Related papers: Happy Birthday, Ultra-Cold Neutron!
The discovery of neutrino masses has provided strong hints in favor of the possibility that B-L symmetry is an intimate feature of physics beyond the standard model. I discuss how important information about this symmetry as well as other…
Neutron-antineutron oscillations are considered in the light of recently proposed particle models, which claim to resolve the neutron lifetime anomaly, indicating the existence of baryon violating $\Delta B=1$ interactions. Possible…
Experiments using slow neutrons address a growing range of scientific issues spanning nuclear physics, particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. The field of fundamental physics using neutrons has experienced a significant increase in…
The discovery of neutrinoless double-beta decay could soon be within reach. This hypothetical ultra-rare nuclear decay offers a privileged portal to physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Its observation would constitute the…
The origin of the hot phase of the early universe remains so far an unsolved puzzle. A viable option is entropy production through the decays of heavy Majorana neutrinos whose lifetimes determine the initial temperature. We show that…
Thanks to oscillation experiments it is now an established fact that neutrinos are massive particles. Yet, the assessment of neutrinos absolute mass scale is still an outstanding challenge in particle physics and cosmology as oscillation…
The accelerating expansion of the universe presents an exciting, fundamental challenge to the standard models of particle physics and cosmology. I highlight some of the outstanding challenges in both developing theoretical models and…
The early universe provides a unique laboratory for probing the frontiers of particle physics in general and neutrino physics in particular. The primordial abundances of the relic nuclei produced during the first few minutes of the…
As we mark the centenary of Albert Einstein's seminal contribution to both quantum mechanics and special relativity, we approach another anniversary--that of Einstein's foundation of the quantum theory of solids. But 100 years on, the same…
Among the known particles, the neutron takes a special position, as it provides experimental access to all four fundamental forces and a wide range of hypothetical interactions. Despite being unstable, free neutrons live long enough to be…
Neutrinos, and primarily neutrino oscillations, have undoubtedly been one of the most exciting topics in the field of high-energy physics over the past few years. The existence of neutrino oscillations would require an extension of the…
The unknown state of matter at ultra-high density, large proton/neutron number asymmetry, and low temperature is a major long-standing problem in modern physics. Neutron stars provide the only known setting in the Universe where matter in…
Neutron stars are unique cosmic laboratories for the exploration of matter under extreme conditions of density and neutron-proton asymmetry. Due to their enormous dynamic range, neutron stars display a myriad of exotic states of matter that…
Neutrons and neutrinos are natural probes for new physics. Since they carry no conserved gauge quantum numbers, both can easily mix with the fermions from hidden sectors. A particularly interesting effect is the oscillation of a neutron or…
We examine the cosmological and astrophysical signatures of a "dark baryon," a neutral fermion that mixes with the neutron. As the mixing is through a higher-dimensional operator at the quark level, production of the dark baryon at high…
In the past four decades a new type of astronomy has emerged, where instead of looking up into the sky "telescopes" are buried miles underground or deep under water or ice and search not for photons (that is, light), but rather for…
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a leading-edge, international experiment for neutrino science and proton decay studies. This experiment is looking for answers regarding several fundamental questions about the nature of…
Over the past decade, neutrino astronomy has emerged as a new window into the extreme and hidden universe. Current-generation experiments have detected high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin and identified the first sources, opening…
The baryon asymmetry of the Universe is one of the central motivations to expect physics beyond the Standard Model. In this Snowmass white paper, we review the challenges and opportunities in testing some of the central paradigms that…
The Cosmological Constant Lambda, a concept introduced by Einstein in 1917, has been with us ever since in different variants and incarnations, including the broader concept of Dark Energy. Current observations are consistent with a value…