Name: Symposium on Science at PAUL (Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory)
Start: 2024-01-14T09:00:00+02:00
End: 2024-01-18T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Du Kloof Lodge, Du Toitskloof Mountains

Monday 8 January 2024
Tuesday 9 January 2024
Wednesday 10 January 2024
Thursday 11 January 2024
Friday 12 January 2024
Saturday 13 January 2024
Sunday 14 January 2024

12:00 Registration
Registration
12:00 - 17:00

17:00 Welcome drink and Braai (barbecue)
Welcome drink and Braai (barbecue)
17:00 - 22:00

Monday 15 January 2024
09:00 Welcome and Introductions
Welcome and Introductions
09:00 - 11:00
Contributions

09:00 Welcome venue and Introduction - Richard Newman (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) Rob Lindsay (UWC, South Africa) Shaun Metzler Wyngaardt (Stellenbosch University)

09:30 Scientific research in South Africa and the idea of an ULab - Zeblon Vilakazi (Wits University, South Africa)

09:40 DSI - Takalani Nemaungani (Chief Director: Astronomy Department of Science and Technology (South Africa))

10:00 The Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory - a status report - Richard Newman (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
11:00 Tea or Cofee break
Tea or Cofee break
11:00 - 11:30
11:45 Capacity building in Africa
Capacity building in Africa
11:45 - 13:25
Contributions

11:45 Critical success factors in high- technology infrastructure projects: PBMR, SKA and RCP - Rob Adam (Stellenbosch University, SA)

12:05 Towards Establishing the Botswana Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology - Gregory Hillhouse (Botswana International University of Science and Technology)

12:25 Broaden horizon with nuclear sciences and technology projects in East African region, particularly in Rwanda. (Remote talk) - Joram Ndayishimye (Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB))

12:45 Overview talk on DULs (and related research) worldwide - Aldo Ianni (INFN LNGS)
13:25 Lunch
Lunch
13:25 - 14:25

14:55 Visit to North Bore of Huguenot Tunnel or mountain hike
Visit to North Bore of Huguenot Tunnel or mountain hike
14:55 - 17:55

19:00 Dinner
Dinner
19:00 - 21:00
Tuesday 16 January 2024
09:00 Cosmology and Dark Matter searches
Cosmology and Dark Matter searches
09:00 - 11:05
Contributions

09:00 Dark Matter in Radio Astronomy - Yin-Zhe Ma

09:25 Dark Matter searches with the Cryogenic Experiments CRESST and COSINUS - Jochen Schieck (Austrian Academy of Sciences (AT))

09:50 The search for dark-matter using H.E.S.S. - Markus Boettcher

10:15 Direct-Detection of Sub-GeV Dark Matter: A New Frontier - Rouven Essig (Stony Brook University)

10:40 Relativistic electrodynamics in a medium - Anslyn John (Stellenbosch University)

10:55 Perturbation theory in bulk viscous cosmology - Jaymie Van der Merwe (Stellenbosch University, SA)
11:05 Tea or Cofee break
Tea or Cofee break
11:05 - 11:35
11:35 Overiew on Underground Labs research
Overiew on Underground Labs research
11:35 - 13:35
Contributions

11:35 The SNOLAB Science Program - Jodi Cooley (SNOLAB)

12:00 Physics at an underground laboratory, LNGS - Marcello Messina (LNGS-INFN)

12:25 Science at Underground Laboratory of Modane (LSM) - Ali DASTGHEIBI FARD (CNRS/LPSC_LSM)

12:50 Boulby Underground Laboratory: Status and plans for the UK’s deep underground science facility - Sean Paling (STFC UKRI, UK)

13:15 Underground Lab activities in the Southern Hemisphere - Elisabetta Barberio (The University of Melbourne, Australia)
13:35 Lunch
Lunch
13:35 - 14:35

14:35 Excursion to the town of Paarl
Excursion to the town of Paarl
14:35 - 17:35

19:00 Dinner
Dinner
19:00 - 21:00
Wednesday 17 January 2024
09:00 Neutrino Physics
Neutrino Physics
09:00 - 10:34
Contributions

09:00 Neutrino and feebly interacting particle searches at the LHC - Claire Antel (Universite de Geneve (CH))

09:28 Specialized double beta decay experiments and technologies for deep underground laboratories - Ivan Stekl (Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Czech Technical University in Prague)

