This $250,000 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Physics supports research by Stony Brook University to resolve the "proton radius puzzle" and determine the precise shape of the proton. The 3-year grant funds the university's participation in the Muon Proton Scattering Experiment (MUSE) at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. This work will provide crucial data to compare how electrons and muons interact with protons, test our understanding of the scattering process, and search for violations of lepton universality. The grant supports the efforts of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers, exposing them to international collaboration and enabling them to develop expertise in nuclear physics experiments, modern detection techniques, and data analysis. The research project also includes outreach activities focused on high schools and underrepresented groups.
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