Nuclear and Particle Physics and Applications

Making important contributions to basic and applied physics

We play a major role in large-scale scientific collaborations at LANSCE and around the world, performing experiments that advance the understanding of the universe and applying our expertise to solve problems of national importance.

We are composed of staff with a broad base of skills exploring both fundamental physics questions and practical applications of nuclear and particle physics. Our group includes scientists, engineers, technologists and technicians, postdoctoral researchers, graduate, undergraduate, high school students, and support personnel.

TEAMS

Nuclear and Particle Physics and Applications is composed of three teams. 

The High Energy Nuclear Physics team studies nucleon structure and the matter formed in high energy heavy ion collisions, using the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider facility at BNL, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and the Fermilab accelerator facilities.

The Neutron team studies fundamental symmetries using neutrons at the LANSCE Ultracold Neutron facility and the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL.

The Low Energy Nuclear Physics team exploits the unique characteristics of intense beams of neutrons at the Weapons Neutron Research Facility and Lujan Center as well as protons at Target 2 to study nuclear structure and reactions of interest to both fundamental and applied physics.

Facilities

P-3 operates the Ultracold Neutron Source (UCN) facility at LANSCE and carries out experiments in fundamental and applied physics at UCN.

P-3 also carries out a number of experiments at the Lujan and WNR facilities at LANSCE, and provides many of the Instrument Scientists who oversee experimental efforts at the facilities.