• String Theory
• Particle phenomenology
• Standard Model physics
• Quantum field theory
• Gauge theories
• Quantum Chromodynamics
• Quantum statistical mechanics
• Chiral symmetry breaking phenomena
• Overlap of particle physics and gravity
• Topics in low-energy nuclear physics
• Topological Field Theories.

The detection of neutrinos has consistently broken ground in our understanding of fundamental particle physics. Basic questions concern the nature of neutrino flavors, the origins of mass, the relationship between neutrino mixings and quark mixings, and cosmological/astrophysical roles of neutrinos. The 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for detection of astrophysical neutrinos. The largest subatomic physics experiment ever attempted in Canada, SNO , is designed to address these problems. SNO has recently demonstrated that solar neutrinos change their flavor, and is now embarked on an ambitious program to do precision measurements of neutrino mixings. In doing so, it may be possible to measure the mass of the different neutrino species and to understand better their inter-relationship. The Canada-US-UK collaboration includes groups from UBC and TRIUMF (Oser, Waltham and TRIUMF collaborators).

The physics of the B quark is in its most exciting and interesting times with BaBar's recent observation of CP violation in the b quark system. This will perhaps lead to the complete understanding of the phenomenon of CP violation, which is the study of the very small differences between the behaviour of matter and antimatter. Using the BaBar detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California, the UBC team is not only working on understanding CP violation, but with one of the world's largest samples of beautiful and charmed hadrons, detailed studies of heavy quark physics are underway. The BaBar drift chamber was assembled here on campus at TRIUMF, and the UBC team is heavily involved in data analysis here at UBC and detector operations at Stanford. (Hearty, Mattison, McKenna). Please see the UBC BaBar Group web site.

PIENU is a new UBC-TRIUMF experiment studying rare pion decays. It aims for an order of magnitude improvement in the precision of the ratio (R_π→e) of pion decays to electrons and muons, π⁺ → e⁺ν_e and π⁺ → μ⁺ν_μ. R_π→e sensitively probes physics beyond the Standard Model at extremely high mass scales (O(1000 TeV)) and provides the best test of the hypothesis known as electron-muon universality; R_π→e could play an important role in interpreting any new discoveries made at the LHC. PIENU, employs state-of-the-art technology including a large NaI crystal surrounded by a ring of pure CsI crystals, Si strip and gaseous drift tracking detectors, and high speed digitizing electronics. PIENU represents an unusual small-scale opportunity to do forefront particle physics with high potential impact. (Bryman, UBC students, and TRIUMF Collaborators)

A new neutrino effort at UBC and TRIUMF seeks to further explore neutrino mixings at the K2K and JHFnu experiments in Japan. K2K uses a man-made neutrino beam travelling through the Earth to study oscillations of muon neutrinos. JHFnu will use a more intense beam to search for oscillations of muon to electron neutrinos, which is expected to occur but has never been observed, and for CP violation by neutrinos. Looking for CP violation by leptons will complement studies of CP violation by quarks, and may help explain the observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe. (Oser, Hearty and TRIUMF collaborators)

TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, is located at the southern end of the UBC campus, and its new ISAC facility is the world's leading source of light radioactive ions. The TRIUMF subatomic physics program is based around the world's largest cyclotron, which accelerates H‾ ions to 500 MeV, producing intense beams of protons, neutrons, pions, muons, and light radioactive ions (A<30). The ISAC-I facility separates and accelerates these ions to 1.5 MeV/u, supporting experiments in nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure, condensed-matter physics, and tests of the Standard Model. A second stage, ISAC-II, will increase the mass range to A<150 and the maximum energy to 6.5 MeV/u; now partially complete, it is supplying experiments with beams at 3.5 MeV/u.

The TRINAT experiment is studying beta decay of trapped heavy ions in order to perform precision tests of the Standard Model (Behr).

The TITAN Experiment uses ion traps to carry out the most precise mass measurements on short-lived exotic isotopes. The experiment makes use of the world-leading on-line facility ISAC at TRIUMF on UBC campus to help test the Standard Model. Nuclear astrophysics and nucleosynthesis are the other driving motivations for the experiments at TITAN.

The TUDA experiment will study a range of nuclear physics reactions that will enhance our understanding of astrophysical processes, such as novae in stars. (Shotter)

Projects for the TRIUMF 500-MeV cyclotron include:

• Easing space-charge limitations on cyclotron performance: a full-scale model of a cyclotron's central region is available for studying the critical first few turns, and as a test stand for developing high intensity H‾ ion sources;
• Theoretical charged-particle optics, using various techniques from classical mechanics, including Lie Algebra and symplectic integrators;
• Electro-magnetic modeling of the rf accelerating structure, which consists of 80 separate resonators (right), permitting excitation of undesirable high-order modes. To better understand and suppress these, a 3-D electrodynamic model is being developed.

Current projects for the ISAC Isotope Separator and Accelerator include:

• A new front-end with the capability of accelerating singly-charged ions with A≤150 from source potential to 150 keV/u. This will require a low-energy transport beamline, two RFQ accelerators and a gas-stripper;
• Superconducting rf cavity development, prototyping and research, including development of ancillary rf and control equipment;
• Design of a room-temperature drift-tube linac for accelerating ions with A/q ≤ 30 from 150 keV/u to 400 keV/u;
• Diagnostics for very-low-intensity ion beams.

TRIUMF physicists are also participating in the EMMA project - a 20-MeV electron model of a 20-GeV muon accelerator. This is a novel type of FFAG accelerator that has been designed by an international collaboration (and is being built at Daresbury Laboratory in the UK) to test the feasibility of abandoning the restrictive "scaling" principle traditionally observed in FFAG design. This type of accelerator, which offers very high pulse rates and beam intensities, is of great current interest for neutrino factories, muon colliders, neutron sources, industrial irradiation, driving sub-critical reactors, and cancer therapy with ion beams (which offer better dose localization than X-rays). For the latter application TRIUMF is also developing new beam dynamics software for the design of small-aperture proton or carbon FFAGs suitable for hospitals.

The International Linear Collider will allow precision measurments beyond the reach of today's accelerators. Consisting of two linear accelerators with a combined length of approximately 35 kilometres, the ILC will hurl electrons and their anti-particles (positrons) toward each other at nearly the speed of light. Superconducting cavities operating at temperatures near absolute zero give collision energies of up to 500 billion-electron-volts (GeV). Each spectacular collision creates an array of new particles that could answer some of the most fundamental questions, unlocking some of the deepest mysteries in the universe.

The world-wide high-energy-physics community recognizes the ILC as the next ambitious step at the energy frontier, complementary to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Research and development for the ILC at UBC concentrates on:

• Measurement and control systems necessary to stabilize accelerator components at the nanometer level (Mattison)
• Ultra-fast high-voltage pulsers for injection and extraction of bunches from the damping rings (Mattison)
• Superconducting accelerator RF cavities (Mattison, McKenna, in cooperation with TRIUMF).

For the graduate student, these projects offer a great opportunity to work at the worlds leading particle physics facilities. Although some particle physics collaborations may be large, we do work in small groups, alongside peers from all parts of the world. Students have the opportunity to gain expertise in many different areas, from high-speed computing to large-scale engineering. While TRIUMF is Canada's national laboratory for particle physics, students may have the opportunity to conduct their research and to spend some time living and working at major physics laboratories andfacilities around the world: in Switzerland, California, Chicago, Japan, and Northern Ontario. Graduate students will typically be offered opportunities to present their research at national and international conferences.