Fundamental symmetries

Look beyond the Standard Model with FRIB

Nuclear and particle physicists study fundamental symmetries and interactions for two primary reasons: to understand the nature of the most elementary pieces of matter and to determine how they fit together and interact. Most of what physicists have learned so far is embodied in the Standard Model of particle physics, a framework repeatedly validated by experimental results yet widely viewed as incomplete.

Nuclear physicists have focused on questions that target a variety of unresolved issues:

• What are the absolute masses of neutrinos, and how have they shaped the evolution of the universe?
• Are neutrinos their own antiparticles?
• Why is there more matter than antimatter in the present universe?
• What are the unseen forces that disappeared from view as the universe expanded and cooled?

Fundamental symmetries research at FRIB

Help search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The rare isotopes produced at Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) provide opportunities for scientists to conduct experiments looking beyond the Standard Model, searching for indications of hidden interactions and broken symmetries.