Professor Jaroslaw Nowak FHEA

Professor of Particle Physics

Research Overview

Research Focus

My research in high-energy particle physics centres on precision modelling and experimental measurement of neutrino-nucleus interactions. I work at the interface of theory and experiment, aiming to understand how neutrinos interact with matter and what those interactions reveal about nuclear physics and physics beyond the Standard Model.

Current areas of investigation include:

  • Neutrino Scattering Dynamics: Resonance excitation, pion production, two-nucleon (2p2h) excitations, and hyperon production in neutrino interactions.
  • Strangeness and Hyperon Production: Measurement and modelling of strange-particle production in neutrino-argon interactions, including quasi-elastic Σ⁰ and Σ*(1385) channels, with analyses on MicroBooNE and SBND.
  • Nuclear Environment Effects: How nuclear medium effects and final-state interactions shape scattering signatures in heavy nuclei such as argon.
  • Neutron Stars and the Dense-Matter Equation of State: Using hyperon final-state interactions measured in neutrino experiments to constrain the hyperon-nucleon interaction, which governs the onset of hyperons in neutron-star cores and the equation of state of dense matter.
  • Proton Decay: Simulation of bound-nucleon decay in liquid argon and its sensitivity in DUNE, including the p → K⁺ν̄ and p → e⁺π⁰ channels and the role of nuclear effects in distinguishing Grand Unified Theory models.
  • Beyond Standard Model (BSM) Physics: Searches for the neutrino magnetic moment and exploration of dark matter candidates.

Technical Leadership and Software Development

A significant part of my work is developing simulation tools used across the neutrino community.

  • NuWro Generator: Initial developer and author of this neutrino interaction generator, with recent contributions to its hyperon production models.
  • LUNAR: Author of LUNAR, an open-source Monte Carlo generator for bound proton and neutron decay in argon-40, the target nucleus of the DUNE far detector. It covers the standard two-body nucleon decay modes, offers ten nuclear ground-state models from mean-field Fermi gases to argon spectral functions, and propagates the decay products through the nucleus with an intranuclear cascade. Code: github.com/LUNARPDK/lunarpdk. Paper: LUNAR: a Monte Carlo generator for bound-nucleon decay in liquid argon, Phys. Rev. D, doi:10.1103/mw7s-jl1c.
  • StrangeMC: Author and developer of StrangeMC, a Monte Carlo generator for strange-particle and hyperon production in neutrino-argon interactions. I develop it continuously as part of my research, and it implements the newest strangeness production models.
  • Community Contributions: Author of the resonance production models in the GENIE and NUANCE generators, used by major experiments worldwide.

Experimental Hardware and Collaborations

I have extensive experience across the full lifecycle of particle physics detectors, from design and construction to on-site installation and commissioning.

Current Projects:I am an active member and hardware contributor to the following international collaborations:

  • DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment)
  • SBND (Short-Baseline Near Detector)
  • DarkSide-20k (Direct Dark Matter Search)
  • MicroBooNE

Past Contributions:My previous instrumentation work includes contributions to NOvA, SMRD, and HPTPC (High-Pressure Time Projection Chamber).

Science Community Day
Types of Public engagement and outreach - Festival/Exhibition

Workshop in Polish Saturday School in Preston
Other

DUNE/LBNF UK Project meeting
Other

Open Symposium European Strategy for Particle Physics
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

IoP Joint APP and HEPP Conference
Participation in conference - Academic

Science Community Day
Festival/Exhibition/Concert

SBND Physics Planning meting
Participation in conference - Business/Professional

DUNE Collaboration meeting
Participation in conference - Business/Professional

DUNE/LBNF UK Project meeting
Other

SBND Collaboration meeting
Participation in conference - Business/Professional

MicroBooNE cross section measurements
Invited talk

Extended Fermilab visit - SBND
Other

LBNF/DUNE UK Project meeting
Other

Royal Society Summer Exhibition
Festival/Exhibition/Concert

DUNE Collaboration meeting
Participation in conference - Business/Professional

Science Community Day
Festival/Exhibition/Concert

DUNE/LBNF UK Project meeting
Other

Short Baseline neutrino programme at Fermilab and SBND
Invited talk

LBNF/DUNE UK Project meeting
Other

MicroBooNE experiment collaboration meeting and analysis workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

LBNF/DUNE UK Project meeting
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Short-baseline oscillation experiments at Fermilab
Invited talk

Recent Results of MicroBooNe Experiment
Invited talk

Polish Supplementary Schools
School Engagement

Polish Supplementary Schools
School Engagement

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Peer Review College
Expert Opinion

Workshop on Low Energy Physics in Liquid Argon
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

New Perspectives 2020
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

SLAC Summer Institute 2020
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

40th International Conference on High Energy Physics
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

The XXIX International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

RECONNECT 2020
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

APS April Meeting 2020
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

Absolute Neutrino Mass Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Dark Matter UK Community Meeting
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Impact of Res+ modeling to the sub-GeV global neutrino oscillation program
Invited talk

LIDINE 2019
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

DUNE Collaboration (External organisation)
Membership of committee

UK PP Community Meeting: From Open Symposium to Drafting Session
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

IOP HEPP & APP
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

UK HEP Forum
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

Short-Baseline Neutrino Programme at Fermilab
Invited talk

DUNE experiment
Invited talk

Neutrino oscillation physics
Oral presentation

IOP HEPP & APP
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

NuWro Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

NuWro First years
Invited talk

2nd UK LArTPC Software Analysis Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

18th International Workshop on Next generation Nucleon Decay and Neutrino Detectors
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

19th International Workshop on Neutrinos and Accelerators
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

DUNE Collaboration (External organisation)
Membership of committee

SBND Experiment (External organisation)
Other Membership

Review of current neutrino simulation efforts (GENIE, NEUT, nuWRO)
Invited talk

Neutrino Interactions and Cross Sections
Invited talk

Neutrino Interactions and Cross Section
Invited talk

Exotic Neutrinos Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

First constraints on CP violation in the lepton sector from the T2K experiment
Invited talk

Systematics for proton decay in SK/HK/DUNE (review talk)
Invited talk

An Experimental Programme at the DUNE Experiment​​
Invited talk

LArTPC Software and Analysis Workshop
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Current issues in neutrino interaction physics
Invited talk

LArTPC14
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

SBND Experiment (External organisation)
Membership of committee

IOP HEPP &APP
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

NUFACT2014
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Development of Massive Liquid Argon TPCs for LBNE
Invited talk

ICHEP0214 - 37th nternational Conference on High Energy Physics
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

NOvA NDOS CCQE xsec result
Invited talk

NuInt2014 - 9th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

NuInt2014 - 9th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

NuInt2014 - 9th International Workshop on Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in the Few-GeV Region
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Neutrino interaction systematics for future experiments: The theory perspective
Invited talk

NuSTEC Neutrino Generator School
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Electron scattering data and its use in constraining neutrino models
Invited talk

Review of transision/DIS hadronization
Invited talk

IoP HEPP & APP
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

NuSTEC Neutrino Generator School
Participation in workshop, seminar, course

Krittika Adhikari

Krittika Adhikari

PhD student

Experimental Particle Physics

Rachel Coackley

Rachel Coackley

PhD student

Experimental Particle Physics

Rebecca Harris

Rebecca Harris

PhD student

Experimental Particle Physics

Beth McCusker

Beth McCusker

PhD student

Experimental Particle Physics

Owen O'Connor

Owen O'Connor

PhD student

  • Experimental Particle Physics