Experiments in Particle and Nuclear Physics

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Napolitano Group at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is studying experimentally the physics of flavor, in both the quark and neutrino sectors. Particular emphasis is given to work that would elucidate the character of CP violation. This is an outstanding problem encompassing key issues in particle physics and astrophysics. In the quark sector, the research includes contributions to the CLEO-c experimental program. One approach is through the measurement of the Ks pi+ pi- final state for CP eigenstate mixtures of neutral D mesons. The other is a measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the charm quark, through the M2/E1 amplitude ratio in chi (cj) -> gamma J/psi decay. In the neutrino sector, the research effort focuses on the Daya Bay Neutrino Oscillation experiment, in which the group is contributing to the muon veto shield and to detailed simulation studies. Graduate and undergraduate students are contributing to the research program.