The Novosibirsk State University Interdisciplinary Center of Elementary Particle Physics and Astrophysics unites 13 laboratories working in the fields of Elementary Particle Physics and Astrophysics. Particle Physics and Astrophysics are two closely related, dynamically developing scientific disciplines. Elementary Particle Physics studies the fundamental properties of matter, i.e. physics as it pertains to the smallest distances (at the highest energy), Astrophysics explores laws related to the birth and development of the universe, the cosmos. The development of the universe in the first minutes after creation (the big bang) was determined by the fundamental properties of matter so it is impossible to understand the further evolution of the universe without understanding the fundamental properties of matter. These two fields are also share methodology. Experimental methods for recording particles, and collecting and analyzing data that were developed for Particle Physics, are widely used in Astrophysics research. This research allows us to identify and understand the most fundamental laws of nature. Throughout history fundamental research has given rise to the human spirit, provided new knowledge and the foundation for creating technology that has led to cultural changes in society and people's lives. The Interdisciplinary Center’s Laboratories participate in large international scientific projects including experiments in the fields of High Energy Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmic Ray Physics. The following are research projects the Center’s Laboratories are engaged in:
Astrophysics Cosmology and Cosmic Rays. The Cosmology and Elementary Particles Laboratory conducts theoretical research on the properties of dark matter and energy and the possibility for their direct experimental observation. They are creating a two-phase cryogenic avalanche detector in argon to register dark matter. Other research includes a theoretical investigation of gravitational instability in modified gravity, an analysis of observational manifestations of objects from antimatter, and supernova physics and its application to cosmological problems.
Experiments on electron-positron colliders. Four of the Center’s Laboratories (Strong Interactions in e+e- Annihilation and Tau-Lepton Decay Processes, Laboratory for Researching Physics of B- and D-Mesons, Laboratory for Researching the Properties of b- and c-Quarks in e + e- Annihilation and The C-Tau Physics Laboratory) participate in experiments and data processing with the BaBar (USA), BELLE (Japan), and BESIII (China) detectors. The research program includes studying the properties of tau lepton, charmed c and fine b quarks fundamental fermions.
Experiments on Hadron Colliders. Three Laboratories (Laboratory for the Study of Physics Processes in Hadron Collisions at Ultrahigh Energy Hadrons, The Hadron Interactions Physics Laboratory and the Heavy Quarks in Hadron Interactions Laboratory) participate in the ATLAS, CMS and LHCb experiments on the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The primary focus of the research involves studying the properties of the Higgs boson and searching for new physical phenomena (outside the Standard Model framework), such as supersymmetric particles and researching properties of c and b quarks.
The Nucleon-Antinucleon Interaction Laboratory participates in the preparation of experiments with the PANDA detector at the FAIR accelerator-storage complex (Germany). In this experiment, aspects of strong (nuclear) interactions will be investigated in annihilation reactions of antiprotons with nucleons and atomic nuclei.
Search for new physical phenomena in experiments with intense muon beams. The Searching for the Processes in Violation of the Law of Lepton Number Conservation by Means of High-Intensity Beams of Muons of Muons Laboratory participates in the COMET experiment on the J-PARC acceleration-storage complex (Japan) that is searching for the muon to electron conversion process when interacting with atomic nuclei. They are also involved in the MEG experiment with PSI (Switzerland) to search for muon decay to a photon and electron. In the Standard Model, the probability of these processes is so small they cannot be observed experimentally. Thus, the detection of these reactions unambiguously means the discovery of new physics outside the framework of the Standard Model.
The Laboratory for Researching Interactions Beyond the Standard Model in Experiments with Muons at Fermilab Framework participates in the preparation of two experiments at Fermilab (USA). The first experiment, Mu2e, is the search for the conversion of a muon into an electron when interacting with nuclei, the second experiment, g-2, is devoted to a precise measurement of the magnetic moment of the muon. The magnitude of the magnetic moment is calculated theoretically within the Standard Model framework. The deviation of the experimental result from the calculation will indicate the presence of new physics, i.e. unknown fundamental particles and interactions.
Development of new detectors and colliders. The Educational and Scientific Laboratory for New Methods of Ionizing Radiation Registration is currently working on creating a unique "Cherenkov" detector based on a focusing aerogel, which makes it possible to measure particle velocities with high accuracy and to determine their types in the analysis of experimental data. It is planned to use this in the PANDA experiment.
The The Laboratory for the Development of the Next Generation of High Energy Colliders is engaged in lepton accelerating-storage complexes for ultra-high energy (linear and circular colliders for energy more than 1 TeV in a center-of-mass system) in which they will encounter electron-positron, electron-photon, photon-photon and muon- antimuon beams. These installations will perform precise experiments on the properties of the W, Z, and H bosons and verify the Standard Model. The Laboratory participates in a number of international projects including projects with the ILC, CLIC, FCC-ee, and the CEPC.
