RUI: Probing Subatomic Physics Via Lepton Interactions

詹姆斯·麦迪逊大学粒子和核物理小组(JMU-PNP)由三名教员和一组本科生组成，在杰斐逊实验室(JLab)、费米国家实验室(Fermilab)和保罗·谢勒研究所(PSI)进行中能核物理研究。JMU-PNP小组的成员进行旨在探索核子、质子和中子的丰富结构的研究，这些核子、质子和中子是原子核的基本组成部分。虽然人们普遍认为，核子是由三个夸克(被视为基本粒子)通过胶子交换不断相互作用而形成的，但目前还没有关于产生和管理多夸克系统(质子、中子、原子核)演化的完整机制的图景。我们小组参与的研究希望通过使用轻子(电子、介子、中微子)作为探测器绘制核子和原子核的结构图来澄清这一图景。我们小组还参与了测量介子寿命的工作，它可以用来提取费米耦合常数，费米耦合常数决定了四个基本力之一-弱力的强度。JMU-PNP小组的目标是将对一流研究的重要贡献与为有前途的本科生提供的杰出教育经验相结合。小组成员积极参与JLab B厅和C厅正在进行的研究(探测器设计和测试、数据获取、数据分析)。此外，作为JLab计划的12GeV加速器能源升级的一部分，该集团正在计划进行实验和寻求探测器的改进。该小组也是PSI正在进行的木兰实验(Muon Lifetime实验)和费米实验室Minerva实验(中微子-核相互作用)的关键合作者。

The James Madison University Particle and Nuclear Physics Group (JMU-PNP) consisting of three faculty and a group of undergraduate students, conducts research in Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics at Jefferson Lab (JLab), at Fermi National Lab (Fermilab), and at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Members of the JMU-PNP group conduct research designed to explore the rich structure of the nucleons, protons and neutrons, which are the basic building blocks of the atomic nucleus. While it is widely held that nucleons are built out of three quarks (viewed as fundamental particles) in constant interaction via gluon exchange, a complete picture of the mechanisms that give rise and govern the evolution of multi-quark systems (protons, neutrons, nuclei) is not yet available. Our group participates in studies that hope to clarify this picture by charting the structure of nucleons and nuclei using leptons (electrons, muons, neutrinos) as probes. Our group is also involved in measuring the muon lifetime which can be used to extract the Fermi coupling constant which determines the strength of one of the four fundamental forces, the weak force.The aim of the JMU-PNP group is to integrate important contributions to top notch research with an outstanding educational experience for promising undergraduate students. The group members are actively involved in ongoing research in both Hall B and Hall C at JLab (detector design and testing, data taking, data analysis). In addition, the group is planning experiments and pursuing detector improvements as part of the planned 12 GeV upgrade in accelerator energy for JLab. The group is also a key collaborator in the MULAN experiment (Muon Lifetime Experiment), underway at PSI, and in the Minerva experiment (Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions) at Fermilab.