RUI: Precision Muon Physics

RUI：精密介子物理

• 批准号: 1206039
• 负责人: Frederick Gray
• 金额: $ 13.2万
• 依托单位: Regis University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-06-01 至 2015-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1206039&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Precision; Muon; Physics

This award will enable the Regis University nuclear physics group to make substantial contributions to two precision muon physics experiments over the next three years: the MuSun measurement of nuclear muon capture in deuterium at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), and the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab. The MuSun collaboration will measure the rate of muon capture on the deuteron from the doublet spin state of the muonic deuterium atom to a precision of better than 1.5%. This will be the most precise determination to date, by an order of magnitude, of the rate for any two-nucleon weak-interaction process. The Regis group will develop low-power preamplifier circuits that will function in the cryogenic environment of this experiment, implement the response of the detector in the simulation software framework, and participate in the physics analysis. The Muon g-2 experiment will measure the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon to a precision of 0.15 parts per million (ppm), a substantial improvement from the 0.5 ppm that has been achieved in previous measurements. The current result disagrees with the prediction of the Standard Model by more than three standard deviations: enough to hint at the possibility of "new physics,'' but not yet enough to claim a discovery. This is one of a very small number of observables that cannot be understood in the context of the current Standard Model, and it provides an important constraint on extensions to it. The Regis group's initial responsibility will be to test, refurbish, and modernize the scintillating fiber beam monitors that are used to record the dynamic motion of the beam.The Muon g-2 experiment has the potential to uncover entirely new particles and interactions, perhaps even before they can be directly observed in experiments at the energy frontier. Similarly, the MuSun measurement will enable a precise characterization of proton-proton fusion, which is responsible for releasing energy in stars like our Sun, and also of the reactions that have been used by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory to detect solar neutrinos. This science is at the forefront of subatomic physics, and a primary purpose of this award is to allow undergraduate students to become involved in it as research assistants. Regis University is a teaching-focused, primarily-undergraduate institution that is currently initiating formal majors in physics and computational physics as part of an ambitious expansion of its traditional liberal-arts programs. This award will complement the University's undergraduate research initiative, strengthening our students' education in mathematics, the sciences, and computing. Several students will be able to travel to PSI and Fermilab to participate in the construction and data collection for these experiments. Travel to collaboration meetings, for collaborative work with research university partners, and to academic conferences will also be supported.

该奖项将使里吉斯大学核物理小组能够在未来三年内为两项精密μ子物理实验做出重大贡献：保罗谢勒研究所（PSI）的氘中核μ子捕获的MuSun测量和费米实验室的μ子g-2实验。 MuSun 合作将测量氘核从 μ 氘原子的双重态自旋态捕获 μ 子的速率，精度优于 1.5%。 这将是迄今为止对任何两个核子弱相互作用过程的速率最精确的确定（一个数量级）。 Regis团队将开发低功耗前置放大器电路，在本次实验的低温环境中发挥作用，在仿真软件框架中实现探测器的响应，并参与物理分析。 Muon g-2 实验将以百万分之 0.15 的精度测量 μ 子的反常磁矩，这比之前测量的 0.5 ppm 有了很大的提高。 目前的结果与标准模型的预测相差三个以上的标准差：足以暗示“新物理学”的可能性，但还不足以宣称有一项发现。这是在当前标准模型的背景下无法理解的极少数可观察到的现象之一，它对其扩展提供了重要的限制。瑞吉斯小组的最初责任将是测试、翻新和现代化闪烁纤维束 用于记录光束动态运动的监视器。Muon g-2 实验有可能发现全新的粒子和相互作用，甚至可能在能量前沿实验中直接观察到它们之前。 同样，MuSun 测量将能够精确表征质子-质子聚变，质子-质子聚变负责在像太阳这样的恒星中释放能量，以及萨德伯里中微子所使用的反应 探测太阳中微子的天文台。 这门科学处于亚原子物理学的前沿，该奖项的主要目的是让本科生作为研究助理参与其中。 瑞吉斯大学是一所以教学为主的本科院校，目前正在开设物理学和计算物理学的正式专业，作为其传统文科项目雄心勃勃的扩张的一部分。 该奖项将补充大学的 本科生研究计划，加强学生在数学、科学和计算方面的教育。 一些学生将能够前往 PSI 和费米实验室参与这些实验的构建和数据收集。 还将支持出差参加合作会议、与研究型大学合作伙伴进行合作以及参加学术会议。