Sept. 13, 2004 — Gary Adams, James Napolitano, and Paul Stoler, all professors in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, are members of the Elementary Particles and Nuclear Physics Group involved in an international collaboration with a consortium of laboratories from around the world.

The grant, $1.35 million for 3 years, is for the experimental study of the elementary particle structure of matter, and in particular the properties of strongly interacting objects called baryons and mesons.

The main theme of our group's research is to convert the energy of high energy electromagnetic radiation into excited states of matter. Recently the group has been studying the possible existance of "exotic" states of matter. Examples of these exotic states of matter are excited mesons and pentaquarks. The high energy radiation in the form of electrons is obtained in national particle accelerators.

The facilities used by Rensselaer are Jefferson Lab in Virginia, and CESR (Cornell Electron Storage Ring), at Cornell. This marks the 33rd consecutive year in which the grant has been renewed by the NSF, probably making it the longest running successfully funded research project in Rensselaer history.

Published September 13, 2004