Re: FW: Hoover Dam underground lab

  The problem for the spallation study is that you need to be able to
move the detector around to explore how different variations of overburden
and cavity geometry etc. change various measured rates. Thus, ideally, you
really would want a mine tunnel instead of a single room. Of course,
this isn't to say that different studies might not be done in different
environments, so we should keep options open by continuing to explore
everything.

                                                 - Steve

Janet Conrad wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> Thank you so much for investigating this! That's 323 mwe -- in other
> words, PERFECT!
> The room size also sounds like it will work well. I will investigate
> this further.
>
> -Janet
>
> Dick Hahn wrote:
>
> >Based on the comment by Janet during today's phone call about Hoover Dam, I
> >communicated with Hank Sobel at UCI.
> >His two replies follow:
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Dick Hahn [mailto:hahn1@bnl.gov]
> >Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 8:56 AM
> >To: Sobel, Hank
> >Subject: Hoover Dam underground lab
> >
> >Hi Hank,
> > As I may have told you, I am currently involved in planning
> >discussions for a future theta-13 experiment. In a conference phone call
> >today, someone mentioned the idea of doing some prototype measurements
> >underground (under water?) at Hoover Dam. I recall that when you, Toni,
> >Sheila, and I
> >visited the Dam, you mentioned that you had done a neutrino experiment
> >there with Fred et al. years ago. Are there are any details written down
> >someplace about the properties of the Hoover Dam lab, such as
> >overburden, available space, etc.?
> >
> >Best regards,
> >Dick
> >
> >-----Original Messages-----
> >From: Henry W. Sobel [mailto:hsobel@uci.edu]
> >Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 1:35 PM
> >To: 'Dick Hahn'
> >Cc: Michael Moe
> >Subject: RE: Hoover Dam underground lab
> >Message # 1
> >Hi Dick,
> >Mike Moe had a lab in the dam where he did his Double Beta Decay
> >experiments. I'll look and see if there is anything around, but probably
> >Mike would have all that information.
> >
> >Regards,
> >Hank
> >
> >Message #2
> >Here is a write-up about the site that I found in our 1989 DOE renewal:
> >
> >A very satisfactory underground site has been found where there is good
> >protection from cosmic radiation. The room is 35 x 114 x 40 feet high
> >and houses the "Arizona tunnel plug outlet works" at the Hoover Dam.
> >This cavity is beneath nearly 400 feet of rock, has easy horizontal
> >access, plenty of power and cooling water for the magnet, and a 20-ton
> >overhead crane. We have approval from the Project Manager to put the
> >experiment in place in September of this year (1988).
> >
> >The distance from UCI is 295 miles, a five-hour drive or a one-hour
> >flight to nearby Las Vegas. We plan to set up a telephone link to
> >monitor the detector from UCI, and the people at the dam have agreed to
> >do a daily check for us.
> >
> >The cosmic flux will be two orders of magnitude below what we have been
> >living with. Natural radioactivity in the walls of the tunnel has been
> >found to be the same as at the present location in our Physical Sciences
> >building. (By erecting a water shield around the whole apparatus at
> >Irvine we found that the natural activity of the room has only a minor
> >effect inside the TPC.)
> >
> >
> >Regards,
> >Hank
> >
> >
> >
Received on Wed Jul 28 11:34:54 2004