GlueX Project: Observing Exotic Mesons in Nuclear Physics
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Presentation Transcript
Nuclear Physics Part 2: The GlueX Project UConn Mentor Connection Mariel Tader Mentor: Dr. Richard Jones
The Project • Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility • The collaboration • Will be the first to observe and study exotic mesons • Will begin 2014 UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
GlueX hopes to learn about quarks, gluons, and confinement by creating exotic mesons • How we “see” the gluons: Polarized beam liquid hydrogen target exotic mesons final particles and radiation data deciphered UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
The Process • Electron beam diamond wafer polarized photons hit mesons detectors UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
Bremsstrahlung • German for “braking radiation” • A radiation particle interacts with atoms and creates more radiation, while losing the corresponding energy Atom UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
Coherent Bremsstrahlung • Requirements: • Must be in a crystal • Particle/crystal must be in correct alignment • A few specific wavelengths are prevalent, “peaks” UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
Reciprocal Lattice Vectors • Bravais Lattice: repeating crystalline arrangements of points • Reciprocal Lattice: made from the vectors perpendicular to three of the vectors of the original lattice • Used as a simple geometric model that can interpret diffraction in crystals UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader
Thank You for Listening • Questions? • Interesting Facts: • Within the detector’s first year, it will collect more data than all existing data of this type by several orders of magnitude • The forces along the gluon flux tube are about 16 tons UConn Mentor Connection 2010, Mariel Tader