RUI: Probing Subatomic Physics Via Lepton Interactions

詹姆斯麦迪逊大学粒子与核物理（JMU-PNP）小组的目标是为有前途的本科生提供出色的教育经验，并将对中能核物理顶尖研究的重要贡献结合起来。这三位教师和他们的学生专注于研究旨在探索核子（中子和质子）的结构，核子是任何原子核的基本组成部分。虽然人们普遍认为核子是由三个夸克组成的（被视为基本粒子），通过胶子交换不断相互作用，但关于多夸克系统（质子、中子、原子核）产生和演化的机制的完整图景尚不清楚。该小组参与了旨在通过使用电子、介子和中微子探测器绘制原子核和核子结构来阐明这一图景的研究。该小组还参与了μ子寿命的测量，这可以用来提取费米耦合常数，费米耦合常数决定了四种基本力之一的强度，即弱力。目前，该小组积极参与杰斐逊实验室实验大厅B和C（探测器设计和测试，数据采集，数据分析），费米实验室（密涅瓦实验研究中微子-核相互作用）和保罗谢勒研究所（测量介子寿命）的持续研究。此外，JMU-PNP小组成员是探测器开发的关键参与者，这是杰斐逊实验室12 GeV能量升级的一部分，也是将利用这次升级的实验的主要研究人员。

The goal of the James Madison University Particle and Nuclear Physics (JMU-PNP) group is to integrate important contributions to top notch research in Intermediate Energy Nuclear Physics with an outstanding educational experience for promising undergraduate students. The three faculty members and their students focus on research designed to explore the structure of nucleons (neutrons and protons) which are the basic building blocks of any atomic nucleus. While it is widely accepted that nucleons are composed of three quarks (viewed as fundamental particles) in constant interaction via gluon exchange, a complete picture of the mechanisms that give rise and govern the evolution of multi-quark systems (protons, neutrons, nuclei) is not yet available. The group participates in studies aimed at clarifying this picture by charting the structure of nuclei and nucleons using electron, muon, and neutrino probes. The group is also involved in measuring the muon lifetime which can be used to extract the Fermi coupling constant which determines the strength of one of the four fundamental forces, the weak force.Currently the group is actively involved in ongoing research at Jefferson Lab in experimental Halls B and C (detector design and testing, data taking, data analysis), Fermilab (Minerva experiment studying Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions), and Paul Scherrer Institute (measuring the muon lifetime). Additionally, the JMU-PNP group members are key participants in detector development that is part of the 12 GeV energy upgrade at Jefferson Lab and are principal investigators on experiments that will take advantage of this upgrade.