Experimental High Energy Physics
Experimental high energy physics (HEP) faculty at William & Mary
Our group studies chargeless, but slightly massive, particles called neutrinos. Neutrinos interact very weakly and matter (such as the Earth itself!) is almost entirely transparent for them. We observe neutrinos using a powerful neutrino beam and large (many kiloton!) detectors separated by hundreds of miles. Neutrinos come in three types (called electron, muon, and tau) and have the ability to transform from one type to another as they travel over long distances. This process is called oscillations. By observing oscillations we can measure six of the twenty six parameters in the fundamental theory of physics known as the Standard Model.
