Fundamental Nuclear and Particle Physics At Neutron Sources

TL;DR

Neutron sources like the ESS offer unique opportunities for fundamental physics research, enabling precision measurements that can explore new physics beyond current high-energy colliders.

Contribution

This paper summarizes a workshop assessing the potential of neutron sources for probing physics beyond the Standard Model, highlighting their role in future discoveries.

Findings

ESS will be the world's brightest pulsed neutrino source

Neutron sources can probe energy scales beyond the LHC

Workshop identified key experiments and future prospects

Abstract

Fundamental neutron and neutrino physics at neutron sources, combining precision measurements and theory, can probe new physics at energy scales well beyond the highest energies probed by the LHC and possible future high energy collider facilities. The European Spallation Source (ESS) will in the not too far future be a most powerful pulsed neutron source and simultaneously the world's brightest pulsed neutrino source. The ESS, and neutron sources in general, can provide unprecedented and unique opportunities to contribute to the search for the missing elements in the Standard Model of particle physics. Currently there are no strong indications where hints of the origin of the new physics will emerge. A multi-pronged approach will provide the fastest path to fill the gaps in our knowledge and neutron sources have a pivotal role to play. To survey the ongoing and proposed physics experiments at neutron sources and assess their potential impact, a workshop was held at Lund University in January, 2025. This report is a summary of that workshop and has been prepared as input to the European Strategy Update.