Medium-Energy Physics and Fundamental Interactions

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This three-year grant will support the research group of two faculty who are investigating the nucleon-nucleon interaction using polarized proton beams and an internal polarized hydrogen target at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility Cooler storage ring. The experiment would illuminate the role of heavy meson exchange in the short range nucleon-nucleon interaction by measuring the spin correlations in neutral pion production near threshold in p+p reactions. Another experiment will measure spin correlations for the p+d breakup reaction in the medium energy regime, which would elucidate the role of three-body forces. Polarized target development would continue; this work may lead to significant improvements in the luminosity of polarized gas targets used in storage rings. The nature of the weak interaction in nuclei will be studied with a measurement of the spatial asymmetry in the decay of laser trapped, polarized 38K. This experiment is sensitive to the existence of heavy right-handed gauge bosons, and also to more exotic particles such as leptoquarks. The Madison group provides an important role in the education and training of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.