The funding for this proposal is to build a particle detector for experiments conducted at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The instrumentation to be build will be part of the CLAS12 detector, located in the Hall-B location where high-energy electrons will be incident onto targets of protons and neutrons. The purpose of these experiments is to learn more about the quarks inside the target nucleons. In particular, the quantum mechanical properties of the quarks, such as the orbital angular momentum, can be determined from a combination of the quark radial distributions, correlated with their momentum distributions. Such measurements are known as Generalized Parton Distributions, or GPDs. Other measurements, such as the space-time evolution of the quarks turning into fully-fledged particles after being struck by a high-energy electron, will also be carried out at this detector. These measurements will contribute to our understanding of Quantum Chromodynamics, or QCD, which underlies the fundamental force between quarks and gluons. In the process, the technology to detect particles from electron-scattering reactions will be extended to higher energies. Improvements in technology are the cornerstone of advances in a range of applications such as medical imaging.
The detector components funded by this MRI will be constructed at the following institutions: Ohio University, James Madison University, College of William and Mary, and Norfolk State University, with labor provided by students (both undergraduate and graduate), postdoctoral researchers and faculty, in collaboration with Jefferson Lab staff. This provides valuable technical experience for the students and postdocs that will enhance their career opportunities.
