Any Light Particle Search (ALPS)

多个天文观测已经确定，宇宙中大约85%的物质不是由已知粒子组成的。破译这种所谓的暗物质的性质对宇宙学、天体物理学和高能粒子物理学具有根本的重要性。粒子物理学中最令人兴奋的任务之一是寻找超越粒子物理学标准模型的新粒子。标准模型的扩展不仅预测了质量超过电弱尺度（约1000亿电子伏特，eV）的新粒子，而且还预测了所谓的WISP（弱相互作用亚电子伏特粒子）。最著名的WISP候选者是轴子，它被引入来解释量子色动力学中电荷宇称（CP）破坏的微小性，并且也是宇宙中暗物质成分的主要候选者。类似地，轴子状粒子，即自旋为1的光粒子，被称为“隐藏扇区光子”，似乎在标准模型实际嵌入弦论中时自然出现。因此，这些弱相互作用的光粒子是否存在是一个重要而基本的问题。任何光粒子搜索（ALPS）实验将使学生和博士后科学家有机会从激光和光学，电子和反馈控制系统，真空和低温，计算方法和数据分析算法开发等不同学科中发展科学技能。所需的技术是为地基和天基引力波探测器开发的技术的副产品。该奖项支持的工作将在这些投资的基础上继续开发在激光和光学行业具有商业应用的技术和设备。ALPS实验是一项“透过墙壁的光线”研究。在这样的实验中，穿过强磁场的激光可能（部分）被转换为轴子或类轴子粒子。这些粒子的相互作用非常弱，以至于它们可以不受阻碍地穿过不透明的墙壁，然后在强磁场的第二个“再生”区域中（部分）转换回光子，在那里它们被检测到。迄今为止，最敏感的实验室设置是2010年完成的ALPS I第一阶段。随着磁长度，激光功率和检测系统的重大升级，拟议的ALPS II实验旨在将不同WISP的灵敏度提高几个数量级。该合同将使美国参与ALPS实验，带来该集团在地震隔离和悬挂系统方面的专业知识。

Multiple astronomical observations have established that about 85% of the matter in the universe is not made of known particles. Deciphering the nature of this so-called Dark Matter is of fundamental importance to cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy particle physics. One of the most exciting quests in particle physics is the search for new particles beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Extensions of the standard model predict not only new particles with masses above the electroweak scale (about 100 billion electron-volts, eV), but also so-called WISPs (Weakly Interacting Sub-eV Particles). The most famous WISP candidate is the axion, which has been introduced to explain the smallness of Charge-Parity (CP) violation in Quantum ChromoDynamics and which turns out to also be a prime candidate for a constituent of the dark matter in the universe. Similarly, axion-like particles, light spin 1 particles called "hidden sector photons," seem to occur naturally in realistic embeddings of the standard model into string theory. It is therefore an important and fundamental question whether any of these weakly-interacting light particles exists. The Any Light Particle Search (ALPS) experiment will give students and postdoctoral scientists the opportunity to develop scientific skills from a diverse set of disciplines spanning lasers and optics, electronics and feedback control systems, vacuum and cryogenics, computational methods and data analysis algorithm development. The required technologies are spin-offs of technologies that were developed for ground- and space-based gravitational-wave detectors. The work supported by this award will build on these investments and continue the development of techniques and devices which have commercial applications in the laser and optics industries.The ALPS experiment is a "shining light through a wall" study. In such an experiment, laser light traveling through a strong magnetic field may (in part) be converted to axions or axion-like particles. These particles are so weakly interacting that they can pass unimpeded through an opaque wall and then convert (in part) back to photons in a second "regeneration" region of a strong magnetic field where they are detected. The most sensitive laboratory setup thus far is the first stage of ALPS I concluded in 2010. With major upgrades in magnetic length, laser power and the detection system, the proposed ALPS II experiment aims at improving the sensitivity by a few orders of magnitude for the different WISPs. This award will enable US participation in the ALPS experiment by bringing the group's expertise in seismic isolation and suspension systems.