U.S.-Japan Cooperative Science: High Precision Spectroscopy of Lambda-Hypernuclei

Florida International University, Miami FL

Investigators

Abstract

0138152 Reinhold This award supports a three-year collaborative research project between Professor Joerg Reinhold at the Florida International University in Miami, Florida and Professor Satoshi Nakamura of Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. The researchers will undertake a study of the high precision spectroscopy of lambda-hpernuclei. They will be looking at hypernuclear excitations in medium heavy nuclei. A hypernucleus contains a hyperon implanted as an "impurity" within the nuclear medium. This introduces a new quantum number, strangeness, into the nucleus, and if the hyperon maintains its identity it will not experience Pauli-blocking, easily interacting with deeply bound nucleons. In this sense, it has been proposed that the hyperon is a good probe of the interior of a nucleus, where information is difficult to obtain. The researchers will extract the characteristics of a hyperon embedded in a nucleus by observing the spectroscopy of its states. The project brings together the efforts of two laboratories that have complementary expertise and research capabilities. The U.S. researchers will have available a new magnetic spectrometer for kaon detection which will significantly enhance the capabilities of their Jefferson Laboratory's hypernuclear spectrometer system. For the foreseeable future, this instrument will be without competition and will considerably advance the field of hypernuclear spectroscopy. The Japanese researchers contribute a significant expertise in hypernuclear spectroscopy, on the experimental as well as the theoretical level. They are currently building a new facility, the Japanese Hadron Facility, which will be operational for this research project and will contribute to the next generation hypernuclear experiments. The research will offer a good opportunity to join efforts between the two countries. Through the exchange of ideas and technology, this project will broaden our base of basic knowledge and promote international understanding and cooperation. Florida International University's student body is largely Hispanic and a number of their graduate and undergraduate students will be participating in the research. A publication committee has been formed that will oversee and coordinate the publication of the research results and presentations at conferences.