REU Site: Research in Symmetries at the University of Kentucky

该奖项支持肯塔基大学新的本科生研究体验(REU)网站。每年将有8名本科生参加为期10周的物理和天文学暑期REU站点。REU的学生将参与研究项目，以解决现代物理学和天文学的前沿问题：宇宙中物质的起源是什么？有没有新的高能物理可以改变介子的磁矩？主导宇宙构成的暗物质和暗能量的本质是什么？是什么阻止了恒星从大质量星系团中心的冷密气体中形成？哪些类型的相变必须用拓扑不变量而不是破缺的对称性来理解？哪些材料含有奇异的量子自旋液体相？REU的学生将接受培训，掌握解决这些基本问题的知识和技能。REU计划集中在核物理、凝聚态物理和天文学方面的个别指导研究项目，这些项目通过对称这一中心主题松散地联系在一起。这些研究课题是由NSF、能源部和NASA资助的教师导师研究项目的一部分，这些项目是为二年级和三年级本科生量身定做的。它们涉及到较小机构通常无法获得的先进物理技术。REU的参与者将与实验室的研究生和博士后一起工作，每天与他们的导师互动，在这些领域的物理学和天文学前沿产生可发表的结果。该方案还将包括通过一系列研讨会和讲习班进行专业发展，并包括计算和数据分析方面的具体技术培训。学生将在当地的海报会议上展示成果，并被鼓励在全国会议上展示成果。该项目由物理部和已建立的激励竞争性研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Kentucky. Eight undergraduate students per year will participate in the 10-week summer REU site in Physics and Astronomy. REU students will participate in research projects that address issues at the forefront of modern physics and astronomy: What is the origin of matter in the universe? Is there new high-energy physics which modifies the magnetic moment of the muon? What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy that dominate the composition of the universe? What prevents stars from forming from the cold dense gas in the centers of massive clusters of galaxies? What types of phase transitions must be understood in terms of topological invariants instead of broken symmetries? What materials host exotic quantum spin liquid phases? REU students will be trained with knowledge and skills to address these fundamental questions. The REU program focuses around individual mentored research projects in nuclear physics, condensed matter physics, and astronomy, loosely related through the central theme of symmetry. These research topics are part of the research programs of faculty mentors funded by NSF, the Department of Energy, and NASA, tailored for accessibility to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates. They involve advanced physics techniques that are not normally available at smaller institutions. REU participants will work together with graduate students and postdocs in the lab, interacting daily with their mentors to produce publishable results in these areas at the frontiers of physics and astronomy. The program will also include professional development through a series of seminars and workshops and include specific technical training in computation and data analysis. Students will present results at a local poster session and be encouraged to present at national conferences. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Physics and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.