Experimental Study of Heavy Quark Decays

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The proposal outlines two activities both of which are aimed at a study of decays of heavy quarks through the weak interaction. The investigator has joined a collaboration in an experiment at Fermilab (E791) aimed at the production from pion nucleus collisions of large numbers of mesons containing the charmed quark. Her role in this is to study form factors in semileptonic decays of these mesons, and also the possibility of D0 anti D0 mixing - a phenomenon which has already been observed in the strange and bottom quark mesonic counterparts. The PI also proposes to continue her involvement in the research and development required in the possible evolution of an experiment aimed at a study of CP violation in the weak decays of b quarks. This experiment would center about an asymmetric e+e- accelerator facility producing large numbers of B mesons known as a B Factory. She is already involved in detector development relevant to the use of such a facility, and proposes to continue to evaluate Helium gas drift chambers in particular.