CAREER: Valence and Sea Quark Dynamics at Fermilab

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The proton is one of the building blocks of everyday matter, with protons in the core of every atom. The proton is in turn made of subnuclear particles known as quarks and gluons. The project supported by this award will improve our understanding of the proton's internal structure, with a focus on the dynamical behavior of the constituent quarks. High-energy particle accelerator facilities at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) will be used to perform the research. A beam of protons will be accelerated to high energy and strike a liquid hydrogen target; the nucleus of a hydrogen atom is comprised of a single proton. Measurement of the particles produced in the collisions will provide information on the behavior of the quarks in their parent protons.The efforts supported by this award will additionally serve to increase diversity among young scientists trained as nuclear physicists. Training the next generation of nuclear physicists is critical to maintain expertise relevant to the nation's energy and defense needs and to continue advancing both applied and non-applied research in nuclear physics and technology. In each year of this award a student from Mount Holyoke College, an undergraduate institution for women, will be given the opportunity to perform summer research in nuclear physics at Fermilab. Furthermore, this award will provide tuition, salary, and travel support for an African-American graduate student. In addition to supporting his dissertation research, he will receive support to travel once per semester to his alma mater, Howard University, a historically black university, to speak with current physics undergraduates about his experience and progress pursuing a Ph.D. in nuclear physics.