Speaker: Alan Poon (LBNL) - Title: Recent Results and Status of the Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Experiment LEGEND
2025-09-11 16:00 - 17:00 UTC
Research Progress Meeting
Date: September 11, 2025
Time: 4:00pm-5:00pm
Location: 70A-3-3377 [Note special location]
Speaker: Alan Poon (LBNL)
Title: Recent Results and Status of the Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Experiment LEGEND
Abstract: The Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless ββ Decay (LEGEND) is a phased international program designed to answer one of the highest-priority questions in fundamental physics — whether neutrinos are their own anti-particles. Its first phase, LEGEND-200, reuses the cryostat of a previous-generation experiment, GERDA, in Hall A of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) underground laboratory in Italy to house up to 200 kg of 76Ge-enriched high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. In this talk, I will present the latest results from LEGEND-200’s search for the lepton-number-violating neutrinoless double-beta decay. I will also provide a synopsis of the planning of the second phase of the experiment, LEGEND-1000.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Daniel Baxter (Fermilab) - Title: A QUIET place: Fermilab’s Underground Facilities for Quantum Sensing
2025-09-16 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
This is a joint seminar with the Interdisciplinary Instrumentation Colloquium (IIC).
Date: September 16, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: 50-4-Auditorium [Note location] [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Daniel Baxter (Fermilab)
Title: A QUIET place: Fermilab’s Underground Facilities for Quantum Sensing

Abstract: The infrastructure associated with building a large accelerator complex created some very unique spaces at Fermilab. In particular, the MINOS tunnel, excavated as part of the NuMI neutrino beam delivering neutrinos to the MINOS, MINERVA, and NOVA experiments, is an easily-accessible 100m underground experimental space. The rock overburden at this depth blocks 99.5% of all cosmic ray muons, and nearly all hadronic showers, creating a unique, low-background environment for novel detector development and calibration.
The NEXUS and QUIET laboratories, each equipped with dilution refrigerators for 10mK detector operation, are harnessing this opportunity. I will highlight the unique capabilities of these testbeds, as well as some of the interesting results that have come out of them. I will briefly touch on some of our ongoing studies and proposed experiments for the near future.
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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/97314813383?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 973 1481 3383
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Jim Strait (LBNL) - Title: CMB-S4: birth, life and death of a major science project
2025-09-25 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: September 25, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Jim Strait (LBNL)
Slides: Download slides
Title: CMB-S4: birth, life and death of a major science project
Abstract: CMB-S4 was envisioned to be a comprehensive ground-based CMB experiment to make transformative discoveries and new insights in fundamental physics, cosmology, astrophysics, and astronomy. It was conceived as a way to unite the entire CMB community to enable a ground-based experiment with capabilities beyond that of any of the smaller individual experiment to realize the enormous potential of CMB measurements for understanding the origin and evolution of the Universe, from the highest energies at the dawn of time through the growth of structure to the present day. CMB-S4 was launched with great promise and enthusiasm at the 2013 Snowmass Summer Study, grew into a large collaboration, built a capable project organization, developed an advanced technical design and scientific strategies, was endorsed by multiple high-level advisory committees, but ultimately was cancelled by the funding agencies in 2025. In this talk I will summarize the history and accomplishments of CMB-S4, and provide an analysis of why it did not succeed.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Xinran Li (LBNL) - Title: Athermal phonon detectors for light dark matter search, go small and go large
2025-10-02 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 2, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Xinran Li (LBNL)
Title: Athermal phonon detectors for light dark matter search, go small and go large
Abstract: Light dark matter below 100MeV could only deposit sub-eV energies in detectors, which is invisible to traditional solid state ionizing detectors. Athermal phonon detectors that use superconducting sensors to read out the phonon signals from the target crystals have the potential to achieve sub-eV energy threshold.
As a member of the TESSERACT collaboration, I work on the development of transition edge sensors (TESs). Our recent DM search achieved 1.5eV threshold and extended the constraint on DM mass down to 44MeV with a 0.23g silicon detector. Our latest understanding of the stress-induced low energy excess events suggests that an even smaller target could help us achieve sub-eV threshold.
