Probing the Majorana Nature of the Neutrino with CUORE and CUPID

by Tyler Johnson (Yale)

Tuesday 7 Apr 2026, 15:30 → 16:30 US/Eastern

Large Seminar Room

Abstract: We know the Standard Model is incomplete, and neutrinos are a window into the universe beyond it. Despite their paradigm-shifting potential, the neutrino sector remains constrained by very sparce experimental measurements. Determining the fundamental nature of neutrino is imperative for precipitating physics beyond the Standard Model. 

The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) Experiment is one of the most sensitive probes for elucidating the Majorana or Dirac nature of the neutrino and lepton number conservation. CUORE is located at the Laboratory Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy and consists of 988 TeO2 crystal bolometers cooled down to 15 mK and instrumented with sensitive temperature sensors called neutron transmutation doped (NTD) germanium thermistors. CUORE has nearly reached its pinnacle exposure of 3 ton years. 

CUORE will soon transition to its next-generation successor called CUPID which will employ 1596 Li2MoO4 scintillating bolometers along with 1710 light detectors within a modified and upgraded cryogenic framework. This seminar will describe the sensitivity achieved by the CUORE experiment and expected reach and ongoing progress of the CUPID experiment. 

 

 

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