China Jinping Underground Laboratory

2023: Laboratory Construction

In early December 2023 China , the world's deepest search laboratory was launched - dark matter a hypothetical form of matter that does not participate in electromagnetic interaction. A research site called China Jinping Underground Laboratory is located at a depth of approximately 2,400 meters under Mount Jinping in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan.

According to scientists, dark matter accounts for about a quarter of the mass-energy of the universe. However, the composition and nature of this matter is unknown by the end of 2023, and its discovery presents an extremely difficult task. Meanwhile, uncovering this mystery could help researchers better understand the structure and composition of the universe. The new laboratory in China is located at an extreme depth, where cosmic radiation is almost completely blocked: its level does not exceed one hundred million on the surface of the planet. And therefore, the site is seen as the "perfect ultra-clean place" to search for dark matter.

The world's deepest dark matter search lab has been launched

The volume of the complex under Mount Jinping is approximately 300 thousand cubic meters, which is comparable to 120 Olympic pools. Thus, at the time of commissioning, this site became the world's largest underground laboratory - it is almost twice the size of the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, which is engaged in experiments in the field of particle physics and nuclear physics.

The construction of an underground complex in China began in December 2020: Tsinghua University and the state-owned Yalong River Hydropower Development took part in the project. Special indoor conditions, such as extremely low environmental radiation and a small concentration of radon gas, will contribute to the detection of dark matter. The laboratory will also support interdisciplinary research, in particular in the field of particle physics, nuclear astrophysics, cosmology, etc.^[1]

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