Weak and rare nuclear processes: nuclear probes of fundamental symmetries and dark matter
Research Project, 2018
– 2021
Nuclear phenomena provide important tests of fundamental interactions and symmetries, and possible physics beyond the standard model (BSM).
Through the research contained in this proposal we want to address important nuclear physics aspects of three high-profile experimental programs; all of them searching for BSM signals in low-energy phenomena:
The search for neutrinoless beta decay to determine whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles; a property that would have far reaching consequences on lepton-number violation and the matter-antimatter asymmetry.
Efforts to detect particle dark matter through its scattering off nuclei in deep underground detectors; understanding the nature of DM arguably being one of the foremost scientific questions of this century.
Measurements of the correlation between emitted particles in very low-energy beta decay; these experiments allow to test the standard-model V-A prediction of the weak force.
It is the goal of ab initio nuclear theory to describe this physics within a unified and systematic framework. To this end we will develop and utilize: (i) quantum many-body theory for strongly-interacting systems, (ii) chiral effective field theory, and (iii) advanced computational and mathematical methods.
With the funding of this proposal, the nuclear theory group at Chalmers will be in a unique position to take a leadership role in the endeavour of exploring weak and rare nuclear processes as probes of fundamental symmetries and dark matter.
Participants
Christian Forssen (contact)
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic and Plasma Physics
Tor Djärv
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic and Plasma Physics
Weiguang Jiang
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic, High Energy and Plasma Physics
Håkan T Johansson
Chalmers, Physics, Subatomic and Plasma Physics
Funding
Swedish Research Council (VR)
Project ID: 2017-04234
Funding Chalmers participation during 2018–2021
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