ODU/Jlab REU Program
Research Projects
There are a number of accelerator physics and experimental and theoretical nuclear physics projects. For the areas of research, please refer to the Previous REU Project Abstracts. Additional projects will be listed as they become available.
Theoretical Nuclear Physics
1. Project title: Fast quarks in the neutron
Dr. Wally Melnitchouk (wmelnitc@jlab.org)
Project Description:
While much is known about how quarks and gluons make up a proton, the analogous structure of the neutron is not as well understood. This is especially true for quarks that carry a large fraction "x" of the neutron's momentum. A global analysis of quark momentum distributions is being carried out at Jefferson Lab, in collaboration with theorists and experimentalists nationwide, aimed at accurately describing the structure of the neutron and proton in the large-x region. This project will involve computation of several new physical effects, which have not been included in previous analyses, that are important for reliably extracting quark structure information from electron scattering and other reactions at large x.
REU Student Participation:
* Assist with the derivation of theoretical formulas for structure functions in electron-nucleon scattering and related experiments.
* Run computer programs to calculate cross sections numerically.
* It is expected that this project will result in a publication in a refereed journal.
Prerequisites:
* Enthusiasm for theoretical physics is essential.
* Some knowledge of quantum mechanics and/or nuclear and particle physics is advantageous.
* Familiarity with programming languages (e.g. Fortran, C++, Mathematica) is desirable but not essential.
2. Project title: Nuclear effects on the quark structure of the nucleon
Dr. Wally Melnitchouk (wmelnitc@jlab.org)
Project Description:
The quark and gluon structure of the nucleon (proton or neutron) can undergo significant changes when the nucleon is bound inside a nucleus. As the simplest nucleus, the deuteron (composed of a bound proton and neutron) is ideal for studying the "nuclear effects" characterizing the quark structure modification. It is also vital for learning about the structure of the neutron, due to the absence of free neutron targets. This project will compute the nuclear effects on quark momentum distributions of nucleons in deep-inelastic electron scattering and in proton-deuteron collisions, at kinematics relevant for future experiments at Jefferson Lab and elsewhere.
REU Student Participation:
* Assist with the derivation of theoretical formulas for observables in electron-nucleus scattering and related experiments.
* Run computer programs to calculate cross sections numerically.
* It is expected that this project will lead to a publication in a refereed journal.
Prerequisites:
* Enthusiasm for theoretical physics is essential.
* Some knowledge of quantum mechanics and/or nuclear and particle physics is advantageous.
* Familiarity with programming languages (e.g. Fortran, C++, Mathematica) is desirable but not essential.
3. Project title: Quantum corrections to the proton's weak charge
Dr. Wally Melnitchouk (wmelnitc@jlab.org)
Project Description:
The weak charge of the proton is a fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of nuclear and particle physics, and is currently being measured in parity-violating electron scattering at JLab. In order to unambiguously interpret the results of the experiment, various quantum corrections need to be applied to the data, such as those involving photon and weak-boson loops. This project will evaluate some of these loop effects, using a new technique based on dispersion relations to compute the corrections in terms of inputs from measurements in other reactions.
REU Student Participation:
* Assist with the derivation of theoretical formulas for observables in parity-violating electron scattering and related experiments.
* Run computer programs to calculate scattering amplitudes and cross sections numerically.
* It is expected that this project will result in a publication in a refereed journal.
Prerequisites:
* Enthusiasm for theoretical physics is essential.
* Some knowledge of quantum mechanics and/or nuclear and particle physics is advantageous.
* Familiarity with programming languages (e.g. Fortran, C++, Mathematica) is desirable but not essential.
Accelerator Science
4. Project Title: Training pattern recognition classifier for automated defect recognition
Dr. G. Eremeev, SRF Institute (grigory@jlab.org)
Project Description:
Inspection of the Superconducting Radio Frequency cavity surface provides feedback for SRF cavity production. Currently, inspecting cavity pictures is a massive undertaking. The goal of this project is to look into how flaw identification can be automated in order to inspect cavities in an efficient way. The key element of efficient automated inspection is reliable identification of flaws on the surface. We will explore Haar cascade method for feature identification.
REU Student Participation:
The student will learn about Haar cascade classifier and will explore possibility of training one for superconducting RF cavity feature recognition.
Prerequisites:
*Some knowledge of C(C#, C++) is needed.
