RUI: Heavy Ion Physics in ALICE at the LHC

该奖项支持欧洲核研究组织(CERN)本科生参与研究大型离子对撞机实验(ALICE)中的重离子碰撞的研究项目。该计划有两个目标：1)更好地了解极端条件下的物质；2)为学生提供激发科学技术兴趣的研究经验，使他们接触到实验高能物理中使用的技术，允许发展全球关系，并为他们在科学和技术领域的职业生涯做好准备。学生们将致力于了解极致密物质的行为，类似于大爆炸后零点几秒内存在的行为。这是通过以非常高的能量碰撞原子核，并使用高度精密的探测器研究这些碰撞的残留物来实现的。参与这个项目的学生将分析这些碰撞产生的亚原子粒子，并将有助于设计复杂的探测器，以检测这些碰撞发出的粒子。与大型国际实验室的合作，如欧洲核子研究中心的大型强子对撞机，使学生能够与世界级的科学家和最先进的技术合作，从而为他们的STEM职业生涯做好准备。此外，这样的项目有可能培养出一批成为STEM大使的学生，他们向同龄人展示在科学、工程、数学和技术领域从事职业的好处。参加这项计划的学生可以作为高中及以下学生的导师和榜样，从而为培养一批积极为STEM职业生涯做准备的学生做出贡献。爱丽丝在欧洲核子研究中心的重点是了解物质在非常高密度下的行为，类似于大爆炸后几秒钟内存在的物质。这种物质状态由非常热和致密的夸克和胶子介质组成，通常被称为夸克胶子等离子体(QGP)。通过在非常高的能量下碰撞原子核，有可能在受控环境中创建一个QGP，这有利于研究它的性质。芝加哥州立大学(CSU)的学生将对爱丽丝的电磁量热计(EmCal)子探测器中探测到的喷流触发的事件进行物理分析。学生将研究高能质子-质子、质子-铅和铅-铅碰撞产生的喷流的气味特征，特别是奇异性，以及在QGP形成研究中使用喷流作为探针的情况。此外，CSU的学生将参加一个致力于升级ALICE触发探测器的研究和开发计划，该计划被称为快速交互触发(FIT)，从而参与ALICE实验中一个重要部件的硬件开发。该奖项由国际科学和工程办公室共同资助。

This award supports a research program in which undergraduate students are involved in the study of heavy ion collisions within A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The program has two goals: 1) to better understand matter in extreme conditions, and 2) to provide students with research experiences that stimulate an interest in science and technology, exposes them to techniques used in experimental high energy physics, allows the development of global relationships, and prepares them for careers in science and technology. The project on which the students will work is focused on understanding the behavior of extremely dense matter, similar to that existing a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. This is achieved by colliding atomic nuclei at very high energies and studying the remnants of these collisions using highly sophisticated detectors. The students involved in this project will analyze the resulting sub-atomic particles generated by these collisions, and will contribute to the design of the sophisticated detectors that detect the particles emanating from these collisions. Collaboration with a large international laboratory such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN allows students to work with world-class scientists and state of the art technology, thus, preparing them for STEM careers. Additionally, a program such as this has the potential of creating a cadre of students who become ambassadors for STEM; students who demonstrate to their peers the benefits of pursuing careers in science, engineering, math and technology. Students who participate in this program may serve as mentors and role models for students of high school age and younger, thereby contributing to the creation of a pipeline of students actively preparing for careers in STEM. The focus of ALICE at CERN is to understand the behavior of matter at very high density, similar to the matter that existed a fraction a second after the Big Bang. This state of matter, consisting of a very hot and dense medium of quarks and gluons, is often referred to as a Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). By colliding nuclei at very high energies it is possible to create a QGP in a controlled environment that facilitates the study of its properties. Chicago State University (CSU) students will perform physics analysis of events triggered by jets detected in ALICE's Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EmCal) sub-detector. The students will investigate the flavor characteristics, specifically strangeness, of jets resulting from high-energy proton-proton, proton-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions, as well as investigating the use of jets as probes in the study of QGP formation. In addition, CSU students will participate in a research and development program devoted to the upgrade of the ALICE trigger detector known as the Fast Interaction Trigger (FIT), thereby, participating in the hardware development of an important component within the ALICE experiment.This award is co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering.