Studies in Nuclear Physics and Fundamental Interactions at Indiana University

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides support for activities of the Indiana University nuclear physics group, addressing the following critical scientific questions: (a) How is the angular momentum, or spin, of the proton distributed among its internal quark and gluon constituents? We know that the spin of the quarks does not add up to make the spin of the proton, so maybe the quarks are orbiting around inside the proton or maybe the so-called "gluons", the particles the bind the quarks together inside the proton, possess some spin. (b) Why did the Big Bang leave the universe with the surplus of matter over anti-matter that we see today? Using a connection derived theoretically by the famous Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov, we will address this question by looking for interactions in Nature which change upon reversal of the direction of time (c) Do neutrinos, the lightest and most weakly interacting massive particles known in nature, behave strangely at low energy? We will use a special beam constructed at Fermilab to check. (d) How strong is the weak force inside and between neutrons and protons? We will perform precise measureements using slow neutron beams to answer this. The broader impacts of our group's activities begin locally through our contributions to the human and technological infrastructure of the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, which applies proton accelerators to radiotherapy for cancer treatment, tests the effects of radiation on biological systems and electronics, and makes slow neutrons for materials research. These activities have created two new local companies. Our research activities also educate the next generation of skilled and innovative PhD scientists for jobs in research and teaching universities, industry and national labs, and medical and computer technology. We host summer schools, develop undergraduate laboratories emphasizing nuclear technology, and assist with programs that encourage pre-college participation in the Indiana University science curriculum. We reach out to the local community through a variety of activities that awaken the interest of students in our local public school system. We actively recruit female and minority applicants for positions at all levels within the group, and work to make our activities known to the public at large through laboratory tours and Open Houses, science café discussions, and items of public interest in the media.