Non-accelerator particle physics

The goals of this research are the experimental testing of fundamental theories of physics such as grand unification and the exploration of cosmic phenomena through the techniques of particle physics. We are currently engaged in construction of the MACRO detector, an Italian-American collaborative research instrument with a total particle acceptance of 10,000 m2sr, which will perform a sensitive search for magnetic monopoles using excitation-ionization methods. Other major objective of the MACRO experiment are to search for astrophysical high energy neutrinos expected to be emitted by such objects as Vela X-1, LMC X-4 and SN-1987A and to search for low energy neutrino bursts from gravitational stellar collapse. We are also working on BOREX, a liquid scintillation solar neutrino experiment and GRANDE, a proposed very large area surface detector for astrophysical neutrinos, and on the development of new techniques for liquid scintillation detection