LZ descends into the depths
"The LZ collaboration, to which LIP belongs, has successfully transported the central part of its dark matter detector to the underground laboratory of SURF (USA), 1500 m deep"
LZ is the largest detector of its kind ever built, a 2200 kg structure almost 3 meters high that will house 10 tons of liquid xenon.
The journey of the central part of the LZ detector to the cavern where it will be in operation took place on 21 October. It was a very slow and careful journey. It took about 45 minutes, instead of the usual 13-15 minutes, down the elevator shaft formerly used in the gold mine operations. This descent leaves behind a long preparation process, which included two test trips in which the true detector was not used.
Besides the physical and structural integrity of the detector, cleanliness was another extremely important factor: the detector was built over almost a year in a clean room, and should arrive on site under the same conditions. For this, it was wrapped twice, inserted into the transporter structure, which in turn was wrapped in a layer of sturdy plastic.
Now, there is still a lot of installation and preparation work ahead, which will be done in the underground cavern. Data acquisition will start next summer.
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