skills training.”

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