Experimental Neutrino Physics
and Astroparticle Physics
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our research
We are conducting research in experimental neutrino physics. Neutrinos are amongst the most mysterious
elementary particles. They were postulated by Wolfgang Pauli in 1930 and have puzzled particle and astrophysicists
ever since. For the longest time neutrinos were thought to be massless. Recent disvoveries have shown that neutrinos
have mass and can undergo oscillation -- a quantum mechanical process that allows them to change flavor on their
voyage through time and space. Neutrinos carry no charge and may be their own antiparticles. Our group works on
precisely measuring neutrino oscillation with the KamLAND and Daya Bay experiments using antineutrinos produced in
nuclear power plants in Japan and China. We
are also involved in the search for neutrinoless double beta decay with the CUORE experiment at Gran Sasso in Italy to
probe the Majorana nature of neutrinos and
measure their effective mass. We are collaborators on MARE, a bolometric experiment to measure the absolute neutrino
mass with microcalorimeters.
We offer research opportunities for graduate, undergraduate, and summer students.
news
- Apr 2009 -- Researcher Tom Wise wins UW Chancellor's Award
- Feb 2009 -- Prof. Karsten Heeger wins an Alfred Sloan Research Fellowship, UW press release
- Nov 2008 -- Chinese Premier commends
US-China
collaboration
- Sep 2008 -- Daya Bay is mentioned in a Physics Today article on research in Hong Kong.
- Aug 2008 -- The Daya Bay project has received DOE CD-3B approval. Construction of the experiment is
now underway.
- Apr 2008 -- Patrick Mende has won the 2007-08 Liebenberg Family Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Congratulations!
- Apr 2008 -- Prof. Karsten Heeger wins Outstanding Junior Investigator (OJI) Awards from DOE NP and HEP


