RUI: Probing Subatomic Physics Via Lepton Interactions

詹姆斯麦迪逊大学粒子和核物理组（JMU-PNP）由三名教师和一组本科生组成，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，这些结构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，但对于产生和控制多夸克系统（质子，中子，原子核）演化的机制还没有一个完整的描述。我们小组参与的研究希望通过用轻子（电子、μ子、中微子）作为探针绘制核子和原子核的结构来澄清这一图景。 我们的团队还参与测量μ子的寿命，这可以用来提取费米耦合常数，它决定了四种基本力之一的强度，弱力。JMU-PNP团队的目标是将对一流研究的重要贡献与有前途的本科生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、数据采集、数据分析）。此外，该小组正在计划实验和追求探测器的改进，作为JLab计划的12 GeV加速器能量升级的一部分。该小组也是PSI正在进行的MULAN实验（Muon Lifetime Experiment）和费米实验室的Minerva实验（Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions）的主要合作者。

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.