Boulby Development Call: XLZD Infrastructure

发现粒子暗物质（DM）的本质是物理学和STFC的一个关键优先事项。直接探测银河系中的电弱尺度DM是XLZD联盟的主要目标，该联盟由XENON-nT、LUX-ZEPLIN （LZ）和DARWIN等领域最重要的合作组织组成。XLZD正在提出一个基于领先的液态氙（LXe）技术的大型地下实验：对WIMP DM的明确搜索，能够排除或发现在不可约中微子背景之上的可访问参数空间。这种“罕见事件天文台”的科学潜力在一份由全球600名作者签署的全面白皮书中得到了详细介绍。LZ和氙- nt是目前该领域领先的实验。在XLZD发现暗物质将对我们理解宇宙、它的诞生和它的结构产生深远的影响。STFC目前正在考虑在北约克郡Boulby地下实验室最先进的新设施中进行XLZD实验的建议（XLZD@Boulby）。液态氙罕见事件天文台可能是博尔比最大的项目，由参观该设施的最大国际合作组织支持，因此它将在很大程度上推动设施设计。该项目建立了与地下和地面空间和设施的配置以及大型物品的运输和地下制造相关的学术和技术互动。此外，该项目还开发了影响设施设计的更具挑战性的危害分析，并探索了设施和实验之间的管理和治理接口。

Discovering the nature of particle dark matter (DM) is a key priority in Physics - and for STFC. Direct detection of electroweak-scale DM in our galaxy is the primary goal of the XLZD consortium, formed by the coming together of the foremost collaborations in the field: XENON-nT, LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) and DARWIN. XLZD is proposing a large underground experiment based on the leading liquid xenon (LXe) technology: the definitive search for WIMP DM, able to rule out or discover in the accessible parameter space remaining above the irreducible neutrino background. The scientific potential of such a "rare event observatory" is detailed in a comprehensive white paper signed by 600 authors worldwide. LZ and Xenon-nT are the leading experiments in the field at present. Discovery of DM at XLZD would have profound implications for our understanding of the universe, its birth and its structure.STFC is currently considering a proposal to host the XLZD experiment in a state-of-the-art new facility at the Boulby Underground Laboratory in North Yorkshire (XLZD@Boulby). A liquid xenon rare event observatory might well be the largest project hosted at Boulby, supported by the largest international collaboration visiting the facility, and hence it would drive the facility design to a significant degree. This project sets up the academic and technical interactions related to the configuration of underground and surface spaces and facilities, and to the transportation and underground manufacture of large items. Additionally, this project develops the more challenging hazard analyses that impact facility design, and it explores management and governance interfaces between the facility and the experiment.