Research and Education with GlueX

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

It is now a well-established fact that nucleons, protons and neutrons, are made up of more elementary particles called quarks. The main physics program supported by this award is to measure the quark structure of light particles called mesons. The proposed research will support the research infrastructure by commissioning new equipment to produce linearly a beam of high-energy photons from scattered electrons produced by the accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). The research will also include computer simulations of the particle detector in Hall D at Jefferson Lab. Participation of students in the research effort is a central component of this program. The experimental program proposed here embodies one of Jefferson Lab's priorities: to elucidate the underlying structure of protons, neutrons, and mesons. The particles of interest here are called hybrid mesons, which are identified as having quantum numbers not allowed in the constituent quark model, due to extra degrees of freedom provided by gluons, which are the force-carriers of the strong force. The discovery of hybrid mesons would be a triumph of modern theoretical models based on the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). This award will also provide support for personnel to commission the linearly polarized photon beam and the electron tagger as part of the GlueX experiment In Hall D of Jefferson Lab.