Studies of Light Meson Structure and Validation of the Exclusive Reaction Mechanism

从物质的基本组成部分来理解物质的本质，这些基本组成部分是如何相互作用并形成我们所观察到的元素和特性的，这是宇宙的奥秘之一。核物理研究是我们理解所有形式的物质以及这些知识如何在国家健康、繁荣和福利以及国家安全领域造福社会的基础。美国天主教大学（Catholic University of America）的这个研究项目专注于研究和比较原子核基本组成部分——质子、中子、介子和介子——的基本夸克-胶子结构。这项研究通过培训研究生、本科生和高中生掌握最先进的仪器和机器学习知识的软件开发，为教育未来先进的STEM劳动力做出了重大贡献。这项研究计划旨在加深对最轻的亚原子粒子，介子和介子的理解-它们的形状因素，结构功能和质量，并提供测量来验证3D强子成像的框架。该项目近期和中期的重点是杰弗逊实验室12gev，长期的重点是美国的电子-离子对撞机（EIC）。该实验方法利用高能电子束和/或光子束通过排他和半包容散射过程探测强子内部深处。各个层次的青年科学家和学生在这个项目中发挥着不可或缺的作用，它提供了在现代亚原子粒子探测器、快速信号处理电子学和科学数据分析的设计、组装和测试方面获得经验的机会。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智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Understanding the nature of matter in terms of its basic building blocks, how these interact and form the elements and properties we observe, is one of the mysteries of the universe. Nuclear physics research is fundamental to our understanding of all forms of matter and how this knowledge can benefit society in the areas of national health, prosperity and welfare, and national security. This research program at The Catholic University of America is focused on studying and comparing the underlying quark-gluon structure of the basic building blocks of the atomic nucleus: its protons, neutrons, pions and kaons. This research contributes significantly to educating the future advanced STEM workforce through training of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in state-of-the art instrumentation and machine-learning-informed software development. This research program aims at deepening the understanding of the lightest subatomic particles, the pions and kaons - their form factors, their structure functions, and their masses, and at providing measurements to validate the framework for 3D hadron imaging. The program focuses in the near and intermediate term on Jefferson Lab 12 GeV, and in the long term on the US-based Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The experimental method uses beams of highly energetic electrons and/or photons to probe the deep inside of a hadron through exclusive and semi-inclusive scattering processes. Young scientists and students at all levels play an integral part in this project, which provides opportunities to gain experience in the design, assembly, and testing of modern subatomic particle detectors, fast signal processing electronics, and scientific data analysisThis 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.