Dzierba

The strongest force in nature is the force holding together the parts of the proton and neutron in an atom. These forces are called quarks, and not only are they mighty, they’re the smallest particles of matter known. Quark-binding is very different from other forces—it doesn’t weaken when the quarks get farther apart, and quarks can’t be isolated.

Understanding this phenomenon is the goal of a new $45 million project, called GlueX/HallD, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and led by IU physicists.

“Understanding the confinement of quarks—fundamental constituents of matter—is recognized as one of the important and outstanding problems in physics,” said IU physicist Alex Dzierba. The experiments could lead to detection of an entirely new form of matter, with application far beyond current capabilities.

The 250-ton superconducting solenoid to be used for the project is being refurbished at the IU Cyclotron Facility and a robotics electronics assembly facility to be used for manufacturing components has been obtained. IU and Cornell University are collaborating to establish a physics analysis center for processing large data sets.

According to ScienceNOW, the experiment is part of a $225 million upgrade to the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va. The GlueX project has its roots in the mid-1990s and has grown into a collaboration among 25 institutions in seven countries.

http://www.jlab.org/news/user_news/2004/qnp2004.html