From Fermilab to South Dakota: How DUNE Will Revolutionize Neutrino Physics

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a landmark international effort designed to answer some of the most compelling questions in particle physics and cosmology. By sending the world’s most intense neutrino beam 1,300 kilometers from Fermilab in Illinois to a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber detector located deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota, DUNE will open a new era in precision neutrino physics. Its primary goals include determining the ordering of neutrino masses, measuring neutrino oscillation parameters with unprecedented accuracy, and searching for charge-parity (CP) violation in the lepton sector—a discovery that could help explain why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter.

Beyond oscillation physics, DUNE offers an exceptionally broad scientific program. Its large, low-background far detector will be sensitive to neutrinos from core-collapse supernovae, providing a detailed record of these astrophysical events and insight into the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. DUNE will also have significant sensitivity to physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM), including searches for new interactions and particles that could deepen our understanding of fundamental forces. The experiment’s modular near detector, located at Fermilab, will precisely characterize the neutrino beam and constrain interaction models, ensuring the robustness of oscillation measurements.

Following the successful excavation of the underground caverns at SURF last year, construction of the first DUNE far detector cryostats will begin next year. This talk will provide an overview of DUNE’s scientific vision, technical innovations, and current status, highlighting how its combination of scale, precision, and versatility positions it to revolutionize our understanding of neutrinos and their role in the universe.