Nuclear Physics - Experiment

Nuclear Physics - Experiment is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Supports experimental research in nuclear physics, including nuclear astrophysics and fundamental symmetries.

Nuclear Physics - Experiment ( NP-E) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation MPS Physics Research Programs (MPS Physics) Nuclear Physics - Experiment ( NP-E) View image credit & caption Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. Supports experimental research at the frontiers of nuclear physics in the following areas: nuclear astrophysics, structure and reactions; nuclear and hadron quantum chromodynamics; precision measurements of fundamental symmetries and constants.

Supports experimental research at the frontiers of nuclear physics in the following areas: nuclear astrophysics, structure and reactions; nuclear and hadron quantum chromodynamics; precision measurements of fundamental symmetries and constants.

Proposal submission Target Date: The second Tuesday in December December 8, 2026, for fiscal year 2027 Proposals submitted after the Target Date of the fiscal year may be considered for funding in the following fiscal year. Nuclear physics ranges from the very tiny kernel at the center of all atoms to gigantic stars burning throughout the universe, as understood through the strong and electroweak interactions.

It seeks to answer questions such as: How do quarks and gluons make up protons, neutrons, and atomic nuclei? How do the rich patterns observed in the structure and reactions of nuclei emerge from the interactions between neutrons and protons? What are the nuclear processes that drive the birth, life, and death of stars?

How do we use atomic nuclei to uncover physics beyond the Standard Model? Responding to these fundamental questions leads researchers to develop both innovative and incremental advances in nuclear physics and other fields.

The Nuclear Physics - Experiment program supports research at the frontiers of nuclear science, including: properties and behavior of nuclei and nuclear matter under extreme conditions, and/or as they relate to astrophysical phenomena; the quark-gluon basis for the structure and dynamics of hadrons and nuclei; phase transitions of nuclear matter from normal nuclear density and temperature to the high-temperature quark-gluon plasma; basic interactions and fundamental symmetries; and neutrino properties as determined through neutrino-less double beta decay.

This research involves many venues, including low-energy to multi-GeV electrons and photons; intermediate-energy light ions; low-energy to relativistic heavy ions, including radioactive beams; cold and ultra-cold neutrons; weakly decaying nuclei; as well as non-accelerator-based experiments. The program supports university groups executing experiments at laboratories and facilities in the United States and abroad.

The program also supports smaller university-based accelerator facilities. Some awards are co-funded with other programs within MPS Physics and elsewhere at NSF. Proposals that include scientific scope outside the program may be co-reviewed with other MPS Physics programs or other NSF programs.

Proposals submitted to the program that are determined to be more complex may, at the discretion of the program, be subjected to additional levels of review. Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Map of recent awards made through this program Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)