Rebekah Pestes
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Dr. Rebekah Pestes

Theoretical Particle Physicist

Neutrino Physics

As a particle physicist, I investigate the smallest constituents of our universe and their interactions with each other, which end up producing all the phenomena that we see around us, as well as what we do not see.  Within the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics, there is a group of particles, called neutrinos, that only interact with other particles using the weak nuclear force, which as the name suggests, is incredibly weak.  This makes them very difficult to detect, but it also makes them great particles to study, since we know the least about them of all the particles in the SM.  The anomalies that have been persisting in neutrino experiments suggest that they can provide clues about how the SM needs to be changed in order to better describe reality, and it is my pleasure to join in the efforts of the physics community to figure out as much as we can about these fascinating particles.

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