Relativistic Heavy-Ion Physics at the University of Rochester

这笔赠款为罗切斯特大学物理和天文学系的相对论重离子小组提供运作资金。在这笔赠款所涵盖的三年内，我们将完成对E917在AGS收集的数据的分析，并开始使用RHIC的Phobos探测器获取数据。PHOBOS是四个获得批准的实验之一，可以在RHIC启动时运行。火卫一将首次看到金原子核在RHIC碰撞时产生的极端能量密度。人们相信，在这些碰撞中将形成一种新的物质状态，即所谓的夸克-胶子等离子体(QGP)。火卫一将研究这种新的物质状态，它的性质将提供关于非常早期(大爆炸后几微秒)的宇宙状态的重要和新的信息。PHOBOS的设计目的是以公正的方式研究尽可能多的碰撞，并寻找p-p、p-A和a-A碰撞之间的显著差异。由于其固有的简单性，Phobos有可能在RHIC的初始运行期间获得重大科学发现。由罗切斯特团队设计和建造的飞行时间阵列将显著增强火卫一的物理能力，使其接受度增加约一倍。

0072204Wolfs This grant provides operating funds for the relativistic heavy-ion group at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester. During the three years covered by this grant we will complete the analysis of the data collected by E917 at the AGS and start taking data using the PHOBOS detector at RHIC. PHOBOS is one of the four approved experiments ready to run at the turn-on of RHIC. PHOBOS will have the first look at the extreme energy densities that will be created when gold nuclei collide at RHIC. It is believed that a new state of matter, the so-called quark-gluon plasma (QGP), will be formed in these collisions. PHOBOS will study this new state of matter, and its properties will provide important and new information about the state of the very early universe (a few microseconds after the Big Bang). PHOBOS is designed to study as many collisions as possible, in an unbiased way, and to search for significant differences between p-p, p-A, and A-A collisions. Due to its inherent simplicity, PHOBOS has the potential of a major scientific discovery during the initial running period of RHIC. The time-of-flight array designed and constructed by the Rochester group will significantly enhance the physics capabilities of PHOBOS, by roughly doubling its acceptance.