One group of experimenters is currently investigating neutrino interactions using the 1000 GeV superconducting Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab. Neutrino processes are used to study the weak interaction, test Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), and measure quark distributions in nucleons. Tests of QCD and studies of quark distributions in nuclei are conducted in high energy electron-scattering experiments at SLAC.

Another group collaborated on the design and construction of a large magnetic detector (CLEO) at the CESR electron-positron collider facility at the Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory. New members of the upsilon family of states and the long-lived hadrons that contain the fifth quark ("bottom" or b-quark) have been discovered in these experiments. The CLEO detector has just been upgraded for investigating the spectroscopy and decay systematics of mesons and baryons that are composed of b-quarks. Studies of the decays of charm quarks and tau leptons will also be carried out.

We are also participating, in a novel search for non-standard mesons at Fermilab. These are mesons that contain gluon excitation degrees of freedom, and can have unusual quantum numbers. The observation of such objects would have important impact on issues in bound Quantum Chromodynamics.

One of the main efforts of the faculty is devoted to studies of proton- antiproton collisions at 2 TeV in the center of mass. Rochester participates in both the CDF and D-ZERO collider experiments at Fermilab. Our interests are in the search for the top quark, studies of B mesons, tests of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), production of W and Z bosons, and tests of the standard model and search for new phenomena at the energy frontier. Since the top quark decays to B mesons, great emphasis has been placed on "tagging" short lived B meson decays using the CDF silicon vertex detector and the upgraded D-ZERO tracker.

Rochester is also constructing the CDF endcap hadronic shower detectors using a new technology based on scintillating tiles with optical fiber readout. A similar technology is being planned for the upgrade of the D- ZERO endcap detectors. We are also involved in the development of modern liquid argon and liquid krypton calorimeters, as well as in extensions of tile-based calorimetry for use at future colliders.

One of our groups has pioneered the search for dark matter (axions) in the microwave, visible and X-ray spectrum. There is an active program probing Quantum Electrodynamics at critical field strength (strong QED). Such fields can only be achieved by using intense focussed short laser pulses (1 Joule at 1 ps) that scatter from 50 GeV electronics. The experiment takes place at the Final Focus Test Beam of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Other interests of our group involve the development of laser driven accelerators and high brightness electron sources.

The theoretical high energy/particle physics group is actively involved in research on symmetries and gauge theories. Recent interest has focused on supersymmetric theories, unified gravitational gauge theories, integrable symmetry in QCD, and sundry aspects of phenomenology. In addition, our work in phenomenology deals with various aspects of elementary particle physics in present and future high energy experiments, with an emphasis on QCD, the top quark, and the Higgs boson. This work involves frequent interactions with experimentalists.

Prof. Ferbel, of the particle physics group, originated and organizes the Advanced Study Institute on Techniques and Concepts of High Energy Physics, held in St. Croix every two years.

Information provided by: http://server-mac.pas.rochester.edu