Image of J.R. Wilson

Jeffrey R. Wilson

Associate Professor

PSC 603
Physics and Astronomy
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina 29208
(803) 777-4650
e-mail

Education

  • Ph.D. in Physics, Purdue University (1985)
  • B.S. in Physics, Michigan State University (1979)

Research Interests

Experimental High Energy Physics Studies of States containing charm quarks.

I have been investigating the physics of charm quark states in a series of fixed target experiments based at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois. The experiments are collaborative efforts with physicists from universities and laboratories around the world.

My upcoming experiment uses the highest energy photon beam in the world to produce a very clean sample of charmed mesons and baryons-so named because they contain the charm quark. Precise measurements of the decay properties of these particles are an excellent test of our knowledge of the weak force. We are already in possession of one of the largest charm data samples in the world and the new experiment will increase the sample size by a factor of ten or more. This may be enough to allow the first observation of weak mixing in D0 - 0 decays. We will also make measurements of the D0 absolute branching ratio and semileptonic form factors crucial to understanding weak decays.

I am involved in two projects crucial to the success of the experiment. One project involves the construction of a small trigger detector that will help discard events that are unlikely to be interesting. This detector makes clever use of the Cherenkov effect and total internal reflection in transparent crystals. The second project is a team effort with M. Purohit who is also a member of the South Carolina High Energy Physics group. We are building a readout system for a high precision addition to the experiments' microvertex detector. This new component will improve our resolution of decay vertices and in some instances will provide direct tracking of the charm particles themselves.

Selected Publications

  • A Structure at 2175-MeV in e+ e- → phi f0(980) Observed via Initial-State Radiation., By BABAR Collaboration (B. Aubert et al). SLAC-PUB-12146, BABAR-PUB-06-1482, Oct 2006, 8pp. Published in Phys.Rev.D74:091108, 2006. e-Print Archive: hep-ex/0610018
  • Measurement of the absolute branching fractions B to Dpi, D*pi, D**pi with a missing mass method. By BABAR Collaboration (B. Aubert et al). SLAC-PUB-12107, BABAR-PUB-06-057, Phys. Rev. D Sep 2006. 8pp. Contribued to 33rd International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP06), Mosco, Russia, 26 Jul-2 Aug 2006. Published in Phys.Rev.D74:111102.2006. e-Print Archive: hep-ex/0609033
  • Observation of B+ → phi phi K+ and evidence for BO → phi phi KO below eta(c) threshold. By BABAR Collaboration (B. Aubert et al). SLAC-PUB-12113, BABBAR-PUB-06-042, Sep 2006. 7pp. Presented at 33rd International on High Energy Physics (ICHEP06), Mosco, Russia, 26 Jul-2 Aug 2006. Published in Phys.Rev.Lett.97:261803.2006. e-Print Archive: HEP-ex/0609027 C
  • Observation of an excited charm baryon Omega(C)* decaying to Omega(C)O gamma, By BABAR Collaboration (B. Aubert et al). SLAC-PUB-12075, BABBAR-PUB-06-055, Sep 2006. 7pp. Presented at 33rd International on High Energy Physics (ICHEP06), Mosco, Russia, 26 Jul-2 Aug 2006. Published in Phys.Rev.Lett.97:232001.2006. e-Print Archive: HEP-ex/0608055
  • Search for the W-Exchange Decays BO → DS(*)+DS(*)-. B. Aubert et al. Published in Phys. Rev. D72:111101, 2005. [HEP-EX 0510051]