| | 1 | The scientific program is focused on the investigation of the origin of mass and its consequences. The notion of mass and its generation permeates many aspects of fundamental physics. At the microscopic level it is intimately related to the mysterious nature of the vacuum and how particles acquire mass, to the questions of how matter forms and why there is much more matter than anti-matter. At the macroscopic level, it is intimately related to gravity, and to the observation that there is roughly five times more dark, non-luminous matter than ordinary matter. It is deeply rooted in the dynamics and history of the Universe through the even more mysterious presence of dark energy and the accelerating expansion. The project is original and innovative as it brings together physicists from different fields, from particle physics to cosmology, using different methodological approaches (from mathematical physics to instrumentation), sharing a common interest in the enigma of mass. The program is organized in three work packages, as described below. The strong interconnections between the packages are outlined. |
