Overview of the European Underground Facilities

TL;DR

This paper reviews European underground laboratories, highlighting their capabilities for low-background physics experiments, and discusses efforts to coordinate these sites for enhanced scientific collaboration.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of European underground facilities and details the EU-funded ILIAS project's coordination efforts.

Findings

European underground sites vary in depth and rock characteristics.

Coordination among European sites enhances scientific research capabilities.

The ILIAS project improved infrastructure integration across Europe.

Abstract

Deep underground laboratories are the only places where the extremely low background radiation level required for most experiments looking for rare events in physics and astroparticle physics can be achieved. Underground sites are also the most suitable location for very low background gamma-ray spectrometers, able to assay trace radioactive contaminants. Many operational infrastructures are already available worldwide for science, differing for depth, dimension and rock characteristics. Other underground sites are emerging as potential new laboratories. In this paper the European underground sites are reviewed, giving a particular emphasis on their relative strength and complementarity. A coordination and integration effort among the European Union underground infrastructures was initiated by the EU-funded ILIAS project and proved to be very effective.