Our nuclear and particle physics program asks the sorts of questions that people have wondered about for eons: When and how did the universe form? What are its building blocks, and how can we measure them? Our research delves deep into these questions about the universe and how the forces within it work together.

Our fundamental physics program creates and exploits new technical capabilities to enhance both our knowledge and our national security. Our focus is on the direct detection of dark matter, known to make up most of the matter in the universe, and the measurement of the properties of neutrinos that might indicate their potential role in the origins of the known matter in our universe.

One key enabler of this mission is PNNL’s Shallow Underground Laboratory. Buried 40 feet underground, with thick shielding dampening the incident flux of cosmic rays, our scientists develop some of the most radioactively pure materials ever made. The materials are a key ingredient in sensitive nuclear detectors vital to PNNL’s missions in national security and the search for dark matter and neutrino properties.

Our portrait of the universe is becoming more complete due to the combined efforts of scientists at PNNL working collaboratively with a global network of scientists pursuing the big questions worldwide.