09:51 R2D2: a xenon TPC for neutrinoless double beta decay search - Fabrice PIQUEMAL (LP2I Bordeaux)

10:14 A request for a study of beta-decays and the ENIGMA project - Fedor Simkovic (Comenius University and IAEP CTU)
10:34 Tea or Cofee break
Tea or Cofee break
10:34 - 11:04
11:04 Ultra-low radioactivity and Radiobiology
Ultra-low radioactivity and Radiobiology
11:04 - 12:56
Contributions

11:04 Ultra-low radioactivity, a new frontier for biology (Remote talk) - Vincent BRETON

11:27 A review of the biological effects of the low-radiation background at deep underground laboratories - Tarryn Bailey

11:50 Test of long term viability of cryogenized stem cells in Deep Underground Laboratory - Fabrice Piquemal (CNRS)

12:13 Biological research at the deep underground low radiation background laboratory (DULB-4900) of Baksan Neutrino Observatory - Mikhail Zarubin (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research)

12:36 The ultra-‐low background laboratory STELLA (SubTErranean Low Level Assay) in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy) underground laboratories - Matthias Laubenstein (LNGS-INFN)
13:00 Lunch
Lunch
13:00 - 14:00
14:00 Muon flux and Radiation
Muon flux and Radiation
14:00 - 15:19
Contributions

14:00 From cosmos to the center of the earth : muography and applications - Jacques Marteau (IP2I and Université de Lyon, France)

14:28 Modelling the Muon Flux in the Huguenot Tunnel - Cornel du Villiers (Stellenbosch University) Stephan Jonker

14:46 Development of a mobile LaBr3:Ce detector unit for in situ radionuclide analysis at TENORM contamination sites - Ferdinand van Niekerk (iThemba LABS)

15:04 Portable African Neutron-Gamma Laboratory for Innovative Nuclear Science - Peter Michael Jones (iThemba LABS, National Research Foundation (ZA))
15:40 Neutron flux and Radiochemistry
Neutron flux and Radiochemistry
15:40 - 16:31
Contributions

15:40 Low neutron flux detectors for underground laboratories - Daniya Zinatulina (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research)

15:58 Measuring the neutron fields within Paarl Africa Underground Laboratory - Zina Ndabeni (University of Cape Town and iThemba LABS)

16:16 Radiochemistry for underground physics - Ayagoz Baimukhanova (JINR, INP KZ)
16:31 Tea or Cofee break
Tea or Cofee break
16:31 - 17:01
17:01 On PAUL
On PAUL
17:01 - 18:17
Contributions

17:01 Background radiation measurements for underground experiments performed at UWC and measurements for PAUL - Robert Lindsay (University of the Western Cape) Lumkile Msebi (University of the Western Cape) Enkosi Ngwadla (University of the Western Cape)

17:24 Cleanroom and monitoring in underground laboratories (Remote talk) - Silvia Scorza (LPSC-Grenoble, CNRS -UGA, France)

17:47 PAUL from the ANDES perspective (Remote talk) - Xavier Bertou (CNEA/CONICET, Argentina)
19:30 Banquet and Music
Banquet and Music
19:30 - 23:30
Thursday 18 January 2024
09:00 Round table on PAUL strategy and future plans
Round table on PAUL strategy and future plans
09:00 - 10:30
Contributions

09:00 Round table on PAUL strategy and future plans - Aldo Ianni (INFN LNGS) Elisabetta Barberio Fabrice Piquemal (CNRS) Jodi Cooley Lerothodi Leonard Leeuw (University of Johannesburg (ZA)) Rouven Essig (Stony Brook University) Sean Paling Shaun Metzler Wyngaardt (Stellenbosch University)
10:30 Tea or Cofee break
Tea or Cofee break
10:30 - 11:00
11:00 Outlook and Opportunities
Outlook and Opportunities
11:00 - 11:25
Contributions

11:00 Short Summary - Fairouz Malek (LPSC-Grenoble, CNRS -UGA, France and Stellenbosch University, SA)

11:10 The way forward for PAUL - Richard Newman (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
12:00 Lunch
Lunch
12:00 - 13:30

14:00 Visit to the iThemba LABS cyclotron facility
Visit to the iThemba LABS cyclotron facility
14:00 - 18:00