On the other hand, to go large, envisioning the next generation 10~100g scale large light dark matter detector, kinetic inductance devices (KIDs) have the advantages of being easily scalable through multiplexing. I lead the effort to develop Hafnium (Hf) low critical temperature (Tc) KIDs for phonon sensing. The internal energy resolution of Hf KID is compatible to TESs, while improving phonon collection efficiency is challenging. Several paths forward are defined and being actively pursued, including quasiparticle trapping, phonon blocking, and parametric amplification.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Tim Nelson (SLAC) - Title: Light Dark Matter eXperiment: A Discovery Experiment for Sub-GeV Dark Matter at SLAC
2025-10-14 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 14, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Tim Nelson (SLAC)
Title: Light Dark Matter eXperiment: A Discovery Experiment for Sub-GeV Dark Matter at SLAC
Abstract: As searches for WIMPs approach fundamental sensitivity limits, interest in the more general class of thermal relics has emerged, where these dark matter candidates give rise to clear and testable predictions in small, accelerator-based experiments. The Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) — proposed to operate in End Station A at SLAC using LCLS-II drive beam — is uniquely capable of searching for sub-GeV thermal relics that can explain the observed dark matter abundance. In this talk, I will review the motivations for these searches, describe how LDMX works, and discuss the status of efforts to realize the experiment.
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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Chuan-Hong Liu (LBNL) - Title: Nonequilibrium Quasiparticles in Superconducting Quantum Bits
2025-10-16 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 16, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Chuan-Hong Liu (LBNL)
Title: Nonequilibrium Quasiparticles in Superconducting Quantum Bits
Abstract: The ideal superconductor offers a pristine host for the fragile quantum states of a superconducting quantum computer. With an energy gap protecting against low-energy excitations, qubits should, in principle, be isolated from unwanted modes that cause irreversible decay of quantum information. In practice, however, a significant density of excitations persists above the superconducting ground state, even at ultralow temperatures. These excitations, known as quasiparticles, can drain energy from the qubit mode and induce dephasing, thereby degrading quantum computer’s performance. In this talk, we will discuss two dominant mechanisms of quasiparticle generation: resonant millimeter-wave absorption and impacts from high-energy particles. We further show that careful device design, combined with a well-shielded operating environment, provides effective strategies to mitigate quasiparticle poisoning. A deeper understanding of these processes will be essential for realizing the next generation of superconducting quantum computers that are resilient against quasiparticle-induced errors.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Daniel Carney (LBNL) - Title: Experimental quantum gravity
2025-10-23 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Daniel Carney (LBNL)
Title: Experimental quantum gravity
Abstract: This will be an informal talk on some ideas related to testing aspects of quantum gravity in experiments. There are two basic directions I will cover. One is experiments aimed at determining whether the gravitational field is a quantized degree of freedom in the real world. In particular, I will discuss an experiment in this direction that we developed joint with Holger Muller on campus and which is about to come online. The other direction is a bit newer and something that I think our quantum groups at LBL could contribute to: quantum simulation of holographic physics (e.g., AdS/CFT).
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Dan Dwyer (LBNL) - Title: Development of the DUNE Near Detector
2025-10-28 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 28, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Dan Dwyer (LBNL)
Title: Development of the DUNE Near Detector
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an ambitious effort to measure neutrino properties via long-distance (1300 km) flavor oscillation of accelerator-generated neutrinos and antineutrinos. I will review the scientific challenges of this measurement, the details of neutrino detection using immense liquid argon time-projection chambers, and the crucial role of the DUNE Near Detector. I will highlight the role Berkeley Lab has played in development of the key technology and design of the Near Detector, as well as experiences from operation of a large-scale prototype in a beam of antineutrinos.
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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Special RPM: Academic Career Panel
2025-10-30 15:00 - 17:00
Special Research Progress Meeting – note special time and location.
