Nuclear Physics Experimental

neutrino detector inside photo

Neutrinos and Fundamental Symmetries

Probing the nature of neutrinos and testing fundamental symmetries is one of the top priorities in experimental nuclear physics. Our nuclear physics experiments include the search for neutrinoless double beta decay, which, if found, could indicate that the neutrino is its own antineutrino; and the direct measurement of the neutrino mass through beta decay. These projects will utilize novel quantum sensors to enhance their experimental sensitivity. 

Relativistic Heavy Ions

Understanding the origin and phases of matter is a central goal of experiments in relativistic heavy ion physics. The primary goal of our Relativistic Heavy Ion Group’s experiments is to recreate in the laboratory a new state of matter, the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), which is predicted to have existed ten millionths of a second after the Big Bang (origin of the Universe) and may exist in the cores of very dense stars. 

For further information on our nuclear physics experimental research, see Yale Wright Laboratory and Relativistic Heavy Ion Group.

Experiments

Faculty

Helen Caines's picture Helen Caines
Horace D. Taft (B.A. 1949) Professor of Physics
Wright Lab-W 306
helen.caines@yale.edu
203-432-5831
Research Website
She/her/hers
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

ALICE, STAR, ePIC

Laura Havener's picture Laura Havener
Assistant Professor
Wright Lab-West 303
laura.havener@yale.edu
She/her/hers
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

ALICE, ePIC, and STAR

Karsten Heeger's picture Karsten Heeger
Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics; Chair Physics Department, Director Wright Laboratory
SPL 34 / WL 214
karsten.heeger@yale.edu
203-432-3378
Research Website
He/him/his
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

PROSPECT - Precision Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment (PROSPECT), PI and Co-spokesperson

CUPID - CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification, Co-spokesperson

CUORE - Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events, collaboration member

Project 8 - An experiment to measure the direct neutrino masscollaboration member 

DUNE - Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment collaboration member

Steve Lamoreaux's picture Steve Lamoreaux
Professor of Physics
SPL 61 / WL-EAL 326
steve.lamoreaux@yale.edu
203-432-5276
Research Website
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

Haloscope At Yale Sensitive to Axion CDM (HAYSTAC), Electric dipole moment, Casimir effect

Reina Maruyama's picture Reina Maruyama
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
WL 209
reina.maruyama@yale.edu
203-432-3362
Research Website
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE), IceCube Neutrino Obervatory, CUORE Upgrade with Particle IDentification (CUPID), ATLAS, COSINE-100, DM-Ice, Haloscope At Yale Sensitive To Axion CDM (HAYSTAC)

David Moore's picture David Moore
Associate Professor of Physics
WL 208
david.c.moore@yale.edu
+1 203-432-7986
Research Website
He/him/his
Experimentalist

Current Projects:

nEXO, Search for new Interactions in a Microshere Precision Levitation Experiment (SIMPLE)