Searching for Magnetic Monopoles and Other Exotics with MoEDAL

使用 MoEDAL 搜索磁单极子和其他奇异现象

• 批准号: 2309505
• 负责人: Igor Ostrovskiy
• 金额: $ 71.22万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-15 至 2026-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2309505&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Searching; Magnetic; Monopoles; Other; Exotics

MoEDAL, or Monopole and other Exotics Detector at the LHC, is an experiment that searches for particles with isolated magnetic charge and other indicators of new physics. Detection of magnetic monopoles would constitute a major discovery and have a profound effect on our understanding of fundamental physics. Their existence would help explain the current model of a single unified field that describes strong and electroweak particle interactions. Magnetic monopoles are expected to be produced in strong magnetic fields, and MoEDAL will search the strongest magnetic fields in the known universe, which are generated during the brief moments of heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. A recent addition to the experiment, the MoEDAL Apparatus for Penetrating Particles (MAPP), will expand the quest for new physics by searching for feebly interacting particles. Such particles are predicted by some dark matter theories. This award will support the University of Alabama group's leading contributions to the searches for magnetic monopoles and other exotic particles, from data analysis and simulations to detector commissioning and operations. Additionally, it will support the group's outreach effort aimed to help improve STEM education of high school kids in the county and statewide. The main goals of the project are to a) lead analysis of the MoEDAL Run-3 data to search for production of magnetic monopoles and other exotics in lead-lead and proton-proton collisions; b) participate in the simulation and analysis of the MAPP data; c) develop novel machine learning based approaches to analysis and simulation of the NTD data; and d) support operation of MoEDAL by organizing NTD calibrations and contributing to the planned upgrade of MAPP. The outreach goal is to develop and deploy to local schools a physics experiment related to the field of study. Depending on the outcome, judged in part by the feedback from teachers and students, the experiment may be included in the standard roaster of Alabama Science in Motion labs. This project is jointly funded by PHY/EPP 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.

MoEDAL（或大型强子对撞机上的单极子和其他奇异探测器）是一项寻找具有孤立磁荷和其他新物理指标的粒子的实验。磁单极子的探测将构成一项重大发现，并对我们对基础物理学的理解产生深远的影响。它们的存在将有助于解释当前描述强粒子和电弱粒子相互作用的单一统一场模型。 磁单极子预计会在强磁场中产生，MoEDAL 将搜索已知宇宙中最强的磁场，这些磁场是在大型强子对撞机重离子碰撞的短暂瞬间产生的。该实验最近新增的 MoEDAL 粒子穿透装置 (MAPP) 将通过寻找微弱相互作用的粒子来扩大对新物理学的探索。一些暗物质理论预测了这种粒子。该奖项将支持阿拉巴马大学小组在磁单极子和其他奇异粒子搜索方面的领先贡献，从数据分析和模拟到探测器调试和操作。此外，它将支持该组织的外展工作，旨在帮助改善县和全州高中生的 STEM 教育。该项目的主要目标是 a) 对 MoEDAL Run-3 数据进行主导分析，以寻找铅-铅和质子-质子碰撞中磁单极子和其他奇异物质的产生； b) 参与MAPP数据的模拟和分析； c) 开发基于机器学习的新颖方法来分析和模拟 NTD 数据； d) 通过组织 NTD 校准和促进 MAPP 的计划升级来支持 MoEDAL 的运行。推广目标是开发并向当地学校部署与研究领域相关的物理实验。根据结果​​（部分根据教师和学生的反馈来判断），该实验可能会被纳入阿拉巴马州运动科学实验室的标准烘焙机中。该项目由 PHY/EPP 和刺激竞争研究既定计划 (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价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。