CosPA 2

Experimental Particle Physics Studies on Issues related to "Early Universe, Dark Matter, and Inflation"

The NTUHEP group got started in 1994 by a proposal to NSC (National Science Council) to join B factory. By late 1994, we joined BELLE and proposed to add the EFC subdetector system. For further details and early history of our group, please refer to EFC Homepage.

Since the outset, we have aimed at physics analysis in BELLE, concentrating on rare decays and CP violation. Being fully responsible for EFC, we have also established our EFC/two-photon group. Taiwan already has many phenomenologists very active in the field of B physics and CP violation. The community has just hosted the Third International Conference on B Physics and CP Violation (BCP3), held on the campus of NTU in December 1999.

The successful design, construction, installation and running of EFC during 1994-1999 bore fruit in 1999. A proposal was made to MOE (Ministry of Education) in March 1999 under the "In Search of Academic Excellance" initiative, as a subproposal of the "Cosmology and Particle Astrohysics" integrated proposal. The project received full approval in December 1999, now code named CosPA, for the period January 2000 to December 2003. It is rather prestigious in the sense that only 6% of proposals were selected, and out of the 18 selected projects, only 10 were fully funded. As CosPA-2 subproject, we have embarked on BELLE SVD2 upgrade (working on electronics boards) and will start to work on prototype design of a small angle detector (tentatively called BPC) for the ACFA-LC Linear Collider program. We will also do some preliminary study of low noise electronics for crystal detection of cold dark matter (CDM) or WIMP.

The CosPA-2 project under MOE funding comes with FOUR Ph.D. level research positions to work on the above (hardware) projects. This means a tremendous growth of our hardware arm with glowing future prospects. The job vacancies would be filled during year 2000.

Since 1998, NSC has set up a study committee and a review committee for the prospects of Taiwan to join LHC experiments. We joined forces with NCU (National Central University) group to work on CMS Preshower. NCUHEP would work on silicon sensor part, while NTUHEP would be responsible for the Mother Board (MB). The two groups were admitted to CMS in December 1999, and we are working with NSC and CMS/CERN towards the MOU. A proposal was made to NSC in January 2000 for initial funding to start in August 2000.

In summary, 1994-1999 marked the first phase of NTUHEP: the setting up of lab, construction of our own subdetector system in BELLE, and forming an analysis team. With CosPA-2 fully approved for 2000-2003 (4 years), we will strengthen our involvement in BELLE (SVD upgrade), link up with JLC or ACFA LC (BPC subsystem), and perhaps open up possibilities for domestic experiment on CDM detection. The joining of CMS to work on Preshower MB would be a natural continuation of SVD2 electronics work, and would optimize usage of extra manpower hired under CosPA-2. It would also lead us into LHC physics by year 2005. Thus, the 2000-2005 period seems to be the second phase for NTUHEP, and the agenda has already been set.

http://hep1.phys.ntu.edu.tw