High Energy / Nuclear PhysicsOverview High Energy Physics deals with the nature of the fundamental
constituents of matter and their interactions. The past 50 years have
witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of these issues, and
a remarkably simple and elegant picture, the so-called standard model,
has emerged as a result of intensive experimental and theoretical
investigations. Nevertheless, many basic questions remain to be
answered. What is the origin of mass and electric charge? What is the purpose of the heavier "copies" of the quarks and the leptons that make up most of the matter in our universe? How did each of the four fundamental forces acquire their distinctive characteristics, and to what extent are these forces related? Exploring these issues requires probing the structure of matter at extremely small distances, and therefore high energies. Consequently, experimental activity focuses on the use of high-energy accelerators to reach extreme conditions, and theoretical approaches lead to frontiers of modern mathematics in attempts to crystalize and unify understanding. The Department has a long and distinguished history
of research in the field of High Energy Physics, which continues to the
present. On the experimental side, Department faculty currently
participate in a broad range of major experimental endeavors that
address such fundamental issues as:
Theoretical Physics On the theoretical side, active areas include investigation of the foundations of Quantum Field Theories (Profs. Das, Hagen and Rajeev), the phenomenological application of theory to experiment (Profs. Orr and Rajeev), nonlinear integrable models (Prof. Das) and non-associative algebras (Prof. Okubo). Experiments at Hadron
Colliders
Experiments at e+e-
Colliders
Particle Astrophysics
and Non Accelerator Experiments
Experiments with Nuclei
Gammasphere, CHICO, and YRAST detectors. (Prof. Cline) Prof. Schroeder' |