Theoretical Studies of Medium- and high-energy Electron Scattering off Light Nuclei

原子核几乎占我们周围可见物质的100%。尽管已知原子核受到强相互作用基本理论的约束，但人们还不清楚原子核(以及原子核中的核子)是如何从原子核中出现的。这个项目将通过高能与轻核反应的理论模型来研究和增进我们对强相互作用的认识。轻核只由几个核子组成，导致反应高度精确和可控。在这些系统中，既可以研究不同核子之间的强相互作用，也可以研究单个核子内的强相互作用，其中它作用于基本的夸克和胶子构件。PI将指导从事这项研究的研究生，开发一门核物理研究生课程，并参与有高中教师参与的外联活动。这个项目的目标是增进我们对轻核电子散射强相互作用的非微扰方面的理论理解。在高能反应中，电子探测原子核，就像坐在以光速移动的波面上一样。因此，PI和他的合作者将使用光波前量子力学的框架，该框架使人们能够清楚地将轻核的低能核结构与高能反应动力学分开。轻核为探测强相互作用提供了独特的特征：它们可以被极化，从而能够进行与自旋有关的研究；初始核状态是众所周知的，并且可以在测量中控制。在这个项目中，圆周率探测器将利用这些特性来研究氢和氦的反应。这些研究对杰斐逊实验室和未来电子-离子对撞机等美国加速器设施的当前和未来测量具有重要意义。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。

Atomic nuclei make up close to 100% of visible matter around us. Even though it's known that nuclei are bound by the underlying fundamental theory of the strong nuclear interaction, it is not yet understood how exactly they (and the nucleons within them) emerge from it. This project will study and advance our knowledge of the strong interaction through the theoretical modeling of high-energy reactions with light nuclei. Light nuclei consist of only a few nucleons, resulting in reactions with a high degree of precision and control. In these systems, the strong interactions can be studied both between different nucleons and within a single nucleon, where it acts on the fundamental quark and gluon building blocks. The PI will mentor graduate students working on the research, develop a graduate course in nuclear physics, and engage in outreach activities involving high-school teachers.The goal of this project is to advance our theoretical understanding of non-perturbative aspects of the strong interaction through electron scattering off light nuclei. In high-energy reactions, an electron probes the nucleus as if sitting on a wave front moving at the speed of light. Hence the PI and his collaborators will use the framework of light-front quantum mechanics, which enables one to cleanly separate the low-energy nuclear structure of the light nucleus from the high-energy reaction dynamics. Light nuclei offer unique features to probe the strong interaction: they can be polarized, enabling spin-dependent studies; the initial nuclear state is well known and can be controlled in measurements. For this project, the PI will exploit these features in reactions on the deuteron and helium. These studies are of importance for current and future measurements at US-based accelerator facilities such as Jefferson Lab and the future electron-ion collider.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.