PICO-500 is the next gene
ration detector that builds upon the principle demonstrated by PICO-2L, -60, and -40L. A conceptual drawing of the large, stainless-steel vessel and the quartz jars is shown at the right. This scaled-up detector has a design based on the best approaches that have been developed over the evolving PICO program.
PICO-500 will have an active volume of about 250 litres and will use a synthetic quartz vessel, just like PICO-2L, PICO-60 and PICO-40L before it. The PICO collaboration completed the design and is in the process of assembling and constructing the detector. PICO is planning to operate PICO-500 with C3F8 to achieve a world leading sensitivity for dark matter coupling to ordinary matter though its spin.
The experiment has received full funding from CFI and the Canadian provinces. SNOLAB is the host laboratory for the project, and PICO and SNOLAB are working together to facilitate the experiment’s construction in the “Cube Hall”, the second-largest experimental hall in the laboratory.
