Fundamental Symmetries

The Fundamental Symmetries (FS) subprogram portfolio supports research to reveal the symmetries and forces governing the history of our universe. Questions addressed through FS experiments include; Why is there more matter than anti-matter? What is the mass of the neutrino and why is it so small? What new forces or particles remain to be discovered. These questions are investigated through experiments relying on cold and ultracold neutrons, trapped atoms and molecules, beta decay and neutrinoless double beta decay. Experiments are currently being carried out or developed in deep underground labs around the world, at neutron facilities, and at three university "Centers of Excellence:” the Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics (CENPA) at the University of Washington, Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) and the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute (TAMU) with infrastructure capabilities to developed advanced detector systems and to exploit low energy accelerator and research reactor capabilities.