Institut de recherche sur les lois fondamentales de l'Univers

The core of DPhP's activities is the understanding of the energy content and dynamics of the Universe at the fundamental level, by acquiring the appropriate experimental means, in synergy with the other Irfu’s departments, and in concert with the international scientific strategy. 
In particle physics, the established theoretical basis is the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM). Extremely robust and predictive, it nevertheless leaves many exciting open questions that the department is addressing from three angles: 

• Testing the internal consistency of the MS by precision measurements at the LHC (ATLAS and CMS), and in the future at the HL-LHC, and then at the collider that will take over (FCC, ILC or muon collider); 
• Testing the fundamental symmetries of the MS by studying neutrinos in long (T2K, HyperKamiokande or DUNE) or short (Double Chooz) baseline oscillation experiments, or with beta decays (KATRIN) or neutrinoless double beta decays (CUPID, BINGO), or with coherent neutrino scattering on nuclei (NUCLEUS), or by studying the fall of antimatter (GBAR); 
• Filling the gaps in the MS by probing the Universe with the different messengers at our disposal: studying dark energy (DESI), dark matter (H.E.S.S., CTA), gravitational waves (LISA), cosmic neutrinos (ANTARES), or hypothetical axions (GLEAD). 

To do this, the DPhP takes part in the development of detectors within projects, but also in more prospective R&D programs, for example in 5D calorimetry (BoldPET, ClearMind) or in muon tomography (ScanPyramids) which have direct societal applications.

   Access to DPhP's website :     http://irfu.cea.fr/dphp/en/index.php