Ultra-Rare Kaon Decay Experiments at CERN

CERN 的超罕见 Kaon 衰变实验

• 批准号: 1506088
• 负责人: Philip Rubin
• 金额: $ 45万
• 依托单位: George Mason 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: 2015-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1506088&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ultra; Rare; Kaon; Decay; Experiments

One of the major intellectual achievements of the 20th century was the development of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. This model succeeded in classifying all of the elementary particles known at the time into a hierarchy of groups having similar quantum properties. The validity of this model to date was recently confirmed by the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the CERN laboratory near Geneva Switzerland. However, the Standard Model as it currently exists leaves open many questions about the universe, including such fundamental questions as to why the mass of the Higgs boson has the value it has. To answer these questions it is necessary to go beyond the present picture of the Universe described by the Standard Model to the next phase of development, Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Investigations in BSM physics probe such questions as why matter dominates over anti-matter in the Universe, the values of the masses of the fundamental constituents of matter, the quarks and the leptons, the size of the mixings among the quarks, and separately among the leptons, and the properties of dark matter. This award will contribute to this search through measurements made of the decay of charged K mesons, a rare process. The award will also continue the impressive effort in broadening the participation in fundamental research, through its participation in QuarkNet and through a separate NSF IRES (International Research Experience for Students) grant that brings up to five undergraduates to CERN each summer, with applicants selected from a consortium of universities and colleges in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.Searches for evidence for new physics beyond the Standard Model can be addressed through direct searches at the Energy Frontier at High Energy Colliding Beam Facilities such as the LHC and through a complementary technique of indirect searches at the Intensity Frontier, in experimental measurements of very-rare decay modes of known particles. This award focuses on continued research with the NA62 experiment at CERN, which is a measurement of the rare decay of the charged K meson through the process, K+ - pion+, neutrino, anti-neutrino. This decay is well-predicted in the Standard Model of Particle Physics, and a precision experimental measurement of the actual rate could provide evidence for new physics, if the observed rate differs significantly from the theoretical prediction. This award will provide help in all aspects of NA62, with responsibilities in event trigger logic, trigger hardware and front-end electronics communication, slow controls, and a counter for the detection of kaons in the beam line.

世纪的主要学术成就之一是粒子物理学标准模型（SM）的发展。该模型成功地将当时已知的所有基本粒子分类为具有相似量子特性的组的层次结构。最近，在瑞士日内瓦附近的欧洲核子研究中心实验室的大型强子对撞机（LHC）上发现的希格斯玻色子证实了这一模型的有效性。然而，目前存在的标准模型留下了许多关于宇宙的问题，包括为什么希格斯玻色子的质量具有它的价值等基本问题。要回答这些问题，就必须超越标准模型所描述的宇宙的当前图景，进入下一个发展阶段，即超越标准模型（Beyond the Standard Model，BSM）。BSM物理学的研究探索了这样的问题，为什么物质在宇宙中占主导地位，物质的基本成分，夸克和轻子的质量值，夸克之间的混合物的大小，以及轻子之间的混合物，以及暗物质的性质。该奖项将有助于通过测量带电K介子的衰变，这是一个罕见的过程。 该奖项还将继续通过参与QuarkNet和单独的NSF IRES，在扩大基础研究参与方面做出令人印象深刻的努力。（学生国际研究经验）赠款，使多达五个本科生到欧洲核子研究中心每年夏天，申请者是从华盛顿特区大都会区的大学和学院中挑选出来的。可以通过直接搜索在高能碰撞束设施，如大型强子对撞机的能量前沿，并通过间接搜索在强度前沿的补充技术，在非常罕见的衰变模式的已知粒子的实验测量。该奖项的重点是继续研究欧洲核子研究中心的NA 62实验，该实验是通过K+ -π介子+，中微子，反中微子过程测量带电K介子的罕见衰变。这种衰变在粒子物理学的标准模型中得到了很好的预测，如果观测到的速率与理论预测有很大差异，那么对实际速率的精确实验测量可以为新物理学提供证据。 该合同将在NA 62的各个方面提供帮助，包括事件触发逻辑、触发硬件和前端电子通信、慢控制以及用于检测束线中K介子的计数器。