Date: October 30, 2025
Time: 3:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Building 50 Auditorium [In-Person and HYBRID]
Panelists:
Benjamin Safdi (UC Berkeley & LBNL)
Gabriel Orebi Gann (UC Berkeley & LBNL)
Simone Pagan Griso (LBNL)
Michael Levi (LBNL)
Kathryn Grimm (CalState East Bay)
Title: Academic Career Panel
Summary: The Academic Career Panel will focus on the faculty job application and interview process. The event is especially geared toward postdocs preparing to apply for national lab or university faculty positions, but everyone is welcome to attend. Panelists will include LBNL senior scientists and faculty members from UC Berkeley and neighboring universities, who will share their experiences and answer questions about pursuing academic careers. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions about any aspect of the academic job process.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Gianpaolo Carosi (LLNL) - Title: Tuning into Dark Matter with the ADMX experiment
2025-11-06 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: November 6, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Gianpaolo Carosi (LLNL)
Title: Tuning into Dark Matter with the ADMX experiment
Abstract: The primordial axion remains one of the best solutions to both dark matter and the strong-CP problem (or why the neutron doesn’t have a measurable electric-dipole moment). The Axion Dark Matter Experiment (ADMX), which started at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the mid-1990s, is the DOE Flagship search for these particles in the micro-eV mass range. The experiment uses tunable resonant cavities in a large static magnetic field to enhance the conversion of dark matter axions to detectable microwaves in the GHz range. Quantum-limited amplifiers based on superconducting Josephson Junction circuits are critical to allow the search to be sensitive enough to rapidly scan the frequencies where the axion may exist. Here I will describe the detection strategy of ADMX, the progress made so far and outline the potential next phase of the experiment dubbed ADMX-Extended Frequency Range (ADMX-EFR). I will also discuss LLNL’s involvement in the nascent BREAD broadband axion search.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Xiaochen Ni (University of Washington) - Title: Development of TopmetalSe: CMOS/aSe Hybrid Detectors for Neutrino Physics
2025-11-20 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: November 20, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Xiaochen Ni (University of Washington)
Title: Development of TopmetalSe: CMOS/aSe Hybrid Detectors for Neutrino Physics
Abstract: The Selena experiment couples an amorphous selenium (aSe) ionization target to a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) pixel array as an imaging detector for next-generation neutrino physics. Hybrid a-Se/CMOS detectors provide a unique combination of high-Z stopping power, direct charge conversion, and fine-pitch pixel imaging. These properties enable precise reconstruction of ionization tracks with excellent spatial resolution, allowing for low-background measurements with advanced event classification. In this talk, I will present Selena’s capabilities for a neutrinoless double-beta decay search and share the ongoing detector R&D, including the design, fabrication, and characterization of its first prototype pixel array, TopmetalSe, produced in the SkyWater 130 nm open-source CMOS process.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Mun Jung Jung (University of Chicago) - Title: Quasielastic–like Interactions of Muon Neutrinos in SBND
2025-11-25 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: November 25, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Mun Jung Jung (University of Chicago)
Title: Quasielastic–like Interactions of Muon Neutrinos in SBND
Abstract: The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND), the near detector of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab, has completed a successful Run 1, delivering an unprecedented dataset of neutrino-argon interactions. One of the first targets for SBND is the muon neutrino charged-current quasielastic–like channel, the dominant exclusive topology in SBN and a sensitive probe of nuclear effects. In this talk, I’ll present progress toward the first SBND physics results and discuss how the quasielastic-like channel can be studied to test interaction models and lay the foundation for the broader neutrino-nucleus interaction and oscillation physics program at SBND and SBN.
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https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/95679892182?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Josef Sorenson (University of New Mexico) - Title: Rare B Meson Decays and Precision Timing for Future Colliders
2025-12-02 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: December 2, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Josef Sorenson (University of New Mexico)
Title: Rare B Meson Decays and Precision Timing for Future Colliders
Abstract: Flavor Changing Neutral Currents (FCNCs) are suppressed in the Standard Model (SM). Approximately one in ten billion neutral B mesons decays into pairs of oppositely charged muons. This suppression, combined with the precise theoretical SM predictions, makes this decay a promising channel to search for New Physics. I will present progress towards the latest measurement of the decay of B mesons to muon pairs using the ATLAS Run 2 dataset. The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) provides an excellent opportunity for measuring this channel, with an expected 3000 fb-1 of p-p collision data. I will present R&D towards precision timing sensors and electronics to deal with the adverse radiation and pileup environments in the HL-LHC and future colliders.
