Experiment to increase understanding of the universe secures £30m

UCL scientists working to understand neutrinos and antimatter through DUNE (the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) will benefit from the UK's latest multi-million pound investment in the project. The DUNE project brings together more than 1,000 physicists from the UK and 31 countries from Asia, Europe and the Americas to build the world's most advanced neutrino observatory, which could lead to profound changes in our understanding of the universe. Professor Ryan Nichol (UCL Physics & Astronomy), leader of the UCL DUNE group, said: "There is still so much we don't know about neutrinos and how they have influenced the Universe, so many people are very excited about DUNE and what it will discover. It has the potential to teach us about everything from the differences between matter and antimatter, to understanding where the energy goes when a star explodes." Hosted by the United States Department of Energy's Fermilab, the flagship international experiment will study the behaviour of particles called neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, antineutrinos. This could provide insight as to why we live in a matter-dominated universe while anti-matter has largely disappeared. DUNE will also watch for supernova neutrinos produced when a star explodes, which will allow the scientists to observe the formation of neutron stars and black holes. It will also investigate whether protons live forever or eventually decay, bringing us closer to fulfilling Einstein's dream of a grand unified theory.