CAREER: The Three-Dimensional Structure of the Proton

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。质子和中子是几乎所有可见物质的基本组成部分，占可见宇宙质量的95%。质子和中子是由更小的粒子夸克组成的，它们被强核力束缚在一起，强核力由胶子携带，是所有核物质的来源，从氢离子到中子星。夸克和胶子在质子和中子中的确切排列方式还不清楚。这个项目有助于理解质子和中子中胶子的三维排列。PI使用大型超级计算设备来计算质子和中子中胶子的分布。这些计算补充了从托马斯杰斐逊国家加速器设施和布鲁克海文国家实验室未来的电子离子对撞机进行的实验中获得的质子和中子结构数据。PI指导学生开展这项研究，正在开发研究生阶段的强核力计算方法课程，并与本科生合作，为广大观众创建交互式物理模拟。本项目通过使用强核力理论量子色动力学（QCD）的第一性原理计算，计算质子和中子中胶子的三维结构。在与质子和中子结构相关的能量下，QCD是强耦合的，不能解析求解。格点QCD，其中QCD是在离散格点上制定的，相关函数是使用蒙特卡罗方法随机计算的，提供了一种系统的方法来确定质子，中子和其他强束缚粒子的性质。该项目确定了质子的胶子广义分布函数（GPD），它使用晶格QCD计算量化了质子内胶子的三维排列。此外，该项目将计算胶子和夸克结构之间的相关性。这些计算补充了从托马斯杰斐逊国家加速器设施和布鲁克海文国家实验室未来电子离子对撞机的实验中获得的质子和中子结构的实验数据，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的评估，被认为值得支持。影响审查标准。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the America Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Protons and neutrons are the basic building blocks of almost all visible matter, and account for 95% of the mass of the visible universe. Protons and neutrons are composed of smaller particles, quarks, bound together by the strong nuclear force, which is carried by gluons and is responsible for all nuclear matter, from hydrogen ions to neutron stars. The exact arrangement of quarks and gluons inside protons and neutrons is not well known. This project helps understand the three-dimensional arrangement of gluons within protons and neutrons. The PI uses large-scale supercomputing facilities to calculate the distribution of gluons inside protons and neutrons. These calculations complement data on proton and neutron structure obtained from experiments performed at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the future Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The PI mentors students carrying out this research, is developing a graduate level course on computational methods for the strong nuclear force, and works with undergraduate students to create interactive physics simulations for a broad audience.This project calculates the three-dimensional structure of gluons within protons and neutrons, by using first principles calculations of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong nuclear force. At energies relevant to proton and neutron structure, QCD is strongly coupled and cannot be solved analytically. Lattice QCD, in which QCD is formulated on a discrete lattice and correlation functions are computed stochastically using Monte Carlo methods, provides a systematic approach to determining the properties of protons, neutrons, and other strongly-bound particles. The project determines the gluon generalized distribution functions (GPDs) of the proton, which quantify the three-dimensional arrangement of gluons within the proton, using lattice QCD calculations. In addition, the project will calculate correlations between gluon and quark structure. These calculations complement experimental data on proton and neutron structure obtained from experiments at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and at the future Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and provide a basis for combining experimental and theoretical data in a consistent framework.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.