REU Site: Research in Symmetries at the University of Kentucky

该奖项支持肯塔基大学本科生研究经验（REU）网站。每年将有10名本科生参加为期10周的夏季REU物理和天文学项目。REU学生将参与解决现代物理学和天文学前沿问题的研究项目：宇宙中物质的起源是什么？有没有新的高能物理能改变介子的磁矩？主宰宇宙构成的暗物质和暗能量的本质是什么？是什么阻止恒星从大质量星系团中心的冷致密气体中形成？什么类型的相变必须用拓扑不变量而不是破缺对称性来理解？什么材料拥有奇异的量子自旋液相？REU的学生将接受知识和技能培训，以解决这些基本问题。REU项目侧重于核物理、凝聚态物理和天文学方面的个人指导研究项目，这些项目通过对称的中心主题松散相关。这些研究课题是由美国国家科学基金会、能源部和美国国家航空航天局资助的教师导师研究项目的一部分，专为二年级和三年级本科生量身定制。它们涉及的先进物理技术通常在较小的机构是无法获得的。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，在物理和天文学前沿的这些领域产生可发表的成果。该计划还将包括通过一系列研讨会和讲习班进行的专业发展，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，并鼓励他们在全国会议上展示成果。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site at the University of Kentucky. Ten 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 on 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 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.