Neutrino Research at Syracuse University

雪城大学的中微子研究

• 批准号: 2209488
• 负责人: Mitchell Soderberg
• 金额: $ 107.63万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-07-01 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209488&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Neutrino; Research; Syracuse; University

One of the major intellectual achievements of the 20th century was the development of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. This model succeeded in classifying all of the elementary particles known at the time into a hierarchy of groups having similar quantum properties. The validity of this model to date was confirmed by the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. However, the Standard Model as it currently exists leaves open many questions about the universe, including such fundamental questions as to why the Higgs mass has the value it has and why there is no antimatter in the universe. One of the primary areas to search for answers to these and other open questions about the universe, how it came to be and why it is the way it is, is to focus on a study of the properties of neutrinos and to use what we know and can learn about neutrinos as probes of science beyond the Standard Model. Neutrinos are those elementary particles that interact with practically nothing else in the universe. They have no electric charge and were once thought to be massless. We now know there are three kinds of neutrinos that are distinguishable through the different interactions that they undergo whenever there is an interaction. We also know that neutrinos do have a mass and because they do, they can actually change from one type to another. Detailed measurements of these changes, along with other current neutrino experiments, form one of the most promising ways to probe for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Such measurements lie at the heart of this project which include activities of the Syracuse University neutrino group on the MicroBooNE, NOvA, SBND, and DUNE experiments. These activities include measurements with NOvA’s test beam that will impact the experiment’s ability to resolve the neutrino mass hierarchy; on the MicroBooNE experiment, analyses of low-energy activity that has relevance for supernova physics and basic neutrino interaction studies, and on the DUNE experiment the group will make significant contributions to the construction of the anode plane assemblies needed to realize this enormous detector. There is currently a large interest in experimental particle physics in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPC) spurred in part by the DUNE project at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) and in neutrino physics in general. This award supports work that refines LArTPC technology, using a test beam and at the MicroBooNE experiment at FNAL. LArTPC detector technology is scalable to the very large masses (perhaps 10 kiloTons) needed by next generation neutrino experiments and is capable of recording three-dimensional digital images of particle trajectories. MicroBooNE is making a variety of interesting physics measurements, as well as serving as a proving ground for new hardware techniques relevant for future experiments. Another aspect of the work in this award is the analysis of data from a large LArTPC detector at CERN called ProtoDUNE. The lessons learned here will inform the future DUNE detector design. The broader impact of this work will involve undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, all of whom will receive valuable experience and training in experimental research that will be applicable in their future career trajectories. The Syracuse group will continue with several outreach efforts as part of this award. The public will be informed about the exciting research in particle physics via the hosting of in-person Masterclass activities. Finally, the group will take advantage of Syracuse University’s unique commitment to the education of veterans of the U.S. armed services and engage this population of students in the DUNE hardware efforts on campus, providing valuable technical and scientific training.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

20世纪的主要知识成就之一是粒子物理学标准模型（SM）的发展。该模型成功地将当时已知的所有基本粒子分类为具有相似量子特性的组的层次结构。迄今为止，通过发现Higgs玻色子在CERN的大型强子对撞机上发现了该模型的有效性。但是，目前存在的标准模型为宇宙留下了许多问题，包括有关希格斯质量为何具有其价值以及为什么宇宙中没有反物质的基本问题。寻找有关宇宙的这些和其他开放问题的主要领域之一，它是如何发生的，以及为什么它的样子，是专注于对神经元的特性的研究，并使用我们知道的知识和可以学习的神经元作为标准模型以外的科学问题。与宇宙中几乎没有其他相互作用的基本粒子。他们没有电荷，曾经被认为是无质量的。我们现在知道，有三种神经元可以通过它们在相互作用时进行的不同相互作用来区分。我们还知道神经元确实有质量，并且因为它们确实可以从一种类型变为另一种类型。这些变化的详细测量以及其他当前的神经元实验，构成了除标准模型以外的新物理学的最有前途的方法之一。此类测量是该项目的核心，其中包括锡拉丘兹大学神经元组的活动，Nova，SBND和Dune实验。这些活动包括使用NOVA测试梁的测量，这将影响实验解决神经元质量层次结构的能力；在微酮实验中，与超新星物理学和基本神经元相互作用研究相关的低能活性的分析以及在沙丘实验中，该小组将对实现这一巨大检测器所需的阳极平面组件的构建做出重大贡献。目前，人们对液体氩时间投影室（LARTPC）的实验颗粒物理学有很大的兴趣，部分由费米国家加速器实验室（FNAL）的Dune Project和一般的神经元物理学刺激。该奖项支持使用测试梁和FNAL的微型酮实验来完善LARTPC技术的工作。 LARTPC检测器技术可扩展到下一代神经元实验所需的非常大的质量（也许是10千吨），并且能够记录粒子轨迹的三维数字图像。 Microboone正在进行各种有趣的物理测量，并充当与未来实验相关的新硬件技术的探索基础。该奖项中工作的另一个方面是对CERN的大型LARTPC检测器的数据分析，称为Protodune。这里学到的经验教训将为未来的沙丘探测器设计提供信息。这项工作的更广泛影响将涉及本科生，研究生和博士后研究人员，所有这些研究人员都将获得有价值的实验研究经验和培训，这些经验和培训将适用于他们未来的职业轨迹。锡拉丘兹集团将继续进行几项宣传工作，作为该奖项的一部分。通过举办面对面的大师班活动，将向公众了解粒子物理学令人兴奋的研究。最后，该小组将利用锡拉丘兹大学对美国武装服务退伍军人教育的独特承诺，并让这群学生参与校园的沙丘硬件工作，提供宝贵的技术和科学培训。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被认为是宝贵的支持。