Nuclear Structure for Tests of Fundamental Symmetries and Astroparticle Physics

PI Calvin Johnson, San Diego State University
Project Description

What is the universe made of, and how did it get that way? Why is the universe made of matter  and  not  anti-­matter?  What  is  the  nature  of  the  non-­baryonic  dark  matter  that  permeates  the  galaxies?  To  answer  these  questions,  scientists  have  turned  to  nuclei  as microscopic  experimental  laboratories  searching  for:  neutrinoless  double-­beta  decay,  where  matter  is  produced  from  nothing;  permanent  electric  dipole  moments,  which  can only occur if the laws of physics for matter are different from those for anti-­matter; and the terrestrial  detection  of  non-­baryonic  dark  matter.  This  project  supports  detailed  and  reliable calculations of the quantum wave functions of atomic nuclei. This will require some of the largest such calculations ever attempted, involving matrices of dimension in excess of 20 billion. Although the project will use an efficient code we have been developing which uses significantly less memory (roughly 1/10th) than other algorithms, we will still need significant  computational  resources.  The  results,  however,  will  help  provide  robust  interpretation of these crucial experiments illuminating the fundamental building blocks of our universe.

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