Nick Zachariou
Ernest Rutherford Fellow

Profile

Biography

Summary of expertise

• Hadron Physics
• Hyperons
• Photoproduction and electroproduction reactions for Baryon Spectroscopy
• Radiation detectors and detector development (Calorimetry)

Departmental roles

Research

Overview

Nick is currently leading innovative detector development aimed at achieving high-precision luminosity measurements for the next-generation Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). This work is essential for unlocking the full physics potential of the EIC, which seeks to unravel the fundamental structure of matter.

In parallel, Nick leads major research programmes focused on hadron spectroscopy, with a particular emphasis on exotic mesons, baryons, and hyperons. These studies are central to advancing our understanding of the strong interaction—the fundamental force that binds quarks together into protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. Despite being one of the four fundamental forces of nature, the strong interaction is the least understood, particularly in its non-perturbative regime where quark-gluon dynamics give rise to the rich spectrum of hadronic states.

Through precise studies of hyperons and their interactions with nucleons, Nick's work also tackles the long-standing Hyperon Puzzle—a challenge in nuclear physics and astrophysics where the presence of hyperons in dense matter (such as neutron stars) seems incompatible with observed stellar properties. By applying novel experimental and theoretical approaches, these investigations aim to constrain hyperon-nucleon interactions and improve models of dense nuclear matter.

Altogether, Nick’s research in hadron spectroscopy and hyperon interactions not only probes the complex behaviour of the strong force but also connects fundamental particle physics with the structure of the universe at its most extreme scales.

Projects

• Shining Light On Strangeness
• The Strange Hyperon Spectrum
• Exotic Mesons
• Electrons for Neutrinos
• Underpinning the luminosity at the EIC

External activities

Memberships

CLAS and CLAS12, A2 Crystal Ball