Neutrinos & Fundamental Symmetries

Science goal: Search for sterile neutrinos by reconstructing nuclear recoils from the decay of Be-7 implanted in superconducting sensors. 

WL involvement: Yale is working to analyze BeEST data to search for sterile neutrinos or other massive, invisible particles that may be emitted in nuclear decays.

Science goal: Search for neutrinoless double beta decay, which could answer why we live in a Universe of matter, not antimatter.

WL involvement: Yale is responsible for detector calibration, the study of cosmogenic backgrounds, double beta decay analysis, & the search for solar axions. Heeger and Maruyama are CO-PIs of CUORE & CUPID.

Science goal: Search for and measure the yet unknown neutrino mixing angle theta13.

WL involvement: Yale has overall responsibility in the U.S. for the design and construction of the antineutrino detectors and is involved in data analysis and measurements.

Science goal: Enable the study of parameters that determine the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe and the ordering of neutrino mass states.

WL involvement: Yale is responsible for the assembly of Charge Readout Planes at Wright Lab and studying the detector response.

Science goal: Search for neutrinos by studying exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, black holes, and neutron stars.

WL involvement: The Maruyama group studies how supernovae explode, as well as fundamental properties of neutrinos.

Science goal: Search for neutrinoless double beta decay, which could answer why we live in a Universe of matter, not antimatter.

WL involvement: Yale is leading efforts to build the photon detectors for nEXO. Moore serves as the sub-system scientist for the photon sensors. Moore is also collaborating with LLNL and SLAC to study ways to capture xenon directly from the atmosphere.

Science goal: Utilize a novel technique (CRES) to perform a precision measurement of the yet unknown neutrino mass.

WL involvement: Yale performs R&D on antenna and cavity prototypes; develops algorithms for event reconstruction and analysis; and performs simulations to optimize the detector resolution.

Science goal: Precision measurements of antineutrinos, search for sterile neutrinos, & develop technology for monitoring nuclear reactors for safeguard and non-proliferation.

WL involvement: PROSPECT was designed and built at Wright Lab in collaboration with national labs and other universities.

Science goal: Study interactions involving neutrinos; to test gravity; & to search for dark matter, quantum phenomenon, sterile neutrinos, and new forces.

WL involvement: The Moore group has developed the world’s most sensitive micron-sized force sensors. Both the SIMPLE and QuIPS experiments are located at Wright Lab.

Co-developed (with A. Arima) the interacting boson model of nuclei (1976). Introduced supersymmetry in nuclei (1980). Developed the vibron model of molecules (1981). Current research interests:Theory of quantum phase transitions (QPT) and excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPT) in Bose- and mixed Bose-Fermi systems, with applications to nuclei and molecules. Theory of double beta decay with and without the emission of two neutrinos for the determination of the neutrino mass. Algebraic theory of clustering with applications to the alpha-clustering structure of light nuclei.