<h3>SHiP sets sail to chart hidden sector</h3> <p>In March 2024, CERN selected a new experiment called SHiP to search for hidden particles using high-intensity proton beams from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS).</p> <p>Interest in hidden sectors has grown in recent years, given the absence of evidence for, yet the existence of, several phenomena (such as dark matter, neutrino masses and the cosmic baryon asymmetry) that can only be explained by new particles or interactions.</p> <p>The SHiP experiment aims to produce and detect particles that can address a number of the unsolved mysteries in particle physics. For example, new models may possibly provide a dark matter candidate, explain inflation of the early Universe, explain the pattern of neutrino oscillations and masses, and explain the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe.</p> <p>In the event of a new discovery, SHiP’s sensitivity would not just establish the existence of a new particle, but also identify its properties. Such a discovery would not only have an enormous impact on particle physics but also on cosmology and astrophysics.</p>