The Sanford Laboratory at Homestake and the Path to DUSEL Original Research Article

The former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota is currently being transformed into a laboratory to pursue underground research in biology, geology, engineering and physics. An early science program is well underway with research activities on many levels, including plans to host the LUX and Majorana physics experiments on the 1480-m (4850-ft) level. With federal funding anticipated in 2013, the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) is developing a preliminary design for infrastructure to support large-scale science at several underground levels. The main physics areas on the 1480-m (4850-ft) level and the 2255-m (7400-ft) level will accommodate a number of next-generation experiments to further define the properties of neutrinos and intensify the search for dark matter among other programs. The status and opportunities at both the interim Sanford Laboratory and DUSEL will be presented.