Search for gluonic Hadrons at BES III

• Applicant: Dr. Marc Pelizäus
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 172927141

Quarks, the fundamental building blocks of matter, are not observed as free particles in nature. They are rather bound to hadrons (subatomic particles like the proton or the pion) by the strong interaction. The theory of strong interaction (Quantum Chromo Dynamics) describes this confinement of quarks by the self-interaction of the gluons, the force carriers of the strong interaction. This leads to very complex processes responsible for hadron binding, which are up to now poorly understood and cannot be quantified sufficiently. For a deeper understanding the comparison between precise experimental data and the different theoretical approaches is necessary. In Quantum Chromo Dynamics the existence of glueballs and hybrids is predicted. The study of these objects, referred to as gluonic hadrons, is of particular interest, since they carry a visible gluonic component. It is believed that charmonium decays are a rich source for gluonic hadrons. Charmonium states are produced with high rates at the BES III experiment.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Frederick Harris