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Title: Dear Colleague Letter: Announcement of a Redirection in the 
       Funding of Detector Development and Related Activities in 
	   Underground Physics by the Division of Physics
Date: 02/02/12

NSF 12-043

Dear Colleague Letter: Announcement of a Redirection in the Funding of
Detector Development and Related Activities in Underground Physics by the
Division of Physics

   Date: 01/10/2012

   In the last few years, the Division of Physics (PHY) has supported R&D
   directed at future generation underground physics experiments in a
   potential deep underground laboratory in the U.S. In FY 2012
   consideration of underground infrastructure for a Long Baseline
   Neutrino Experiment and other related activities has been shifted to
   the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. This Dear Colleague
   Letter (DCL) is meant to inform the community that, in response to
   this shift of responsibility, PHY is redirecting its related
   investments from a primary focus on future generation experiments to
   one that emphasizes the greatest potential for scientific discovery
   that will evolve over the next decade. The scope of this ongoing
   program considers, in a site-independent and generation-independent
   way, the near- and mid-term development of detectors and related
   activities in underground physics.

   The importance of the physics that is enabled by deep underground
   locations has been stressed by multiple scientific assessment panels
   over the last decade [see, for example, the most recent study
   performed by the National Academy of Sciences, "An Assessment of the
   Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory",
   [1]http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13204.] The investment
   announced in this DCL is consistent with the ongoing practice in PHY
   to support world-class, transformational research at all three
   frontiers of particle physics, including those questions at the cosmic
   and intensity frontiers that can only be addressed by means of
   state-of-the-art detectors placed underground. It also continues the
   long-standing interagency partnership between PHY and DOE's Office of
   Science in this area of physics, as the agencies and the community
   adapt to the recent shift in responsibilities.

   Subject matter for activities in this area may be interpreted broadly,
   but includes such topics as searches for dark matter, neutrino-less
   double beta decay, underground nuclear astrophysics, neutrino
   oscillations, proton decay, and other physics topics that require an
   underground environment. Proposals may request funds to support
   activities related to the development of underground physics
   experiments, including research and development, engineering and
   design, detector construction and deployment, operations and
   maintenance, and/or other activities on the critical path to
   significant scientific advances. Related information may be found on
   the Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics (PNA) home page at:
   [2]http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5633&org=PHY&from=h
   ome.

   Proposals are required to be prepared and submitted in accordance with
   general guidelines contained in the Grant Proposal Guide or the NSF
   Grants.gov Application Guide. These documents are available
   electronically at the NSF website at:
   [3]http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg&WT.z_pims_
   id=5633 and
   [4]http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide
   . Proposals should be submitted to the Particle and Nuclear
   Astrophysics program and reference this DCL. The target date for
   submission is May 1, 2012. Applicants are requested to contact the
   cognizant Program Director in PHY prior to submission.

   Joseph L. Dehmer, Director
   Division of Physics
   NSF 12-043

References

   1. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13204
   2. http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5633&org=
      PHY&from=home
   3. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=
      gpg&WT.z_pims_id=5633
   4. http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide