Neutrinos are among the most mysterious particles in nature. They rarely interact with matter, yet they could be the key to deep insights on big questions in science such as the nature of fundamental particle masses, why the universe contains more matter than antimatter, and what happens inside exploding stars. To address these questions and more, scientists are building new experiments at unprecedented scales and working together across continents to make them a reality. One of the most important next-generation experiments will be the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a global project being built in the United States with major participation from Europe.
This IIRP project creates a new partnership between scientists at the University of Chicago and leading neutrino researchers in France through UChicago’s participation in the International Research Network on Neutrinos (IRN Neutrino). The IRN is an exciting opportunity to build new collaborations around detector development and future DUNE data analysis, to open new communications between experimentalists and theorists working in the field, and to facilitate broad strategic discussions among the participants. Through the Network, the University of Chicago and its international partners stand to play a leading role in extracting scientific discoveries from DUNE and related experiments.