1. Experimenting with Quarks Prof. Richard Jones University of Connecticut, Storrs Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 28, 2008

2. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20082 Ordinary matter  cup of coffee  atoms  electrons + nuclei  neutrons + protons  quarks Elementary particles: electrons quarks neutron proton

3. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20083 What makes things stick? Opposite charges attract What about these guys? electrons (-) nucleus (+) protons (+) neutrons (0) !! The strong nuclear force nuclear glue The electromagnetic force

4. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20084 Can we actually “see” elementary particles? not exactly…

5. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20085 Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator racetrack accelerator accelerates electrons to 6 GeV upgrading to 12 GeV experiments

6. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20086 Why are quarks difficult to see? How were electrons first seen? make a glass vacuum tube apply force using electric potential of several kV electrons rip free from atoms electric current flows The world’s first particle accelerator

7. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20087 What makes seeing quarks interesting? J.J Thompson: "Could anything at first sight seem more impractical than a body which is so small that its mass is an insignificant fraction of the mass of an atom of hydrogen?" Can we try it again with quarks? people tried, no success

8. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20088 99% of the mass of ordinary matter is locked up in particles composed of quarks mass is energy – E = mc 2 all of this energy is stored safely in the nuclei of the ordinary elements can additional energy be pumped in and converted to more mass? What makes seeing quarks interesting? new exotic particles

9. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 20089 Two quarks on a string So what happens when you pull on a quark inside a proton? N. Isgur, 1988: What happens if you stretch the string, and then pluck it? theoretical simulation courtesy of D. Leinweber 1.the quark begins to move 2.a glue string forms 3.the string stretches 4.the quark slows down 5.the quark snaps back – denied!

10. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200810 The GlueX experiment

11. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200811 The GlueX experiment Time line for experiment 1997 – first meeting 1999 – initial proposal 2002 – mature proposal 2003 – project adopted by DOE 2006 – mature design 2009 – construction starts 2014 – commissioning 2017 – first results! UConn responsibility

12. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200812 Prototyping detectors

13. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200813 Prototyping detectors

14. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200814 The Competition China – Beijing Electron-Positron Collider BES experiment Europe – FAIR Antiproton Accelerator PANDA experiment Japan – JPARC Proton Accelerator several multi-GeV beam lines proposals in preparation

15. Science Symposium, Darien High School, May 29, 200815 Status and Outlook Funding is approved for GlueX Construction should begin soon Lots of opportunities for students at all levels Exciting discoveries await!