Current Research
I am involved in the SNO+ experiment located in Sudbury, Canada. The goal of this experiment is to observe neutrinoless double-beta-decay, which would mean neutrinos are their own antiparticles. However, this experiment can also measure neutrinos coming from following sources:
- The Earth (geoneutrinos), to determine the radiogenic heat production in the Earth.
- Nearby nuclear reactors, to precisely measure neutrino oscillation parameters.
- A supernova in the milkyway, to determine the nature of supernova and neutrinos.
- The Sun, to determine the nature of the Sun.
I am looking for undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs. If you are interested please contact me ntolich@u.washington.edu
Biographical Sketch
In 1999 I received my M.Sc. from the University of Auckland working with Prof. Paul Barker. My thesis was a precise measurement of the 14N+p→14O+n threshold, which is an important parameter in determining the first element of the CKM matrix based on superallowed beta decay FT values.
In 2005 I received my Ph.D. from Stanford University working with Prof. Giorgio Gratta on the KamLAND experiment. My thesis was a first measurement of neutrinos originating from the Earth, referred to as geoneutrinos. This work combined with an independent analysis performed by Sanshiro Enomoto was published in Nature and received significant press.
Following my Ph.D. I did a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with Kevin Lesko. I was involved in many aspects of analysis of the NCD data from the SNO experiment, including the extraction of the number of neutrinos observed from the Sun.
Publications
An array of low-background He-3 proportional counters for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
J.F. Amsbaugh et al., et. al. (SNO Collaboration)
Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A579, 1054 (2007) hep-ex/0705.3665
Measurement of the nu(e) and total B-8 solar neutrino fluxes with the Sudbury neutrino observatory phase I data set
B. Aharmim, et. al. (SNO Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. C 75, 045502 (2007) hep-ex/0610020
A geoneutrino experiment at Homestake
N. Tolich, et. al.
Earth Moon Planets 99, 229 (2006) physics/0607230
A Search for Neutrinos from the Solar hep Reaction and the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
B. Aharmim, et. al. (SNO Collaboration)
Ap. J. 653, 1545 (2006) hep-ex/0607010
Search for the Invisible Decay of Neutrons with KamLAND
T. Araki, et. al. (KamLAND Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 101802 (2006) hep-ex/0512059
Experimental investigation of geologically produced electron antineutrinos with KamLAND
T. Araki, et. al (KamLAND collaboration)
Nature 436, 499 (2005)
Measurement of neutrino oscillation with KamLAND: Evidence of spectral distortion
T. Araki, et. al. (KamLAND Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 081801 (2005) hep-ex/0406035
High Sensitivity Search for
s from the Sun and Other Sources at KamLAND
K. Eguchi, et. al. (KamLAND Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 071301 (2004) hep-ex/0310047
Energy of the 14O superallowed positron decay
N. R. Tolich, P. H. Barker, P. D. Harty, P. A. Amundsen
Phys. Rev. C 67, 035503 (2003)
First Results from KamLAND: Evidence for Reactor Antineutrino Disappearance
K. Eguchi, et. al. (KamLAND Collaboration)
Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 021802 (2002) hep-ex/0212021
Nuclear Propelled Vessels and Neutrino Oscillation Experiments
J. Detwiler, G. Gratta, N. Tolich, Y. Uchida
Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 191802 (2002) hep-ex/0207001
Talks
Colloquia, seminars, and invited talks
- Caltech, Seminar, January 2008 (pdf)
- Applied Antineutrino Physics workshop, December 2007 (pdf)
- University of Washington, Colloquium, November 2006 (pdf)
- University of Auckland, Physics seminar, April 2006 (pdf)
- University of Michigan, HEP/Astrophysics seminar, November 2005 (pdf)
- LBNL, INPA journal club, August 2005 (pdf)
- SNO site seminar, May 2005 (pdf)
- LBNL, INPA journal club, July 2004 (pdf)
- Stanford graduate fellowship symposium, April 2003 (pdf)
Contributed talks
- 2005 AGU fall meeting (pdf)
- 2005 2nd Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the APS and The Physical Society of Japan (pdf)
- PASCOS '04 (pdf)
- APS April Meeting 2002 (pdf)
Press
Mentioned or quoted in the press
- Seattle P. I., March 5, 2008 Who could that be they are talking about in the first paragraph?
- Black Hills Pioneer, March 30, 2007
- KEVN Fox 7, February 9, 2006
- Photonics Spectra, September 2005
- Stanford Report, July 28, 2005
- Physics Web, July 27, 2005
- Stanford Report, January 8, 2003
- Stanford Report, November 13, 2001
Geoneutrino result, July 27, 2005
- New Scientist
- New York Times
- LA Times
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Asahi Shinbun
- Nature, Research Highlights
- Nature, News and Views
- Nature, News
- MSNBC