MPS-Ascend: Observation of the Positronium Plus Ion and Development of a Spin-Polarized Positron Beam for Angle-Resolved Positronium Emission Spectroscopy

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Gabriel Cecchini is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to conduct a program of research and activities related to broadening participation by groups underrepresented in STEM. This fellowship to Dr. Cecchini supports his research project entitled "MPS-Ascend: Observation of the Positronium Plus Ion and Development of a Spin-Polarized Positron Beam for Angle-Resolved Positronium Emission Spectroscopy", under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is the University of California Riverside (UCR) and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Allen Mills.Cecchini will pursue a research project to create and observe, for the first time, the positronium plus ion (Ps+). The existence of this ion was originally predicted in 1946 and has yet to be observed in the laboratory. As a pure lepton system, Ps+ could be used in tests of quantum electrodynamics (QED). In addition, improvements in the positron source will enable the development of a new angle-resolved positronium emission spectrometer (ARPsES). Cecchini will mentor students in the positron lab at UCR, which is both a Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islanders Serving Institution. He will work with local high school teachers and students and will participate in conferences and assistance programs geared to recruitment, retention, and graduation of members of groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), and the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN).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.