5. Project Title: Beam-beam tune shift limit under nonlinear integrable optics
Dr. Rui Li (lir@jlab.org)
Project Description:
Recently an integrable optics test facility is to be built at Fermilab to test the stabilizing effect of such optics on transverse beam dynamics. This approach can potentially bring revolution to the beam stability in accelerators and enhancement of luminosity in colliders. The idea is to use nonlinear integrable optics so that there is no resonances at large amplitude. Since beam-beam tune shift limit is mainly caused by Arnold diffusion when resonance islands overlap, it is interesting to explore if the application of nonlinear integrable optics can help reduce the Arnold diffusion rate and thus increase both luminosity and luminosity lifetime by increase the beam-beam tune shift limit. In this case beam-beam will still introduce linear and nonlinear forces on the beams, but it would be interesting to see the interplay of the beam-beam force with the nonlinear integrable lattice.
REU Student Participation:
The student will run the BeamBeam3D program for beam-beam interaction, and then transport
the beam via nonlinear integrable lattice in the ring in simulation. By changing the beam current,
we can first establish beam-beam tune shift limit, and then investigate the effect of the nonlinear
integrable lattice on this limit. This will be an exploratory study which will be useful for the MEIC design, and the result of the study will be helpful in suggesting further theoretical explanations.
6. Project Title: 500 KV Photogyn
Dr. Matt Poelker (peolker@jlab.org)
Project Description: Assist members of the polarized electron source group with the construction and evaluation of a new photogun designed to operate at 500kV bias voltage. Work will focus on developing techniques to reliably deliver high voltage to a photogun with a new design and
making high voltage measurements to determine the onset of field emission from the cathode electrode. Inert gas processing will be employed to eliminate field emission and thereby sustain operation at higher voltages.
7. Project Title: Photocathode evaluation
Dr. Matt Poelker (poelker@jlab.org)
Project Description:
The student will install photocathodes inside a vacuum apparatus and measure the electron yield and beam polarization as a function of laser wavelength. This project provides an opportunity to learn a number of useful skills, including vacuum techniques, labview programming and principles of electron beam polarimetry.
8. Project title: Using Nature-Inspired Non-Linear Optimization Algorithms in Accelerator Simulations
Dr. Balsa Terzic (terzic@jlab.org)
Project Description:
The field of accelerator physics, among others, abounds with problems which lend themselves to optimization via nature-inspired, non-linear optimization algorithms. At Jefferson Lab's Center for Advanced Studies of Accelerators (CASA), we apply these optimization tools to several problems related to the design and performance optimization of the existing Jefferson Lab CEBAF facility, and the proposed Medium-energy Electron-Ion Collider (MEIC). We developed a user-friendly numerical suite of codes for easy application of these non-linear optimization methods to an arbitrary optimization problem, and capable of running in parallel on Jefferson Lab's CPU/GPU cluster. The essential algorithms include the genetic algorithm and particle-swarm algorithm, while others may also be considered in the future, such as ant colony algorithm, cultural algorithm, and others. The consequent applications of these algorithms to the machines outlined above will lead to optimization of their design and performance.
REU Student Participation:
The student will become familiar with the Jefferson Lab's computer cluster and its capabilities. After attaining a user-level understanding of the optimization suite, the student will be tasked with designing and running parallel simulations of various aspects of the machines, either existing or future. The student will then learn how to extract, organize, interpret and
present the results from these simulations.
Prerequisites:
*Knowledge of either C/C++, Fortran or phython and a general aptitude for computers is preferred.
9. Project title:
Using Nature-Inspired Non-Linear Optimization Algorithms in Accelerator Simulations
Dr. Balsa Terzic (terzic@jlab.org)
Project Description:
The field of accelerator physics, among others, abounds with problems which lend themselves to optimization via nature-inspired, non-linear optimization algorithms. At Jefferson Lab's Center for Advanced Studies of Accelerators (CASA), we apply these optimization tools to several problems related to the design and performance optimization of the existing Jefferson Lab CEBAF facility, and the proposed Medium-energy Electron-Ion Collider (MEIC). We developed a user-friendly numerical suite of codes for easy application of these non-linear optimization methods to an arbitrary optimization problem, and capable of running in parallel on Jefferson Lab's CPU/GPU cluster. The essential algorithms include the genetic algorithm and particle-swarm algorithm, while others may also be considered in the future, such as ant colony algorithm, cultural algorithm, and others. The consequent applications of these algorithms to the machines outlined above will lead to optimization of their design and performance.
REU Student Participation:
The student will become familiar with the Jefferson Lab's computer cluster and its capabilities. After attaining a user-level understanding of the optimization suite, the student will be tasked with designing and running parallel simulations of various aspects of the machines, either existing or future. The student will then learn how to extract, organize, interpret and
present the results from these simulations.
*Prerequisites:
Knowledge of either C/C++, Fortran or phython and a general aptitude for computers is preferred.