Enhancement to the Undergraduate Advanced Physics Laboratory Experience: Measurement of Muon Properties

增强本科生高级物理实验室经验：μ子特性的测量

• 批准号: 0311260
• 负责人: Sally Koutsoliotas
• 金额: $ 2.56万
• 依托单位: Bucknell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-06-15 至 2006-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0311260&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Enhancement; Undergraduate; Advanced; Physics; Laboratory

This project significantly enhances the Advanced Physics Laboratory curriculum at Bucknell University in two distinct ways. First, it enables the PIs to implement a series of advanced laboratories that engage students in the complete scientific enterprise. Advanced laboratory classes are traditionally seen as a stepping-stone to the process of new research. These labs are the product of existing experiments in the literature (e.g., R.W.Clay, et al., Electronic Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17 (2), 171; or N. Easwar and D.A. MacIntire, Am. J. Phys. 59 (7), 1991) as well as the PI's extensive experience in the field of high-energy physics. This project addresses a key element that is often overlooked in the undergraduate laboratory environment: a preliminary calculation that justifies the experiment and estimates the likelihood of its success. The addition of this aspect to existing experiments significantly increases the benefit both to students planning to pursue advanced degrees in science, as well as those planning to go into industry. The second contribution of this project is the addition of a muon lifetime experiment to the Advanced Physics Laboratory class. This experiment introduces undergraduates to the area of experimental high-energy physics using modern instrumentation common to the particle physics research environment. In addition, the initial construction and commissioning of this experiment provides an opportunity for an independent project to an upper-division undergraduate student. Finally, the equipment serves as a valuable resource for classroom demonstrations for several undergraduate physics classes. The results of the project are evaluated and published in peer-reviewed journals and presented both by faculty and undergraduate students at relevant national and regional conferences.

该项目以两种不同的方式大大增强了巴克内尔大学的先进物理实验室课程。首先，它使PI可以实施一系列高级实验室，以使学生参与完整的科学企业。传统上，先进的实验室课程被视为新研究过程的垫脚石。这些实验室是文献中现有实验的产物（例如，R.W.Clay等人，澳大利亚天文学学会的电子出版物，17（2），171；或N. Easwar和D.A. Macintire，Am。J.Phys， 59（7），1991年）以及PI在高能物理学领域的广泛经验。 该项目解决了在本科实验室环境中经常被忽略的关键要素：初步计算，证明实验合理并估计其成功的可能性。在现有实验中增加了这一方面会大大增加了计划攻读科学高级学位的学生以及计划进入行业的学生的好处。该项目的第二个贡献是在高级物理实验室中添加了MUON寿命实验。该实验使用粒子物理学研究环境常见的现代仪器将本科生介绍到实验高能物理学领域。 此外，该实验的最初建设和调试为一个独立的项目提供了上级本科生的机会。最后，该设备是多个本科物理课的课堂演示的宝贵资源。 该项目的结果在经过同行评审的期刊上评估和发布，并在相关的国家和地区会议上由教职员工和本科生提出。