Polarized Electron Scattering from Nucleons and Nuclei

该补助金支持威廉和玛丽学院强子物理组的研究。该小组利用托马斯杰斐逊国家加速器设施提供的极化电子束进行实验。这些实验利用电子散射中微小的“镜像对称”破坏，这是由于弱中性电流相互作用的存在而发生的，否则对散射过程的贡献是不明显的。这种“宇称破缺”技术被用来探测质子和中子的夸克结构，研究中子在重核中的分布（这对理解中子星有重要意义），并寻找可能的新力量或新粒子，超越粒子物理学标准模型。该小组负责后一项实验所需的大型线室探测器的设计、建造和测试，其设备由NSF重大研究仪器拨款资助。该拨款支持1.5名博士后研究员和3名研究生。本科生的大量参与也预计通过高级研究项目和威廉和玛丽的REU网站程序。

This grant supports the research of the Hadronic Physics group at the College of William and Mary. The group conducts experiments using the polarized electron beam available at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These experiments utilize the minute violation of "mirror symmetry" in electron scattering, which occurs due to the presence of the weak neutral-current interaction, an otherwise unnoticeable contribution to the scattering process. This "parity-violation" technique is being used to probe the quark structure of protons and neutrons, to study the distribution of neutrons in a heavy nucleus (which has important implications for understanding neutron stars), and to search for possible new forces or new particles beyond those in the Standard Model of particle physics. The group is responsible for the design, construction and testing of large wire-chamber detectors required for the latter experiment, the equipment for which has been funded by an NSF Major Research Instrumentation grant.The grant supports 1.5 postdoctoral fellows and three graduate students. Substantial involvement of undergraduate students is also anticipated through senior research projects and the REU site program at William and Mary.