Nuclear and particle physicist Lindley Winslow studies the physics of elementary particles and their role in the evolution and structure of the universe. Her focus is on developing novel detectors designed to detect particles and processes that have been calculated theoretically but not yet discovered experimentally.
At the Max Planck Institute for Physics, Lindley Winslow plans to drive forward the development of superconducting quantum sensors and high-temperature superconducting magnets, which are expected to lead to breakthroughs in two experiments.
The physicist is a co-founder of the CUPID experiment at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory. It investigates whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle. The detector consists of molybdenum oxide crystals operated by the world’s largest cooling system. Using highly sensitive quantum sensors, the researchers aim to detect a very rare radioactive decay. The dual nature of the neutrino could ultimately also answer the question of why matter dominates the universe and why antimatter has disappeared
The DMRadio experiment, for which Winslow currently serves as spokesperson, uses precision measurements in magnetic fields to search for the axion, a particle that has so far been merely hypothetical. Its discovery would shed light on the nature of dark matter, which accounts for 85 percent of the matter in the universe. Moreover, it could resolve important questions regarding the strong nuclear force that holds atomic nuclei together.
“Progress on key research questions in particle physics is based on innovative technologies,” explains Lindley Winslow. “However, the development of new superconducting quantum sensors and magnets is not only important for our field: they also constitute the key technologies for quantum computing and fusion energy—two areas that are high strategic priorities in Germany.” In addition, the new MPP director is or has been involved in various roles in the precision experiments ABRACADABRA, DarkSNSPD, CUORE KamLAND-Zen, and NuDot.
Biography
Lindley Winslow earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy and her master's degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her Ph.D. in 2008 from the same university. After serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2008 to 2012, she became an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She joined the MIT faculty in 2015 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. She served as the Associate
Department Head since 2022 and was a Full Professor since 2023. In 2021, she was appointed a Fellow of the American Physical Society.