Physicists bring together detector and accelerator to explore "new physics" beyond the Standard Model
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Category: ResearchType: News
Source: PNNL
Date: Wednesday, April 19th, 2017
News Brief
April 19, 2017 
RICHLAND, Wash. - To study some of the tiniest particles in the universe, an international band of over 750 physicists from 23 countries is building a massive instrument. The instrument will smash subatomic particles together and analyze the debris to look for signs of as-yet-unseen particles predicted to be fundamental to the workings of the universe.
Last week at the KEK lab in Tsukuba, Japan, researchers put together 2 key components of the instrument by nestling a 1,400-ton detector called Belle II into the 3-kilometer-long ring of the SuperKEKB accelerator. When the instrument becomes fully functioning next spring, SuperKEKB will send electrons smashing into their antimatter cousins called positrons, right in the middle of the 26-foot Belle II detector. Belle II will track the direction, momentum, and energy of the resulting particles to help scientists understand some of the mysteries of the Standard Model of physics, such as why matter outlived antimatter in the earliest moments of our universe. The detector will also help researchers search for new particles and behaviors that might indicate new physics currently only predicted by theory.
The D.O.E. is a major funder of Belle II, the U.S. portion of which is led by scientists at the DOE's Pacific Northwest National Lab. Energy Secretary Rick Perry recently acknowledged the Plan team for completing the $14.8 million detector installation effort early and under budget.
Read more about PNNL's role in Belle II and the SuperKEKB's "first turns".
Tags: Fundamental Science, Awards and Recognizes, Physics
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of nearly $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.'s Office of Science. As the single biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information on PNNL, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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