Particle Physics at Wayne State University

Wayne State University, Detroit MI

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal is for continued operation of an active CLEO/BTeV group at Wayne State University. The group consists of two faculty, Professors Bonvicini and Cinabro, one postdoc, two graduate students, and a few undergraduates. With our past NSF support the group participated in the construction and operation of CLEO and worked on CLEO-II physics analysis. The Wayne State group leads the analysis efforts in charm decays and maintains the background monitoring hardware. The analysis efforts have helped discover the DsJ(2460), have observed the neutral D to kaon decay for the first time and analyzed its substructure using the Dalitz technique. The group has demonstrated a novel method of measuring the tracking efficiency with the data to very high precision. Physics with the CLEO-c experiment is now starting. The group is working to maintain and support physics analysis with the detector. Physics interests include three-body hadronic charm decays and searches for charm mixing and other rare charm decays. On BTeV, the group has participated in detector R&D where they have focused on the cooling of the pixel detector. The plan is to move into construction with work on the hardware of the pixel cooling system and testing of pixel electronic components. BTeV's ability to search for rare charm decays has been studied. The group continues to work on an innovative beamstrahlung monitor, which can optimize the delivered luminosity at electron-positron colliders. A prototype has been built at CESR-c. The group plans to demonstrate the detector, complete its construction, and work on the design for a high-energy linear collider. The Wayne State group runs a very successful outreach effort in their REU/RET program. This program achieves its intrinsic goals of promoting undergraduate and younger student interest in careers in science, technology, and engineering, especially among the underrepresented, and makes connections with K/12 teachers. The students and teachers also have made a significant contribution to the research effort. Note: Since this proposal was submitted, the BTeV research program to be conducted at Fermilab was terminated by the U.S. Department of Energy.