Studies in Nuclear Physics and Fundamental Interactions at Indiana University

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

This award derives its intellectual merit from our leadership in addressing the following scientific questions: (1) How the angular momentum of the proton is distributed among its parts. The spinning of the three quarks inside the proton only accounts for a small part of the proton's angular momentum. The rest must be somewhere: we search for it in the "gluons" which hold the quarks inside the proton. (2) Why the Big Bang left the universe with the surplus of matter over anti-matter that we see today. Instead of an equal mixture of matter and antimatter, the universe has much more matter: this is not understood. If extremely small separations of the positive and negative electrical charges within the neutron or electron are discovered, it could give an important clue. (3) Whether neutrinos behave oddly at low energy. Hints have been seen in earlier experiments: we will pursue the leads and develop new technologies to measure neutrinos. (4) How strong the weak force really is. We will use neutrons to precisely calibrate the weak force. As broader impacts of our work, our research activities 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 have participated in the NSF REU program for 22 years and in addition we host several undergraduate students and visiting faculty from undergraduate institutions who conduct collaborative research. We mentor our postdocs to facilitate their future entry into teaching and research institutions and the scientific community. We develop undergraduate laboratories emphasizing nuclear technology, bring undergraduates on field trips to IUCF 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, by visiting local high school science classes, acting as judges in local science fairs and for the State Science Olympiad, and presenting physics demonstrations at the Indiana State Fair. We actively recruit female and minority applicants for positions at all levels within the group and the physics department and serve on selection committees for graduate research fellowships for women and for faculty searches. We 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.