The laboratory of corpuscular physics in Caen is dedicated to fundamental research in the field of subatomic physics. Its research teams study the properties of the forces at work in atomic nuclei in order to understand the mechanisms responsible for their formation.
The study of exotic nuclei, short-lived artificial nuclei, provides crucial information for the development of models of nuclear structure with which it is possible to better understand the formation of elements in the Universe.
Highly accurate measurements, such as the dipole electric moment and the lifetime of the neutron, the study of nuclear beta decay, the determination of the mass and nature of the neutrino, etc. are carried out in order to test the hypotheses of the Standard Model of Elementary Particles. The discovery of deviations from the predictions of this Model would signal the existence of new physics.
The study of collisions between heavy ions allows to access the equation of state of nuclear matter, to deduce its properties and to explain the violent phenomena observed in the Universe such as the supernovae explosion.
The theoretical study of nuclei contributes to the progress in the understanding of the infinitely small, which presents phenomenologies similar to those of macroscopic systems.
In response to strong societal demands, the laboratory also conducts interdisciplinary and applied research in the field of downstream nuclear power (transmutation of nuclear waste) and hadrontherapy (treatment of cancers using ion beams).
Design office, design of detectors, electronics and associated microelectronics (expertise in analog electronics, digital signal processing, real-time acquisition of multiparameter data, software development).