Towards a Quark-Gluon Description of the Nucleon

该奖项将支持汉普顿大学中能核物理小组的持续努力。该组织成立于近20年前，旨在解决非洲裔美国人严重不足的科学领域的一个关键需求。从那时起，该组织大大扩展了科学计划，同时促进了一些少数民族科学家的成功事业。该小组在研究核子（质子或中子）的结构方面被认为是领导地位，特别是在运动学中，子结构中的夸克携带了系统总动量的很大一部分。在这种状态下对核子结构的精确测量提供了关于从只有夸克和胶子起作用的尺度到只有核子和介子需要考虑的尺度的神秘转变的关键信息。该小组率先努力利用全球数据集进行更全面的了解，并更好地模拟观测到的现象。该小组将继续在附近的托马斯·杰斐逊国家加速器设施进行电子散射实验，特别关注该实验室计划的能源升级。该小组还将扩大工作范围，专注于费米国家加速器实验室的MINERvA实验。这个实验将利用中微子的独特性质，它只经历弱力，而不是电子束提供的电磁探针，并且携带中性电荷，而不是带负电荷的电子。中微子散射在核子结构研究中是一个很大程度上未知的领域，并有望为核子的夸克-胶子结构提供新的见解。该小组也在为未来做进一步的计划，研究在未来新的电子-离子对撞机的能量前沿进行核子结构研究的可能性。

This award will support the continued efforts of the Hampton University intermediate energy nuclear physics group. This group was formed nearly two decades ago to address a critical need in a science where African-Americans are severely under-represented. Since that time the group has significantly expanded the scientific program, while facilitating the successful careers of a number of minority scientists. The group is recognized for leadership in studies of the structure of the nucleon (proton or neutron), in particular in kinematics where the quarks in the substructure carry a large fraction of the total momentum of the system. Precision measurements of nucleon structure in this regime provide critical information regarding the mysterious transition from a scale where only quarks and gluons matter, to the scale where only nucleons and mesons need to be considered. The group has spearheaded efforts to utilize global data sets for a more comprehensive understanding, and to better model the observed phenomena. The group will continue to focus on electron scattering experiments at the nearby Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, in particular looking in anticipation to the planned energy upgrade of this laboratory. The group will, as well, broaden to focus on the MINERvA experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. This experiment will use the unique properties of neutrinos, which experience only the weak force, as opposed to the electromagnetic probe provided by an electron beam, and carry a neutral charge, as opposed to the negatively charged electrons. Neutrino scattering is a largely uncharted realm in nucleon structure studies, and promises to provide new insights into the quark-gluon structure of the nucleon. The group is also planning further into the future, investigating the possibilities for nucleon structure studies at the energy frontier of a proposed future new electron-ion collider.