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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Brinden Carlson (University of Florida) - Title: Machine Learning Reconstruction Enhancing SBND's Neutrino Physics Program
2025-12-04 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: December 4, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Brinden Carlson (University of Florida)
Title: Machine Learning Reconstruction Enhancing SBND’s Neutrino Physics Program
Abstract: The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) is a 100-ton Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) neutrino detector in the Booster Neutrino Beam at Fermilab, part of the Short-Baseline Neutrino program. I will present my work developing and deploying SPINE, an end-to-end machine learning reconstruction algorithm for neutrino events in LArTPCs. SPINE provides high-quality particle identification and interaction clustering, enabling precision neutrino-argon cross-section measurements and high-quality neutrino selections for oscillation analyses. I will demonstrate SPINE’s impact through a muon neutrino charged current inclusive selection, comparing traditional reconstruction methods to the SPINE-based approach, and discuss how this reconstruction capability supports the SBN program’s physics goals for both cross-section measurements and oscillation analyses.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Kehang Bai (University of Oregon) - Title: Exploring the Dark Sector with Low-Mass, Long-Lived Dark Photons and the ATLAS Silicon Tracker
2025-12-09 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: December 9, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Kehang Bai (University of Oregon)
Title: Exploring the Dark Sector with Low-Mass, Long-Lived Dark Photons and the ATLAS Silicon Tracker
Abstract: The rich phenomenology of dark sector models offers exciting opportunities for discovering new physics at the Large Hadron Collider. In this talk, I will present the first ATLAS search for low-mass, long-lived dark photons with displaced vertices in the silicon tracker. This novel signature expands sensitivity to regions of parameter space beyond conventional resonance searches. I will highlight the experimental challenges of searching for long-lived particles in the low-mass regime and emphasize the importance of detailed detector understanding. Finally, I will discuss key aspects of the ATLAS Inner Tracker upgrade for the upcoming high-luminosity era of the Large Hadron Collider.
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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Alexis Mulski (Harvard) - Title: Looking for Unusual Ionization in High-Momentum Particles with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC
2025-12-11 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: December 11, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Alexis Mulski, Harvard University
Title: Looking for Unusual Ionization in High-Momentum Particles with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC
Abstract: What if we could measure the mass of every high momentum charged particle in the ATLAS detector? This talk details the tools in development to make that a reality for tracks associated with a large ionization energy loss (dE/dx). I will place particular emphasis on a new dE/dx measurement from gaseous drift tubes in the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer, born from a detailed understanding of detector hardware and readout electronics. I will present this measurement alongside other Muon-Spectrometer-based tools that aid us in the hunt for long-lived massive and/or di-charged particles, including dedicated reconstruction techniques. I will also discuss the progress of the New Small Wheel upgrade of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer, and outline the commissioning of the MicroMegas detector trigger in view of the upcoming High-Luminosity LHC era.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Elise Hinkle (University of Chicago) - Title: More than Just a Prototype: How the 2x2 Demonstrator is Essential to DUNE’s Success
2025-12-16 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: December 16, 2025
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Elise Hinkle (University of Chicago)
Title: More than Just a Prototype: How the 2×2 Demonstrator is Essential to DUNE’s Success
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an upcoming long-baseline neutrino experiment with a multitude of physics goals including determining the neutrino mass ordering and searching for CP violation in the lepton sector. In 2024, the DUNE collaboration collected its first neutrino beam data using the 2×2 Demonstrator, a prototype for DUNE’s liquid argon near detector (ND-LAr) located in the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beamline at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). This talk will explore how these 2×2 data are critical in validating key ND-LAr design choices, such as the use of liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, optically isolated modules, and pixelated charge readout. Furthermore, this talk will explain how these 2×2 data are essential in fulfilling ND-LAr’s purpose of reducing beam, detector, and cross section systematic uncertainties in DUNE oscillation measurements.

