Colorado State University Co-Sponsoring Conference on Technology for Future Large Physics Projects

The Colorado State University College of Natural Sciences, the U.S. Department of Energy, CAEN Technologies Inc. and Hamamatsu Corp. USA will co-host an international workshop Thursday, Oct. 8 through Saturday, Oct. 10 in Estes Park on the next generation of nucleon decay and neutrino detectors.

Scientists will discuss the technology and large-scale facilities needed to explore the mysterious nature of neutrinos and the stability of protons that are critical in establishing a unified theory of particle physics; shed light on processes in supernovae and black hole formations; and probe the fundamental forces at play billions of years ago that set the stage for the creation of stars and galaxies. It is likely that these new facilities will need to be located deep underground.

A primary goal of these workshops is the international coordination between Europe, Asia, and the Americas, said Robert Wilson, physics professor at Colorado State and chair of the local organizing committee of the conference.

During the past few decades, large-scale underground physics laboratories in Canada and Japan have made major discoveries in neutrino physics, but no comparable laboratories exist in the United States. Speakers at this conference will present the status of the design for a new Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) under consideration for construction at the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota.
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