Experimental Flavor Physics

20世纪最重要的智力成就之一是粒子物理学标准模型（SM）的发展。这个模型成功地将当时已知的所有基本粒子划分为具有相似量子特性的等级。到目前为止，这个模型的有效性已经被位于瑞士日内瓦附近的欧洲核子研究中心（CERN）的大型强子对撞机（LHC）发现的希格斯玻色子所证实。然而，目前存在的标准模型留下了许多关于宇宙的问题。这些问题包括为什么物质在宇宙中支配反物质（CP违反），物质的基本成分、夸克和轻子的质量值，夸克之间和轻子之间混合的大小，以及暗物质的性质。大多数解释需要新的力的存在和概念的发展，这些概念现在构成了我们所说的超越标准模型（BSM）的物理学。该奖项支持那些解决主导BSM物理学问题的研究。这项研究将在大型强子对撞机上进行，它是世界上首屈一指的高能物理粒子加速器，也是回答这些BSM问题的最重要的设施之一。辛辛那提大学的研究小组是LHCb的合作成员，LHCb是一项专门设计用于研究LHC中含有b或c夸克的强子衰变的实验。LHCb的一个目标是通过检测含有这些夸克的强子的性质来识别自然界中的新物理。新的物理学或新的力可以通过尚未发现的粒子来体现，它们的存在将改变含有b和c夸克的强子的衰变速率和CP违反不对称性，从而允许间接观察到新的现象。该奖项将允许辛辛那提大学的研究小组进一步研究这种重夸克系统的罕见衰变。这种衰变可以在能量尺度上为物理学提供一个独特的窗口，远远超出了在对撞机上明确产生新粒子所能达到的范围。辛辛那提小组的重点将放在粲夸克物理学上，该小组已经在这方面建立了专业知识。BSM物理学的任何发现都将是我们对宇宙基本物理学的理解向前迈出的一大步。该奖项还将促进该小组参与大型强子对撞机探测器的升级，这将提高实验的整体能力，以便在未来十年充分利用大型强子对撞机记录的数据。辛辛那提集团有一个强大的伙伴教育和推广计划，专注于其QuarkNet中心和大师班的实施。许多参加研究工作的学生通过这些项目和该小组参与的大学科学与工程女性（WISE）项目，被介绍并参与到令人兴奋的科学中来。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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 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. These include why matter dominates over anti-matter in the Universe (CP violation), 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. Most explanations require the presence of new forces and the development of concepts that now constitute what we call physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). This award supports research that addresses those questions that dominate BSM physics. The research will be carried out at the LHC, which is the premier High Energy Physics particle accelerator in the world and one of the foremost facilities for answering these BSM questions. The University of Cincinnati group is a collaboration member of LHCb, an experiment designed specifically to study the decays of hadrons containing b or c quarks at the LHC. A goal of LHCb is to identify new physics in nature by examining the properties of hadrons containing these quarks. New physics, or new forces, can be manifest by particles as yet to be discovered, whose presence would modify decay rates and CP violating asymmetries of the hadrons containing the b and c quarks, and thus allow new phenomena to be observed indirectly. This award will allow the University of Cincinnati group to further its study of rare decays of such heavy quark systems. Such decays can provide a unique window into physics at an energy scale well beyond that accessible by explicit production of new particles at colliders. The Cincinnati group's emphasis will be on charm quark physics, in which the group has established expertise. Any discovery of BSM physics would be a huge step forward in our understanding of the fundamental physics of the universe. This award will also facilitate the group's participation in the LHCb detector upgrade, that will improve the overall ability of the experiment to fully exploit the LHC data recorded through the next decade.The Cincinnati group has a strong companion education and outreach program focused on its QuarkNet Center and its conduct of Masterclasses. Many students who join the research effort are introduced to and engaged in the excitement of the science through these programs and through the group's participation in the University's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.