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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Livio Calivers (University of Bern) - Title: Light Detection for Modular Liquid Argon Neutrino Detectors: From Concept to Beam Data in the DUNE Near Detector
2026-01-08 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: January 8, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Livio Calivers, University of Bern
Title: Light Detection for Modular Liquid Argon Neutrino Detectors: From Concept to Beam Data in the DUNE Near Detector
Abstract: The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) aims to perform precision measurements of neutrino oscillations, which require stringent control of systematic uncertainties at the Near Detector. A major challenge arises from the severe interaction pile-up in liquid-argon time projection chambers operating near the origin of the intense neutrino beam. This talk describes how fast scintillation-light detection is exploited to enhance event reconstruction and interaction timing in the modular Liquid Argon Near Detector (ND-LAr). The design of the ArCLight system is presented—a fully dielectric, SiPM-based light detector integrated directly into the TPC drift field, providing efficient photon collection with minimal inactive material. Results from the DUNE 2×2 Demonstrator operated in the NuMI beam at Fermilab include the observation of neutrino interactions and a demonstrated sub-4 ns timing resolution, sufficient to resolve the accelerator bunch structure and enable in-spill interaction separation.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Matthias Vigl (Technical University of Munich) - Title: Machine-Learning Scaling Laws for LHC Physics: How Scale Unlocks Breakthrough Gains in Physics Sensitivity
2026-01-13 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: January 13, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Matthias Vigl (Technical University of Munich)
Title: Machine-Learning Scaling Laws for LHC Physics: How Scale Unlocks Breakthrough Gains in Physics Sensitivity
Abstract: High Energy Physics and deep learning have historically taken different routes to data processing: in collider physics, performance has been driven by deep, hand-engineered pipelines that encode decades of domain knowledge, while modern machine learning has advanced primarily through scale, leveraging large datasets and increasingly generic model architectures. While machine learning has long been embedded in the HEP analysis pipeline, the rate of improvement has remained slower than the rapid, scale-driven progress observed in industry.
This talk contrasts physics-driven and scale-driven approaches to data processing and shows how foundation-model principles (scaling laws, transfer learning, and end-to-end optimization) can be applied to HEP analyses. Compute-optimal scaling laws are derived for the state-of-the-art ATLAS jet flavor tagger and validated by training models two orders of magnitude beyond previous compute regimes, yielding predictable performance improvements in line with industry-scale models. When translated into physics sensitivity for flagship ATLAS analyses such as HH(4b) at the High-Luminosity LHC, these gains correspond to improvements equivalent to multiple years of data taking, motivating a shift toward large-scale ML model training and deployment within LHC experiments.

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Meeting ID: 956 7989 2182
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Speaker: Daniel Kodroff (LBNL) - Title: New Results on Solar Neutrinos and Light Dark Matter Searches with the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment
2026-01-22 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: January 22, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Daniel Kodroff, LBNL
Title: New Results on Solar Neutrinos and Light Dark Matter Searches with the LUX-ZEPLIN Experiment
Abstract: LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a direct detection dark matter experiment led by Berkeley Lab. Located nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA, LZ employs a 7 tonne active volume of liquid xenon in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). In this talk, I will discuss the status of the experiment and present recent results on searches for dark matter candidates and coherent elastic neutrino nucleus scattering (CEvNS) from Boron-8 solar neutrinos. I will then discuss the implications of these measurements and the experiment’s future prospects.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Vladimir Tishchenko (Brookhaven National Laboratory) - Title: The Muon g-2 Experiment: A Precision Test of the Standard Model
2026-01-29 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: January 29, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Vladimir Tishchenko, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Title: The Muon g-2 Experiment: A Precision Test of the Standard Model
Abstract: The anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, aμ, is among the most precisely measured quantities in particle physics and a powerful probe of physics within and beyond the Standard Model. The Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab was motivated by a long-standing ~3.5σ discrepancy between theory and experiment and aimed to improve the experimental precision by a factor of four. In 2025, the collaboration reported its final result based on six years of data, reaching a precision of 127 parts per billion. This talk will summarize the experimental method, key systematic challenges, and the final measurement, and discuss its implications for ongoing efforts at the precision frontier.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Kirit Karkare (Boston University) - Title: On-Chip Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy for Line Intensity Mapping: SuperSpec and SPT-SLIM
