InvisiblesPlus

Results in brief

NEUTRINOS (Ns) and DARK MATTER (DM) are the most abundant particles in the universe. Their couplings to ordinary matter are so tenuous that they remained undiscovered -invisible- until very recently. N masses and DM constitute the first evidence ever of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The path to build the New Standard Model must confront the fundamental nature of the particles in the invisible sector at large. Furthermore, for each particle there is a mirror image with identical mass and opposite charge(s): its antiparticle. The laws of physics are almost particle-antiparticle symmetric: an asymmetry in Ns and/or DM properties may be the required seed that explains why the universe is made of matter and not antimatter. InvisiblesPlus Project was the first transnational program addressing the N and DM properties at large, their interfaces, and in addition the connections of their particle/antiparticle asymmetries with those of the visible universe. It also complemented, continued and specially extended to a new qualitative realm the knowledge sharing and long-term collaboration of the well-established ITN Invisibles. The public engagement was also focused on the societal impact of research, showing that investments in science imply technological innovations which are essential not only for science but also for the benefit of society at large. The main deliverable of InνisiblesPlus was the scientific results that improved our understanding of the most abundant particles in the universe, that is, N and DM. A complementary search was that of the origin of the mass of ordinary particles, at the heart of the LHC and other hadronic enterprises. The world-wide collaborations among the leaders in the field planned within RISE constituted the best warranty that the results obtained are of high quality and constitute a significant step ahead in this quest. The strong dissemination strategy of the project aimed at increasing the impact of these scientific results. This project was organized around the physics of N and DM (WP1 and WP2), with focus on the determination of their parameters and properties, and also on the crucial question of the identity of those particles and antiparticles and their different behavior beyond what stems from their opposite charges (technically dubbed “CP violation”). A third special WP (WP3) was dedicated to the fundamental symmetries of nature while the fourth research WP (WP4) developed the complementarity between N and DM physics.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

NEUTRINOS (Ns) and DARK MATTER (DM) are the most abundant particles in the universe. Their couplings to ordinary matter are so tenuous that they remained undiscovered -invisible- until very recently. N masses and DM constitute the first evidence ever of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The path to build the New Standard Model must confront the fundamental nature of the particles in the invisible sector at large. Furthermore, for each particle there is a mirror image with identical mass and opposite charge(s): its antiparticle. The laws of physics are almost particle-antiparticle symmetric: an asymmetry in Ns and/or DM properties may be the required seed that explains why the universe is made of matter and not antimatter, i.e. how come we are here, a fact unexplained by standard physics. In turn, the unnaturally symmetric behavior of strong interactions points to a new particle, the axion, a superb dark matter candidate. Very timely, an ambitious international experimental search has been launched on Ns, axions, other DM and Higgs physics with major breakthroughs expected soon.InvisiblesPlus will be the first transnational program addressing the N and DM properties at large, their interfaces, and in addition the connections of their particle/antiparticle asymmetries with those of the visible universe. It will also complement, continue and specially extend to a new qualitative realm the knowledge sharing and long-term collaboration of the well-established ITN Invisibles. InvisiblesPlus is ideally suited to the task: i) World leadership in all relevant areas; ii) Multidisciplinarity; iii) Key theorists and experimentalists; iv) XENON, Fermilab, CERN, SuperKamiokande and ADMX participate; iv) Innovative virtual institute; v) Top quality expertise from emerging countries; vi) Outstanding outreach, vii) Excellent junior/senior ratio in secondments; viii) Optimal in gender balance with over 50% female scientists in charge, plus the coordinator.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID · MadridCoordinatorSpain
AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
FERMI RESEARCH ALLIANCE LLC · Batavia IlUnited States
GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS · GottingenGermany
HARISH-CHANDRA RESEARCH INSTITUTE · ALLAHABADIndia
INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCES (IPM) · TEHRANIran
INSTITUTE OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES · BEIJINGChina
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE · FrascatiItaly
KOREA INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY · SEOULSouth Korea
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV · MUNCHENGermany
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO · TOKYOJapan
ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE · GENEVE 23Switzerland
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG · HeidelbergGermany
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA · OaklandUnited States
TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK · New YorkUnited States
UNIVERSIDAD ANTONIO NARINO · BogotaColombia
UNIVERSIDAD DE COSTA RICA · San Pedro De Montes De Oca San JoseCosta Rica
UNIVERSIDADE DE SAO PAULO · SAO PAULO SPBrazil
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA · BarcelonaSpain
UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA · ValenciaSpain
UNIVERSITAT ZURICH · ZurichSwitzerland
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM · DURHAMUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON · SOUTHAMPTONUnited Kingdom
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · Seattle WaUnited States
University of Delhi · New DelhiIndia
ZEWAIL CITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY · GIZAEgypt

InvisiblesPlus · InvisiblesPlus

Results in brief

InvisiblesPlus

Project objective

Participants

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