Physics Colloquium: Protons and Neutrons in 3D: Exploring the Building Blocks of Matter Through Spin

Thursday, November 10, 2016

3:30 PM-4:30 PM

Daniel Pitonyak, PhD, Brookhaven National Laboratory

 

Protons and Neutrons in 3D: Exploring the Building Blocks of Matter Through Spin Effects in High-Energy Collisions

Almost all of the visible matter in the universe is built from protons and neutrons, which are found in the nucleus of an atom. However, protons and neutrons are not a fundamental form of matter since they are composed of other particles, namely, quarks and gluons. One of the main challenges in nuclear physics is to understand this internal structure. In this talk, I will discuss how we explore the inside of protons and neutrons and also explain what we know about quarks and gluons and their interactions. Moreover, I will look at some interesting effects that occur because of an intrinsic characteristic of these particles, called spin, and how these phenomena allow us to form a 3D image of protons and neutrons.

Contact Information

Professor Christina Love
love@drexel.edu