Nuclear Physics Experiment

The Nuclear and Particle Experiment Division of the MIT Physics Department (NUPAX) comprises world-leading faculty, all engaged in cutting-edge research at the forefront of human knowledge.  Its research activities encompass a vast range of experiments focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the fundamental laws of nuclear and particle physics.  

Some of the questions sought by its members include:

• Are there new forces or particles beyond what is already known?
• How do the fundamental forces interact in the universe?
• What is the nature of the hot, dense matter of the early universe and in neutron stars?
• What is the nature of dark matter?
• What is the nature of mass in our universe?
• Why is the universe dominated by matter instead of anti-matter?
• What is the nature and scale of the neutrino mass?
• How do effective nuclear interactions result from the fundamental quark-gluon interactions of QCD?
• What is the three-dimensional structure of the proton and of atomic nuclei?
• What do exotic nuclei tell us about astrophysical processes and fundamental forces of nature?
• What are the properties of nuclei in the cosmos?

Insight into these questions stem from a suite of different nuclear and particle experiments that span throughout the globe, from across the United States, Asia and Europe, to Antarctica and the very depths of space.   The research is conducted through MIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS).