Experimental Nuclear Physics

The UCLA Nuclear Physics Group conducts cutting-edge experimental research to explore the properties of nuclear matter under extreme conditions and to probe the fundamental nature of neutrinos. Our research spans studies of hot Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) matter, precision measurements of proton and nuclear structure, and searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay. These efforts involve major international collaborations at leading facilities, including the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, and the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC).

At RHIC, we are founding members of the STAR and sPHENIX collaborations, where heavy-ion collisions recreate the quark-gluon plasma, a primordial state of matter that existed microseconds after the Big Bang. Our group investigates the QGP’s thermal behavior, collective dynamics, and phase transitions, as well as novel phenomena such as the chiral magnetic effect. We also contribute to detector development, including calorimetry upgrades, enabling precision measurements of these extreme states.

Our group is also integral to the design and development of the EIC, a revolutionary facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The EIC will provide unparalleled insights into the internal structure of protons and nuclei, enabling detailed studies of the role of quarks and gluons in mass, spin, and spatial distributions. We are contributing to the design and construction of hadronic calorimeters, which are essential for accurately measuring hadron energy and momentum in EIC experiments.

In addition, we are actively engaged in the CUORE experiment at Gran Sasso, which searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay—a rare process that could reveal whether neutrinos are Majorana particles. Such a discovery would revolutionize our understanding of the neutrino mass scale and its role in the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe. Our contributions include data analysis, detector calibration, and interpretation of experimental results, pushing CUORE to new levels of sensitivity.

Through these experimental efforts, we are advancing our understanding of nuclear matter and fundamental particles, making significant contributions to uncovering the properties of the strong interaction and the role of neutrinos in shaping the universe.

For inquiries, please contact: Prof. Huan Huang.

QCD and Nuclear Theory

The UCLA Nuclear Physics Group conducts cutting-edge theoretical research aimed at uncovering how Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) governs the structure and dynamics of strongly interacting matter. We study how quarks and gluons generate the properties of hadrons, how partons evolve and form jets in high-energy collisions, and how QCD matter behaves in extreme conditions. Using modern tools such as Soft Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) and QCD factorization, we develop rigorous frameworks for parton dynamics, jet substructure, and multi-dimensional nucleon structure, while also exploring phenomena such as small-x gluon saturation and the quark–gluon plasma. Our work provides essential theoretical insights for experiments at the LHC, RHIC, Jefferson Lab, and the future Electron–Ion Collider (EIC).

We also pursue new computational approaches—ranging from tensor-network and quantum-simulation methods to machine-learning frameworks—to tackle nonperturbative, real-time, and high-dimensional QCD problems. These advances accelerate global analyses, enhance numerical simulations, and enable the design of innovative observables for precision studies. By integrating modern theory, advanced computation, and close connections to experimental efforts, our group bridges fundamental QCD research and nuclear and particle phenomenology, driving progress in our understanding of the strong interaction and the nature of nuclear matter. For more information, visit our research group website.

For inquiries, please contact: Prof. Zhongbo Kang.