Center for High Energy and High Field Physics (CHiP)
The Center for High Energy and High Field Physics at National Central University (NCU) aims to understand the most fundamental structural matter in nature, to search for new physical phenomena beyond the Standard Model, to explore the origin and evolution of the universe itself, and to study the interactions of ultra-high intensity electromagnetic fields with matter. Through these cutting-edge technologies required for fundamental research, we can translate new knowledge gained from technology and fundamental research into applied science and technology.
The Center's high-energy physics team has been involved in AMS experiments on the International Space Station and CMS experiments on the Large Hadron Collider for a long time, and is one of the major high-energy experimental teams in the Asia-Pacific region, and is also highly competent in high-energy and gravity theories. Members of the team have received numerous awards from the National Science and Technology Council, R.O.C., Academia Sinica and the Physical Society of Taiwan in recognition of their research performance. In addition to participation in the construction of detectors for AMS and CMS, the high-energy experiments team has made many notable contributions to physics analysis results, including the search for antimatter and dark matter in AMS, the discovery of the Higgs particle in CMS (Nobel Prize for Physics, 2013), and the search for new physics phenomena. In addition to existing experimental programs and the continued development of silicon detectors, the team is actively seeking to join new experimental programs including the exploration of dark matter, participation in the Gravity Wave Experiment, and the Next Generation Collider Experiment. Through this project, the Center will combine the high-energy experimental and theoretical teams from Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Cheng Kung University to establish a national, comprehensive, and internationally influential high-energy physics research team that integrates experiments and theories. The future vision is to establish localized high-energy physics experiments in Taiwan.
The Center's high-field physics team has built the only 100 MW high-field laser in Taiwan, whose beam quality and stability are among the top in its class, and has attracted research teams from the U.S., France, Japan, and China to utilize this facility for collaborative projects and obtain breakthrough results. Through this project, the team will sustain the development of new-generation high-field cutting-edge laser systems by upgrading the existing 100 MW laser to 200 MW on one hand, and developing a new type of high-energy, short-pulse carbon dioxide laser on the other hand, which will bring the ultrafast X-ray/gamma light sources, laser particle gas pedals, and laboratory astrophysics to a new level of research. Meanwhile, downstream applications will be developed, including proton acceleration for cancer treatment, phase-contrast X-ray photography for biological and medical imaging, high-energy particle microscopy for detecting the spatial and temporal evolution of high-energy plasma, and ultra-fast gamma penetration photography for high-speed mechanical inspection.
The High Energy Physics and High Field Physics teams will collaborate to develop fundamental theories and experimental techniques with commonalities, such as exploring cross-cutting topics such as cosmic ray acceleration models, front-end acceleration and injection techniques for high-energy particle gas pedals, high-energy density physics, and inverse Compton scattering photon energization.
The high-energy physics team and the high-field physics team are already internationally recognized, and the local and international students and foreign researchers they have nurtured are highly competitive in the scientific and technological community and the academic world, and they are the targets of competition from various parties. The establishment of this center will allow for the large-scale cultivation of cross-disciplinary talents, significantly increase Taiwan's leadership and visibility in large-scale international collaborative experiments, further develop into an international research hotspot, set a model with intensive talents and excellent facilities, attract international teams to form communities, accelerate technology exchanges, and increase the overall research energy and strengthen Taiwan's reputation and influence in the international academic community.