UK researchers awarded 拢30m for global science project to better understand matter and antimatter

sc604 — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 06:33:43 +0000

探花直播探花直播 of Cambridge will provide essential contributions to the DUNE experiment, a global science project that brings the scientific community together to work on trying to answer some of the biggest questions in physics.

DUNE (the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) is hosted by the United States Department of Energy鈥檚 Fermilab, and will be designed and operated by a collaboration of over 1,000 physicists from 32 countries.

探花直播project aims to advance our understanding of the origin and structure of the universe. It will study the behaviour of particles called neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, antineutrinos. This could provide insight as to why we live in a matter-dominated universe while anti-matter has largely disappeared.

鈥淒UNE has the unique potential to answer fundamental questions that overlap particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology,鈥� said Professor Stefan S枚ldner-Rembold of the 探花直播 of Manchester, who leads the international DUNE collaboration as one of its spokespeople.

探花直播investment, from UK Research and Innovation鈥檚 Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), is a four-year construction grant to 13 educational institutions, and to STFC鈥檚 Rutherford Appleton and Daresbury Laboratories. This grant, of 拢30m, represents the first of two stages to support the DUNE construction project in the UK which will run until 2026 and represent a total investment of 拢45m.

Various elements of the experiment are under construction across the world, with the UK taking a major role in contributing essential expertise and components to the experiment and facility. UK scientists and engineers will design and produce the principle detector components at the core of the DUNE detector, which will comprise four large tanks each containing 17,000 kg of liquid argon.

探花直播UK groups are also developing a high-speed data acquisition system to record the signals from the detector, together with the sophisticated software needed to interpret the data and provide the answers to the scientific questions.

鈥淒UNE could help to change the way we understand the universe,鈥� said Dr Melissa Uchida, who leads the neutrino group at Cambridge鈥檚 Cavendish Laboratory. 鈥淭his announcement has allowed the UK to take a leading role in many aspects of the experiment, making the UK the biggest DUNE contributor outside the USA. Our group will deliver hardware and software, as well as calibration and analysis effort for DUNE and we are ready and excited to meet the challenges ahead.鈥�

DUNE will also watch for supernova neutrinos produced when a star explodes, which will allow the scientists to observe the formation of neutron stars and black holes and will investigate whether protons live forever or eventually decay, bringing us closer to fulfilling Einstein鈥檚 dream of a grand unified theory.

探花直播other UK universities involved in the project are Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield, Sussex, UCL and Warwick.

Cambridge researchers will receive funding as part of a 拢30m investment in the DUNE experiment, which has the potential to lead to profound changes in our understanding of the universe.

CERN

Inside ProtoDUNE at CERN

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Antimatter matters at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 14:07:01 +0000

Why we live in a universe made of matter, rather than a universe with no matter at all, is one of science鈥檚 biggest questions. 探花直播behaviour of antimatter, a rare oppositely charged counterpart to normal matter, is thought to be key to understanding why. However, the nature of antimatter is a mystery. Scientists use data from the LHCb and ALPHA experiments at CERN to study antiparticles and antiatoms in order to learn more about it. Some of these scientists, from the 探花直播 of Cambridge and other UK institutions, will present their work at the Royal Society鈥檚 annual Summer Science Exhibition which opens to the public tomorrow (5 July 2016).

At CERN鈥檚 Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator, matter and antimatter versions of fundamental particles are produced when the accelerator beams smash into each other. 探花直播LHCb experiment records the traces these particles leave behind as they fly outwards from the beam collisions with exquisite precision, enabling scientists to identify the particles and deduce whether they are matter or antimatter. At larger scales, antimatter is studied in CERN鈥檚 antiproton decelerator complex, when antiprotons are joined with antielectrons to form anti-hydrogen atoms. 探花直播ALPHA experiment holds these antiatoms in suspension so that their structure and behavior can be studied. Both experiments are currently recording data that will enable scientists to carefully build up an understanding of why antimatter appears to behave the way it does.

探花直播探花直播 of Cambridge is a founder institute of the LHCb experiment and plays a major part in the construction and operation of the detectors that determine the identity of particles. 探花直播detectors use the Ring-Imaging Cherenkov radiation technique via which particles emit radiation as they travel faster than the speed of light in the material of the detectors. 探花直播principles behind this technique and the data produced will be on view in the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition for visitors to examine.

Professor Val Gibson of the 探花直播 of Cambridge and former UK Spokesperson for the experiment said: 鈥淎ntimatter might sound like science fiction, but it is one of the biggest mysteries in science today. We鈥檙e going to show everyone just why it matters so much 鈥� from what it can tell us about the earliest universe, to how we study it at the frontiers of research, to how it has everyday uses in medical imaging.鈥�

Visitors to the Exhibition will also be able to see how fundamental particles and antiparticles are identified with the LHCb experiment, talk to researchers to discover what this science is like, try the experimental techniques used to hold and study anti-atoms with the ALPHA experiment, and move, image and locate antimatter within a PET scanner system.

探花直播Royal Society鈥檚 Summer Science Exhibition is weeklong festival of cutting edge science from across the UK, featuring 22 exhibits which give a glimpse into the future of science and tech. Visitors can meet the scientists who are on hand at their exhibits, take part in activities and live demonstrations and attend talks. Entrance is free.

Scientists from the 探花直播 of Cambridge are presenting their research into the nature of antimatter at this year鈥檚 Royal Society Summer Exhibition.

Antimatter might sound like science fiction, but it is one of the biggest mysteries in science today.

Val Gibson

Summer Science Exhibition 2016: Antimatter Matters

探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

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探花直播 of Cambridge - antimatter

UK researchers awarded 拢30m for global science project to better understand matter and antimatter

Antimatter matters at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition

Summer Science Exhibition 2016: Antimatter Matters