Nuclear and subnuclear physics

In the Nuclear and Subnuclear physics group, we study the fundamental interactions of elementary particles and nuclei properties through experiments carried out at large national and international laboratories. Fundamental particles and force mediators are studied with large detectors at high-energy colliders like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Nuclear properties of matter and the formation of the quark-gluon plasma are also investigated in the same accelerator complex. Neutrinos have peculiar properties and their study requires dedicated facilities with long baselines. Another line of research uses natural particles produced in the Cosmos to study aspects of nuclear or subnuclear physics in a complementary way. Most of the activities cover all the life stages of large experiments, with a time span of about 10-15 years: research and development of new devices for particle detection, design of experiments through feasibility studies and Monte Carlo simulations of the processes under investigation, implementation, testing and calibration of experimental tools, data taking and statistical data analysis. These research activities have the direct support of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN, National Institute of Nuclear Physics) which, thanks to the local Bologna section and the CNAF center, provides laboratories, detectors, instrumentation, computing power, funding and technical and research staff.

High Energy Particle Physics with accelerators

Particle accelerators as the CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are perfect tools to test our current understanding of the microscopic description of the Universe, encoded in the so-called Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics. At the same time, we know the SM to be incomplete and accelerator experiments offer a unique guidance for theory development. Experiments at LHC can open a window to physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM), directly producing new particles at the energy frontier or observing small departures from known physics.

ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, MUonE, SHiP

Nuclear Physics

The study of nuclear reactions and the measurements of their cross sections offer a direct link to the comprehension of several astrophysical and cosmological mechanisms, such as the chemical evolution of the Galaxy and the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. In addition, the knowledge of how nuclei fragment when they interact has important implications for medical applications, such as hadrotherapy for oncological treatments. On a much larger energy scale, heavy ion collisions at the LHC are able to produce a peculiar nuclear state with very high energy densities – known as Quark Gluon Plasma – believed to have existed in the very first instants of the Universe.

ALICE, FOOT, FAMU,  n_TOF, NUCL-EX

Neutrino Physics

The discovery of non-zero neutrino masses provided the first direct evidence of physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). This calls for precise measurements of the new fundamental parameters of the SM and for an investigation of the mechanisms able to generate such tiny masses. In particular, the experimental quest for the intrinsic nature of neutrinos could shed light on the mechanisms connected to the unification of fundamental interactions at very large energy scales.

CUORE, ENUBET, NU@FNAL

Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology

The cosmos is a gigantic laboratory that enables us to probe the fundamental laws of physics using a complementary approach to accelerator-based experiments. Underground, underwater and space-born experiments are conceived to answer some of these fundamental questions: which cosmic engines are able to produce ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos? Which elusive form of matter constitutes the bulk of the content of the Universe? What kind of energy is responsible for the acceleration of the Universe?

AMS, DarkSide, EUCLID, KM3, LVD, XENON

Detector R&D, Technology Transfer and Computing

The intrinsic complexity of fundamental physics experiments requires operating at the technology frontier and history witnesses that research output is beneficial to society in the long run. Detectors with ever-increasing spatial and timing resolutions are currently built to cope with the requirements of nuclear and subnuclear physics experiments. This in turn requires reconsidering new electronics technologies able to handle the enormous data flows and the development of new software and computing solutions able to sustain the new challenging conditions.

OPH, TIMESPOT