RUI: Studying the Strong Nuclear Force at Augustana University

该奖项延续了南达科塔州苏福尔斯奥古斯塔纳大学致力于强核力研究的科学项目和实验室，强核力是将质子和中子束缚在原子核中的力。该程序的重点是了解胶子，即原子核中通过强作用力相互作用交换的粒子。通过胶子的含量来理解原子核的结合直接探索了我们周围和我们体内最基本的物质。该计划将以两种方式实施。首先，将分析布鲁克海文国家实验室（Brookhaven National Laboratory）相对论重离子对撞机（RHIC）上PHENIX实验的当前数据。其次，正在建造一个实验室，用于测试下一代实验用的硅光电倍增管（SiPM）探测器sPHENIX。sipm是一种低成本、低功耗的光收集设备，在科学和工业中有多种应用。学生们将为sPHENIX探测器的125,000个sipm中的一部分开发和实施测试。这个强核物理学项目是南达科他州第一个此类项目。它将为该州和该地区的人们提供学习这种物理学的机会，在那里他们几乎没有机会。该项目将资助学习物理和工程预科的本科生进行研究。对学生的教育好处将是广泛的。学生将获得计算机编程、大数据集分析、电气工程应用和机械工程设计等方面的实用技能。这些是学生、州和国家感兴趣的许多领域的可转移技能。那些对工程感兴趣的人将受益于将在现场进行的探测器测试和开发。学生将参加每周的合作会议，出席国家会议，并参观合作机构。这样的机会将培养他们的沟通技巧，扩大他们的职业网络，使他们与潜在的研究生院接触，并为21世纪的技术工作做好准备。在强物理中，一个突出的问题是低动量分数下原子核中胶子的行为。这个奖项继续了PI和本科生从两个方面研究这个问题的工作。首先，分析和确定2016年相对论重离子对撞机（RHIC） PHENIX实验记录的d-Au碰撞中π -0介子和/或π -0介子与带电强子之间的方位角相关性。这些关联将利用PHENIX最新的子探测器，μ子活塞量热计扩展（MPC-EX），该探测器是具有高分割的硅钨预淋浴探测器，可以从能量小于80 GeV的pi-0衰变中分离光子。MPC + MPC- ex位于3到4之间的伪快度，正伪快度定义为au走向。对速率和对相关的形状应该对原子核中低动量分数胶子的数量和运动学有深入的了解。其次，该小组正在从PHENIX过渡到sPHENIX，这是一个在PHENIX相互作用区域建立下一代重离子探测器的新合作项目，它将利用2020年以后运行的高亮度RHIC。奥古斯塔纳致力于执行部分硅光电倍增管（SiPM）测试。电磁和强子量热计的光收集将以大约125,000 SiPMs完成。奥古斯塔将帮助设计和实施测试。

This award continues the scientific program and laboratory at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota devoted to the study of the strong nuclear force, the force responsible for binding protons and neutrons in nuclei. The program's focus is to understand the gluons, particles exchanged through the strong force interaction, in the nucleus. Understanding the binding of nuclei by their gluon content directly explores the matter around us and within us at the most fundamental level. This program will be carried out in two ways. First, current data from the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory will be analyzed. Second, a laboratory that will test silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detectors for the next-generation experiment, sPHENIX is being built. The SiPMs are low-cost, low-power usage light collection devices with multiple applications in science and industry. Students will help develop and implement tests for a portion of the 125,000 SiPMs for the sPHENIX detector. This program in strong nuclear physics is the first of its kind in South Dakota. It will provide those in the state and the region access to studying this physics where they have had little opportunity. The project will fund research for undergraduates studying both physics and pre-engineering. The educational benefits for the students will be broad. Students will gain practical skills in computer programming, analysis of large data sets, electrical engineering application, and mechanical engineering design just to name a few. These are transferable skills to many areas of interest to the students, the state, and the nation. Those interested in engineering will benefit from the detector testing and development that will be done on site. Students will participate in weekly collaboration meetings, present at national conferences, and visit collaborating institutions. Such opportunities will build their communication skills, grow their profession network, put them in contact with potential graduate schools, and prepare them for the 21st-century technical jobs.An outstanding question in strong-force physics is the behavior of gluons in a nucleus at low momentum fraction. This award continues work by the PI and undergraduates to study this issue in two ways. First, the analysis and determination of the azimuthal correlations between pi-0 mesons and/or between pi-0 mesons and charged hadrons in d-Au collisions recorded by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) in 2016 is proposed. These correlations will utilize the newest sub-detector of PHENIX, the Muon Piston Calorimeter Extension (MPC-EX), this detector is a silicon-tungsten pre-shower detector with high segmentation that can separate photons from pi-0 decays with energies less than 80 GeV. The MPC + MPC-EX is located at a pseudorapidity between three and four, with the positive pseduorapidity defined as the Au-going direction. The pair rate and pair correlation shapes should yield insights to the number and kinematics of low momentum fraction gluons in the nucleus. Second, the group is transitioning from PHENIX to sPHENIX, a new collaboration building a next-generation heavy ion detector in the PHENIX interaction region, which will take advantage of high-luminosity RHIC running beyond 2020. Augustana is committed to performing a portion of the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) testing. Both electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeter light collection will be done with approximately 125,000 SiPMs. Augustana will help design and implement the testing.