Introduction

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The studies to understand the origin, history, and the current structure of the universe in respect to particle physics has been actively done with the development of the standard model for last decades. The discovery of Higgs particle at LHC in year of 2012 completed the standard model and improved our understanding on the ultimate nature of all the matter and our universe. But, the current standard model can’t explain three important experimental facts. The existence of dark matter and dark energy, no standard model for neutrino mass, and no explanation about the asymmetry of matter and antimatter. These three problems are the most important research subjects for the particle physics to find the answers, which is the beyond standard model (BSM) physics.

The Center for Underground Physics (CUP), established as a headquarter research center of Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in 2013 aims to conduct basic researches for beyong standard model physics to deepen our understanding on the origin and structure of the universe. We try to find out if the neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac particles, establish the theory for neutrino mass, and further understand the origin of the asymmetry of matter-antimatter in the universe by confirming the neutrinoless double beta decay process (AMoRE experiment). We try to find the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP), one of most promising candidate for dark matter, by conducting experiments using ultra-low radioactivity crystal detectors (COSINE experiment). In addition, we are developing new detection techniques for more precise experiments than the current ones. CUP operates a 700-meter deep underground laboratory at Yangyang, and also pursue to construct a deeper and wider new underground laboratory. We will produce the worldwide new experimental results by integrating three major techniques, growing ultra-low radioactivity crystals by high-level purification technique, ultra-low temperature detector technique, ultra-low radioactivity measurement technique.