Studies in Elementary Particle Physics

为了支持世界上能量最高的强子对撞机的实验粒子物理研究计划，需要资金。该计划包括继续合作费米实验室Tevatron的CDF实验和CERN大型强子对撞机(LHC)的CMS实验。CDF实验目前正处于数据采集阶段，预计将持续数年。CMS实验正在筹备中，将于2007年开始运行。拟议中的计划具有相当大的智力价值。该计划的科学目标是确定对称性自发破缺的来源，并进行精确的重夸克测量，以限制超出标准模型的物理条件。拟议中的计划是从Tevatron较低的光度和能量开始的，短期目标是研究重夸克物理。许多自发对称性破缺的理论机制包括优先衰变为重夸克或其他长寿命状态的态。如果Tevatron的光度显著增加，寻找与自发对称性破缺有关的新状态可能变得可行，并将依赖于与重味物理相关的技术。目前的理论认为，自发对称性破缺的机制应该在大型强子对撞机上显现出来。在硬件方面，JHU小组选择为这两个实验的硅基顶点跟踪做出贡献。硅技术允许通过搜索从主顶点移位的次顶点来识别长寿命状态。JHU为CDF硅片顶点探测器的硬件、软件、调试和校准做出了贡献。对于CMS的正向像素跟踪系统，特别是在传感器开发、系统设计、基础设施和软件方面，也提出了类似的贡献。JHU已经为CDF创建了一个N级数据库，将直接应用于CMS和其他实验。CDF目前有许多关于重夸克态的研究，其中包括中等统计数据。这些分析的结果是继续研究的第一步，最终可能会对宇宙中物质主导的起源提供新的见解，并可能有助于理解质量的起源。拟议的研究计划的影响超出了粒子物理学的范畴。所提出的有源像素探测器技术可应用于研究材料和生物系统的同步辐射光源的仪器。JHU小组开发的像素模拟代码可能在天文学中应用于理解和优化星载望远镜所用的红外探测器。拟议的分布式数据库工作与JHU同事为几个大型天文学项目所做的工作有很大重叠。分布式数据库是另一种基于互联网的技术，可能在社会的各个部门都有深远的应用。此外，拟议的研究具有很强的教育成分。它为一些研究生和本科生提供直接的支持和培训。JHU拥有一个QuarkNet中心，该中心目前拥有11名巴尔的摩地区高中教师的成员。有一个计划是开发一个用户友好的网络界面，允许高中生向开放科学网格提交粒子物理查询。JHU QuarkNet中心发起了一年一度的区域物理博览会。

Funds are requested to support a program of experimental particle physics research at the world's highest energy hadron colliders. The program involves the continuing collaboration in the CDF experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron and the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The CDF experiment is currently in a data-taking phase and is expected to run for a number of years. The CMS experiment is being prepared to begin operation in 2007. The proposed program has considerable intellectual merit. The scientific goals of the program are to determine the source of spontaneous symmetry breaking and to make precise heavy quark measurements that constrain physics beyond the Standard Model. The proposed program is beginning at the lower luminosity and energy at the Tevatron where the short term goals are to study heavy quark physics. Many theoretical mechanisms of spontaneous symmetry breaking include states that preferentially decay into heavy quarks or other long-lived states. If the luminosity of the Tevatron increases significantly, the search for new states related to spontaneous symmetry breaking may become feasible and will rely on techniques associated with heavy flavor physics. Current theoretical ideas suggest that mechanisms of spontaneous symmetry breaking should manifest themselves at the LHC. For hardware, the JHU group has chosen to contribute to the silicon-based vertex tracking of both experiments. The silicon technology permits the identification of long-lived states by searching for secondary vertices displaced from the primary vertex. JHU has contributed to the hardware, software, commissioning, and calibration of silicon strip vertex detectors for CDF. Similar contributions are proposed for the forward pixel tracking system of CMS, particularly in the areas of sensor development, system design, infrastructure, and software. JHU has created an N-tiered database for CDF that will have direct application to CMS and other experiments. A number of studies of heavy quark states with the moderate statistics are currently available at CDF. Results of these analyses are the first step in continuing studies that may eventually give new insight into the origin of the matter dominance in the universe and may contribute to the understanding of the origin of mass. The impact of the proposed research program reaches beyond particle physics. The proposed work on active pixel detector technology has application to instrumentation used at synchrotron light sources which study materials and biological systems. The pixel simulation code developed by the JHU group may have applications in astronomy in the understanding and optimization of infrared detectors used in satellite-borne telescopes. The proposed work on distributed databases has strong overlap with work being done by JHU colleagues for several large astronomy projects. Distributed databases are another internet-based technology that could have far-reaching application in all sectors of the society. In addition, the proposed research has a strong educational component. It provides direct support and training for a number of graduate and undergraduate students. JHU hosts a QuarkNet center which has a current membership of 11 Baltimore area high school teachers. There is a plan to work on a user friendly web interface that will permit high school students to submit particle physics queries to the Open Science Grid. The JHU QuarkNet Center has initiated an annual regional Physics Fair.