Studies of Pion and Kaon Structure and Validation of the Exclusive Reaction Mechanism

21世纪物理学的主要目标之一是根据物质的基本结构定量地理解强束缚亚原子系统的性质。核物理学是美国天主教大学这一研究项目的主题，它是对原子核的研究。它是一个关键的科学领域，通过进行开创性的研究来研究物质的性质，以扩大我们对亚原子世界的理解。这项计划将进行研究，以促进对原子核的基本构件：质子、中子、介子和介子的潜在夸克-胶子结构的了解。这项研究计划将通过对研究生、本科生和高中生进行最先进的仪器和机器学习信息软件开发方面的培训，有助于改进用于粒子加速器的亚原子粒子探测器，并培养未来的先进技术工作队伍。该研究计划有两个主要目标，一个是加深对介子和介子的QCD的理解-它们的形状因子、结构功能和质量，以及这些Goldstone玻色子和质子的结构之间的对比。该科学计划的第二个目标是提供测量以验证3D(空间)强子成像的框架。该计划的近期和中期重点是杰斐逊实验室12GeV，长期重点是美国的电子-离子对撞机。实验方法使用高能电子和/或光子的光束，通过完全(或几乎完全)测量的一组仅有的几个粒子，通过独占(和半包含)的散射过程来探测强子的深处。实验的重点是对纵横分离的深专有介子电产生截面的精确测量。职业生涯早期的科学家和各级学生在这个项目中扮演着不可或缺的角色，该项目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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

One of the primary goals of twenty-first century physics is the quantitative understanding of the nature of strongly bound subatomic systems in terms of the fundamental structure of matter. Nuclear physics, the subject of this research program at The Catholic University of America, is the study of the atomic nucleus. It is a key scientific field that investigates the properties of matter by performing ground-breaking research to expand our understanding of the sub-atomic world. This program will perform research to advance the knowledge of the underlying quark-gluon structure of the basic building blocks of the atomic nucleus: its protons, neutrons, pions, and kaons. It will contribute to the improvement of sub-atomic particle detectors that are employed in particle accelerators and to educating the future advanced tech work force through training of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students in state-of-the art instrumentation and machine-learning-informed software development.This research program has two primary goals, one to deepen the QCD understanding of pions and kaons - their form factors, their structure functions, and their masses, and the contrast between the structure of these Goldstone bosons and the proton. The second goal of this science program is to provide measurements to validate the framework for 3D (spatial) 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. The experimental method uses beams of highly-energetic electrons and/or photons to probe deep inside of hadrons by a completely- (or nearly completely-) measured set of only a few particles, through exclusive (and semi-inclusive) scattering processes. The emphasis of the experimentation is on precision measurements of longitudinal-transverse separated deep exclusive meson electroproduction cross sections. Early-career 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 analysis.This 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.