Project Grant 2609860

The National Science Foundation Division of Physics awarded $270,000 to Old Dominion University Research Foundation on September 1, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to develop theoretical models for extracting fundamental physics measurements from the PRIMEX experiment at Jefferson Lab.

The recipient will compute photoproduction cross sections for pseudoscalar meson creation from first principles, using ab-initio nuclear structure calculations enhanced with machine-learning techniques to model nuclear background processes. This work addresses a critical theoretical bottleneck in the PRIMEX experiment's effort to measure radiative decay widths of short-lived subatomic particles with high precision, testing quantum chromodynamics symmetry predictions. The computational tools developed will transfer to other nuclear and particle physics domains, including neutrino oscillation experiments such as DUNE. A graduate student will receive training in nuclear theory and artificial intelligence computational methods as part of the project.

Performance occurs in Norfolk, Virginia, with a period from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The award is classified as a Project Grant.