Enhancement to the Undergraduate Advanced Physics Laboratory Experience: Measurement of Muon Properties

该项目以两种不同的方式显著增强了巴克内尔大学的高级物理实验室课程。首先，它使私人投资机构能够实施一系列先进的实验室，让学生参与到整个科学事业中来。传统上，高级实验室课程被视为进入新研究过程的垫脚石。这些实验室是文献中现有实验的产物(例如，R.W.Clay等人，澳大利亚天文学会电子出版物，17(2)，171；或N.Easwar和D.A.MacIntil，AmJ.Phys.59(7)，1991)，以及国际和平研究所在高能物理领域的丰富经验。这个项目解决了在本科生实验室环境中经常被忽视的一个关键因素：证明实验合理并估计其成功可能性的初步计算。在现有实验的基础上增加这一方面，对计划攻读理科高级学位的学生和计划进入工业界的学生来说，都大大增加了好处。该项目的第二个贡献是在高级物理实验室课程中增加了一个介子寿命实验。本实验使用粒子物理研究环境中常见的现代仪器，向本科生介绍实验高能物理领域。此外，该实验的初步建设和调试为高年级本科生提供了独立项目的机会。最后，这些设备是几个本科生物理课程课堂演示的宝贵资源。该项目的结果被评估并发表在同行评议的期刊上，并由教职员工和本科生在相关的国家和地区会议上公布。

This project significantly enhances the Advanced Physics Laboratory curriculum at Bucknell University in two distinct ways. First, it enables the PIs to implement a series of advanced laboratories that engage students in the complete scientific enterprise. Advanced laboratory classes are traditionally seen as a stepping-stone to the process of new research. These labs are the product of existing experiments in the literature (e.g., R.W.Clay, et al., Electronic Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17 (2), 171; or N. Easwar and D.A. MacIntire, Am. J. Phys. 59 (7), 1991) as well as the PI's extensive experience in the field of high-energy physics. This project addresses a key element that is often overlooked in the undergraduate laboratory environment: a preliminary calculation that justifies the experiment and estimates the likelihood of its success. The addition of this aspect to existing experiments significantly increases the benefit both to students planning to pursue advanced degrees in science, as well as those planning to go into industry. The second contribution of this project is the addition of a muon lifetime experiment to the Advanced Physics Laboratory class. This experiment introduces undergraduates to the area of experimental high-energy physics using modern instrumentation common to the particle physics research environment. In addition, the initial construction and commissioning of this experiment provides an opportunity for an independent project to an upper-division undergraduate student. Finally, the equipment serves as a valuable resource for classroom demonstrations for several undergraduate physics classes. The results of the project are evaluated and published in peer-reviewed journals and presented both by faculty and undergraduate students at relevant national and regional conferences.