Low radioactivity measurements
The need for very low radioactive material for dark matter and neutrino underground experiments gave birth to the study of new detectors able to measure extremely low radiation levels. These very sensitive detectors, able to detect levels of radiation of a millionth of the natural radiation of the human body, have to be located deep under ground to be shielded from cosmic ray radiation. The industry has shown interest in these techniques to select pure materials with almost no radioactive content.
The ANDES laboratory can also provide a new insight on environmental topics.
In glaciology, the study of ice samples from the Artic, Antartic, the Alps or the Andes allows to map the evolution of climatic parameters and contamination both in space and over time for the last centuries.
The measurement of 137Cs and 241Am is the only way to get a precise dating of ice samples and has to be done in underground laboratories.
ANDES could also be a test bed for microelectronics. The race towards miniaturization of electronics allows huge increase in computing power but renders the chips sensitive to ionizing particles, producing bit errors through their interaction. By getting rid of the cosmic component of this radiation, one could study in ANDES the impact of natural radioactivity on everyday life technology.