RUI: Studying the Strong Nuclear Force at Augustana University

该奖项延续了位于南达科他州苏福尔斯的奥古斯塔纳大学致力于研究强核力的科学计划和实验室，强核力是负责束缚原子核中质子和中子的力量。该计划的重点是了解胶子，即通过强相互作用交换的粒子，在原子核中。理解原子核与其胶子含量的结合可以直接探索我们周围和我们内部最基本的问题。这一计划将通过两种方式进行。首先，将分析布鲁克海文国家实验室相对论重离子对撞机(RHIC)的PHENIX实验的当前数据。其次，将为下一代实验sPHENIX测试硅光电倍增管(SiPM)探测器的实验室正在建设中。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。学生将帮助开发和实施对sPHENIX探测器的125,000个SiPM中的一部分进行测试。这个强核物理项目是南达科他州的第一个此类项目。它将为该州和该地区的人们提供研究这种物理学的机会，而他们几乎没有机会。该项目将为学习物理和工程预科的本科生提供研究资金。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。这些技能可以转移到学生、国家和国家感兴趣的许多领域。那些对工程感兴趣的人将从现场完成的探测器测试和开发中受益。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交流技能，扩大他们的专业网络，让他们接触潜在的研究生院，并为21世纪的技术工作做好准备。强力物理中一个悬而未决的问题是低动量分数原子核中胶子的行为。这一奖项继续了PI和本科生从两个方面研究这个问题的工作。首先，对相对论重离子对撞机(RHIC)2016年PHENIX实验记录的d-Au碰撞中pi-0介子之间和/或pi-0介子与带电强子之间的方位角关联进行了分析和确定。这些关联将利用PHENIX最新的子探测器--Muon活塞量热计扩展(MPC-EX)，该探测器是一个高分段的硅钨预簇射探测器，可以从能量低于80GeV的pi-0衰变中分离光子。MPC+MPC-EX位于3-4之间的伪快度，正的伪快度定义为继续前进的方向。配对率和配对关联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，这是一项新的合作，在PHENIX相互作用区域建造下一代重离子探测器，这将利用2020年后运行的高亮度RHIC。奥古斯塔纳致力于执行部分硅光电倍增管(SiPM)测试。电磁量热计和强子量热计的光收集将使用大约125,000 SiPM进行。奥古斯塔纳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.