Yale Researchers Push Boundaries of Science with Rare Nuclear Particle Decay Experiment

Strategic Insights -

Deep under a mountain in Italy, researchers, including those from Yale University, are pushing the boundaries of science with an experiment that could rewrite the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) has now collected two ton-years of data in a years-long effort to document a theory of rare nuclear particle decay called "neutrinoless double beta decay." According to the theory, this would prove that neutrinos and antineutrinos are the same -- that a neutrino is its own antiparticle.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CUORE experiment, which includes researchers from Yale, has collected two ton-years of data in a years-long effort to document a theory of rare nuclear particle decay called "neutrinoless double beta decay."
  • The experiment aims to detect a rare process where no antineutrinos are created, which would prove that neutrinos and antineutrinos are the same.
  • The researchers used a specially designed algorithm to filter out extraneous "noise," such as vibrations, ocean waves, and earthquakes, which could interfere with the experiment's data.
  • The experiment is located in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in central Italy, which features low-radiation shielding made from lead ingots salvaged from a 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck.
  • The researchers installed more than two dozen sensors to measure temperature, sound, vibration, and electrical interference near the detector, which helped to identify and eliminate noise from the data.
  • The experiment, led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, began operations in 2017 and will continue through the rest of this year.
  • The CUORE Upgrade with Particle Identification (CUPID) will then take over the search for neutrinoless double beta decay at the same location.

Statistics:

  • No more than one occurrence of neutrinoless double beta decay in 50 septillion years, or once every trillion trillion years.
  • 2 ton-years of data collected by the CUORE experiment.
  • 25 sensors installed to measure temperature, sound, vibration, and electrical interference near the detector.
  • 20 research institutions, including Yale, involved in the CUORE experiment.

Sources:

  • Yale News, "Search for a rare physics event gets some noise cancelling headphones" (Oct. 23, 2025)
  • Science, "CuORE search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 130Te with a bolometric detector at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory" (DOI: 10.1126/science.adp6474)