Research Description
Benjamin Jones is developing a new approach to probing the quantum nature of neutrino mass through the rare process of double electron capture in argon gas — an abundant and cost-effective medium. His research bridges nuclear physics, organic synthesis, analytical chemistry, and super-resolution microscopy to develop chemical imaging methods capable of tagging individual S⁺ and Se⁺ ions produced in nuclear decays. By designing supramolecular structures for ultra-sensitive ion detection and engineering gas-phase reactions to stabilize highly reactive molecule or ion that emerges from the process, Jones’s team aims to create a platform for single-molecule sensing at the gas-solid interface. Their benchtop experiment could serve as a proof-of-principle search for lepton-number-violating processes, opening a new path toward understanding neutrino properties and enabling future large-scale detectors.
Research Impact
Professor Jones is tackling one of the most demanding challenges in analytic chemistry. By developing supramolecular structures for selective sensing of highly reactive ions like S⁺ and Se⁺, his work aims to open new experimental pathways to uncovering the quantum nature of the neutrino and its role in the early Universe. Beyond fundamental physics, the techniques could have broad potential applications in microscopy, catalysis, battery technology, and precision sensing for rare processes.
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related links
Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative 
Science
University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Physics
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