Summary
Ever since a pioneering underground laboratory in India closed 25 years ago, Indian physicists have lacked a subterranean lair where they could search for elusive particles from the cosmos. Now, their long wait is over: On 2 September, India will inaugurate Jaduguda Underground Science Laboratory, situated 550 meters below the surface in an operating uranium mine. The lab's primary aim will be to join the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious stuff whose gravity holds galaxies together. After preliminary measurements to characterize the background radiation and log cosmic particles are completed, physicists plan to install a low-temperature cesium iodide detector to search for dark matter.
By Pallava Bagla
