Associate Professor Tomoko Ariga
Faculty of Arts and Science
Researchers obtain the first direct observation of electron and muon neutrino interactions at the Large Hadron Collider using the FASERν detector
Understanding neutrino interactions is crucial for obtaining a complete picture of particle physics and the universe. To date, neutrino interaction cross sections have not been measured at high energy above some hundred gigaelectronvolts at particle colliders. Now, researchers have obtained the first direct observation of electron and muon neutrino interactions in the Teraelectronvolt range at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, using the FASERν detector. This study marks a significant step for particle physics research, enhancing our understanding of the universe.
In a groundbreaking study, a team of researchers led by Associate Professor Akitaka Ariga from the Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Japan, also affiliated with the Laboratory for High Energy Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland, and Associate Professor Tomoko Ariga from the Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Japan, utilized the Forward Search Experiment (FASER) at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), to achieve the first direct observation of high energy electron and muon neutrino interactions at a particle collider. The team included Dr. Ken Ohashi from the Laboratory for High Energy Physics at the University of Bern, Dr. Hiroaki Kawahara from the Faculty of Arts and Science at Kyushu University, and Project-specific Assistant Professor Daiki Hayakawa from the Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, along with other members of the FASER collaboration. Their findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters on July 11, 2024.
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Tomoko Ariga, Associate Professor
Faculty of Arts and Science
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