This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Almost the entire mass of an atom is concentrated in its tiny nucleus. The atomic nucleus is made of nucleons, which are either positively charged (protons) or electrically neutral (neutrons). These subatomic particles, however, are not elementary but are themselves composite objects made of quarks held together by the strong force via the exchange of glue particles (gluons). The properties of protons and neutrons are a manifestation of that strongest force on Earth. The present theory of that force is Quantum Chromodynamics.
Our research program at the University of South Carolina is based at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia. There, we use high-energy electron and photon beams along with sophisticated particle detectors as powerful microscopes to study the subatomic world. We try to answer questions like: What is the structure of the nucleon? What are and how can we excite its internal degrees of freedom? Does the structure of the nucleon change if it is embedded in dense nuclear matter? The experimental study of these properties gives insight into the nature of the strong force and allows for rigorous tests of the underlying theory. Our program provides scientific training to young researchers and also benefits the medical physics community through our understanding of the use of photon and electron beams for radiotherapy.
