Investigating Nucleon Structure and Phenomena Beyond the Standard Model

研究标准模型之外的核子结构和现象

• 批准号: 1505934
• 负责人: Michael Kohl
• 金额: $ 10.5万
• 依托单位: Hampton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2018-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1505934&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Investigating; Nucleon; Structure; Phenomena; Beyond

Despite its numerous successes the Standard Model of Particle Physics is known to be incomplete, implying that there exists important physics beyond. As an example, there is strong evidence from astronomical observations for the existence of so-called dark matter. The known particles of the Standard Model make up only a small fraction of the total matter in the Universe. Very little is known about the nature of dark matter. A number of experiments are underway or in the planning stage to look for dark matter manifesting itself in a new type of particle. A technically demanding experiment at Jefferson Lab, called DarkLight, has been proposed to specifically search for the production of a so-called dark photon in the scattering of electrons from protons. If such a particle were to exist, it would lead to new physics beyond the Standard Model, and hence would be transformative in our understanding of the matter distribution of the Universe.This grant is for work on the DarkLight phase I lepton tracker, to be built as a set of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors, a relatively new technology for which the group has developed expertise in recent years with the involvement in the OLYMPUS and MUSE projects. The NSF funded the DarkLight phase-I apparatus through a Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant, and the experiment is expected to take place at Jefferson Lab in 2016-2017. This award provides support for one graduate student to pursue a PhD on this project. One part of the PhD thesis will have a hardware focus with the construction and implementation of the lepton tracker into the DarkLight phase I apparatus. The second focus of the thesis will be the running, simulation and analysis of DarkLight phase I data, with three distinctive scientific goals: 1) studies with the Energy Recovery Linac at Jefferson Lab, 2) measurement of Standard Model processes in DarkLight, and 3) search for a new particle called the A'.

尽管粒子物理学标准模型取得了许多成功，但它仍然是不完整的，这意味着还有其他重要的物理学存在。例如，天文观测中有强有力的证据证明所谓的暗物质的存在。标准模型中已知的粒子只占宇宙总物质的一小部分。人们对暗物质的性质知之甚少。许多实验正在进行或处于计划阶段，以寻找暗物质以一种新型粒子的形式出现。杰斐逊实验室提出了一项技术要求很高的实验，名为“暗光”，专门研究质子散射电子时所谓的暗光子的产生。如果这样的粒子存在，它将导致新的物理学超越标准模型，因此将是我们对宇宙物质分布的理解的变革。这笔赠款用于暗光第一阶段轻子跟踪器的工作，将作为一套气体电子倍增器（GEM）探测器建造，这是一项相对较新的技术，该集团近年来通过参与OLYMPUS和MUSE项目开发了专门知识。NSF通过主要研究仪器（MRI）拨款资助了DarkLight第一阶段设备，该实验预计将于2016-2017年在杰斐逊实验室进行。该奖项为一名研究生在该项目上攻读博士学位提供支持。博士论文的一部分将有一个硬件重点与轻子跟踪器的建设和实施到暗光第一阶段的设备。论文的第二个重点将是运行，模拟和分析暗光第一阶段的数据，有三个独特的科学目标：1）在杰斐逊实验室的能量回收直线加速器的研究，2）在暗光标准模型过程的测量，和3）寻找一个新的粒子称为A '。