Abstract
For over 30 years UK astrophysicists have been operating
experiments to search for Dark Matter 1100m below ground in a purpose-built
'low-background' facility at Boulby mine. The
Boulby Underground Laboratory is one of few places
in the world suited to these and other science projects requiring a
'quiet environment', free of natural background radiation.
The race to find Dark Matter continues and Boulby currently supports the
DRIFT/CYGNUS directional dark matter detector and operates a
growing suite of high sensitivity Germanium detectors for material screening
for future detectors. Meanwhile
the number of science projects looking for the special
properties of deep underground facilities is growing. New projects
at Boulby range from astro+particle physics to
geology/geophysics, climate, the environment, life extreme environments on
Earth and beyond. This talk will give an overview of the Boulby Underground
Laboratory, its current programme and plans for the future.