Strange Quarks Are Also Scarce (Pulse)

Strange Quarks Are Also Scarce

Science and Technology Highlights from the DOE National Laboratories

October 20, 1998

A recent experiment at the DOE's Jefferson Lab has announced results that could prove among the decade's most important in the field of nuclear physics: strange quarks are surprisingly scarce in ordinary nuclear matter. This finding, and expected follow-on results, should enlarge our understanding of proton structure, leading to a more complete understanding of the nuclear material that makes up most of the world around us. The research team partially credits the experiment's success to the quality of the beam from Jefferson Lab's accelerator, which has unprecedented resolution and extraordinary stability, eliminating effects that could destroy the interpretability of the experimental data.

[Linda Ware, 757/269-7689, ware@jlab.org]