2026-02-12 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: February 12, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Kirit Karkare, Boston University
Title: On-Chip Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy for Line Intensity Mapping: SuperSpec and SPT-SLIM
Abstract: Answering outstanding questions in cosmology – such as understanding the nature of inflation, dark energy, and reionization – requires observations of ever-increasing volumes of the universe. In this talk I will discuss how we can use line intensity mapping (LIM) of far-IR emission lines to measure large volumes at high redshift. This technique is enabled by advances in millimeter-wave spectrometer technology. I will present two on-chip spectrometer projects: SuperSpec, which pioneered the concept and was deployed to the Large Millimeter Telescope, and SPT-SLIM, a pathfinder LIM experiment at the South Pole. Both projects saw first light in 2025. I will discuss what we’re learning from their first observations and outline the path towards large, dense focal planes with the sensitivity required for next-generation cosmology.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Jamie Bock (JPL) - Title: Spectrally Mapping the Sky with SPHEREx
2026-02-19 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: February 19, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Jamie Bock, JPL
Title: Spectrally Mapping the Sky with SPHEREx
Abstract: Launched in March 2025, SPHEREx is an all-sky spectral survey satellite designed to address three science goals with a single instrument, a wide-field imager. SPHEREx probes the physics of inflation through measurements of non-Gaussianity by studying large-scale structure, surveying a large cosmological volume at low redshifts. The program charts the origin and history of galaxy formation by mapping large-scale spatial power in two deep fields located near the ecliptic poles. SPHEREx also investigates the origin of water and biogenic molecules in the early phases of planetary system formation – from molecular clouds to young stellar systems with protoplanetary disks – by measuring ice absorption spectra. Following in the tradition of all-sky missions, SPHEREx will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectral survey, producing four complete all-sky maps that will serve as a rich archive for the astronomy community. With over a billion detected galaxies, hundreds of millions of high-quality stellar and galactic spectra, and over a million ice absorption spectra, the archive will enable diverse scientific investigations across astronomy. Our two-year mission recently completed its first map of the full sky. I will share the performance of the instrument in flight and some early results.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Jason Rhodes (JPL) - Title: Mapping the Dark Universe with Euclid
2026-02-26 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: February 26, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Jason Rhodes (JPL)
Title: Mapping the Dark Universe with Euclid
Abstract: After 2 decades of preparation, the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope was launched on July 1, 2023. Euclid’s primary goal is to study the dark universe and help us better understand the enigmatic dark matter and dark energy that make up the bulk of the universe. I will talk about my personal journey in bringing Euclid to fruition, give the details of the Euclid telescope and instruments that make it so powerful as a dark energy probe, talk about the science that came out of Euclid’s 60 square degree data release in 2025, plans for science with Euclid’s ~2000 square degree data release in late 2026 and Euclid’s eventual full data release of 14,000 square degrees.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: Calvin Leung (UC Berkeley) - Title: From Radio Interferometry to Astrophysics and Cosmology using Fast Radio Bursts
2026-03-05 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: March 5, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Calvin Leung (UC Berkeley)
Title: From Radio Interferometry to Astrophysics and Cosmology using Fast Radio Bursts
Abstract: Since their discovery, Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have ascended into one of the most exciting areas of astrophysics due to their mysterious origin and emerging broad utility as cosmic probes. I will outline how the CHIME/FRB Outriggers array — a widefield VLBI array — leads this growing field. Next, I will showcase the immense potential of FRBs as probes: of the diffuse baryons in the circumgalactic medium; the feedback processes which drive galaxy evolution; and eventually, how FRB cross correlations with weak lensing surveys may enable clean measurements of dark matter on megaparsec scales.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]

Speaker: J. Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux (UIC) - Title: First Physics Results from the JUNO Experiment
2026-03-19 16:00 - 17:00
Research Progress Meeting
Date: March 19, 2026
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: J. Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux (UIC)
Title: First Physics Results from the JUNO Experiment
Abstract: Neutrinos are elusive particles with unique properties that offer key insights into the fundamental structure of matter and the cosmic sources that produce them. The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a next-generation, 20-kiloton liquid scintillator detector, the largest of its kind in the world, located in China and recently brought into operation after more than a decade of design and construction. In this talk, I will review the initial detector performance and present the first results from the experiment, based on about 60 days of data, which provide world-leading estimates of two neutrino oscillation parameters. I will also briefly outline the broader physics program enabled by JUNO and the additional measurements it aims to pursue.
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464

Passcode: [REDACTED]
