Rutgers Expert Describes Powerful New Machine for Study of Fundamental Physics A “Game Changer”

Rutgers Expert Describes Powerful New Machine for Study of Fundamental Physics A “Game Changer”

 After years of preparation, scientists, including researchers from Rutgers University, have turned on a new apparatus capable of detecting a host of rare, mysterious tiny particles.

Researchers working on the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, a national laboratory located in Batavia, Illinois, have identified the detector’s first neutrinos.

What does this mean? Why is it important?

Andrew Mastbaum, a particle physicist at Rutgers University who is an investigator on the project, can explain.

The following quotes from Mastbaum are available to media covering the issue. To arrange an interview, contact Kitta MacPherson at [email protected].

“Of the known elementary particles of matter, neutrinos are among the least understood, and some past experiments have even observed some puzzling behavior that could indicate our picture of fundamental physics is incomplete. We think neutrinos could help us get at some huge questions, like finding a more complete theory of nature at the smallest scales, or even why our matter-filled universe exists at all.”

“SBND is a game changer because we will get to study an enormous number of neutrino interactions, finally resolve some long-outstanding experimental mysteries, and have remarkable sensitivity to any potential physics phenomena beyond the Standard Model. Having this detector up and running is a major milestone, the culmination of a monumental international effort, and the start of a really exciting chapter for the field.”