Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
| Established | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Research type | Particle physics, nuclear physics |
| Director | Lucia Votano; Stefano Ragazzi (since October 2012) |
| Location |
L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy 42°27′14″N 13°34′34″E / 42.454°N 13.576°ECoordinates: 42°27′14″N 13°34′34″E / 42.454°N 13.576°E |
|
Operating agency
|
INFN |
| Website | www.lngs.infn.it |
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is a particle physics laboratory of the INFN, situated near the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy, between the towns of L'Aquila and Teramo, about 120 km from Rome and few km from the village Assergi. In addition to a surface portion of the laboratory, there are extensive underground facilities beneath the mountain. It's the largest underground research center in the world.
The mission of the laboratory is to host experiments that require a low background environment in the field of astroparticle physics and nuclear astrophysics and other disciplines that can profit of its characteristics and of its infrastructures. The LNGS is, like the three other European underground astroparticle laboratories, Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane, Laboratorio subterráneo de Canfranc, and Boulby Underground Laboratory, a member of the coordinating group ILIAS.
The laboratory consists of a surface facility, located within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, and extensive underground facilities located next to the 10 km long Traforo del Gran Sasso freeway tunnel.
The first large experiments at LNGS ran in 1989; the facilities were later expanded, and it is now the largest underground laboratory in the world.
There are three main barrel vaulted experimental halls, each approximately 20 m wide, 18 m tall, and 100 m long. These provide roughly 3×20×100=6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft) of floor space and 3×20×(8+10×π/4)×100=95,100 m3 (3,360,000 cu ft) of volume. Including smaller spaces and various connecting tunnels, the facility totals 17,800 m2 (192,000 sq ft) and 180,000 m3 (6,400,000 cu ft).
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