Carol Scarlett, Ph.D.

Carol Scarlett, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department:
Physics
Office:
LD 156C
Email:
cyscarle@iu.edu
Research Areas:
High Energy Physics | Studies of Fundamental Forces

Research

My research focuses on searches for weakly interacting exotic particles which may be candidates to explain observer Dark Matter (DM) & Dark Energy (DE) in the universe. After noting unusual oscillations in nuclear decays recorded by researchers at the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI), I have proposed that nuclei may be the ultimate detector of local exotic matter distributions. This lead to my group pioneer the use of several radioactive nuclei to detect minute changes in the local distributions of candidate DM & DE fields.

Research Areas

  • Nuclear Physics
  • Particle Physics
  • Nanopore Sensing
  • Active Matter

Axion Searches Then and Now

Like with other experiments, my own earlier Axion searches focused on the utilization of photonic beams propagating through a strong external magnetic field and a material vacuum. Such experiments are designed to observe optical deflection and rotation as evidence of the theorized Primakoff coupling mechanism. In such experiments, the magnetic field makes the space birefringent and the Primakoff mechanism allows an optical beam to convert to weakly interacting particles (e.g. theorized axions and axion like particles (ALPs)). This gives a preferred axis defined by the directions of the magnetic fields and its magnetic gradient.

More recent efforts to detect illusive, exotic materials, my group has focused on the use of nuclei as detectors of Axions and ALPs. Theory suggest that such matter is inherently neutral and should be spin-0. This makes them ideal for interacting with nuclear materials and potential impacting nuclear dynamics.

Innovation & Technology Development

Through my experimental efforts to rethink and even modernizing previous “cavity search” techniques, we began to rethink the role of birefringence in material systems. This process lead to the development of techniques for quantum generation of optical noise with applications in numerous areas of computer and information sciences. In fact, I now hold several patents for the use of multiple layers of birefringent materials to induce photonic random walking. Additionally, my research has At the time of writing this research interest report, she is currently on Sabbatical at Argonne National laboratory’s (ANL’s) as part of the Chain Reaction Innovation (CRI) program and the Duality Accelerator working on a microchip to use photonics to produce random numbers. This proves that experimentation in one area of science can result in discoveries and inventions in other areas. This latter work is synergistic with several of the University’s Quantum Computing efforts.

 

Education

  • Bachelors in Electrical Engineering — Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (1992)
  • Graduate Work In Physics — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (1996)
  • Doctorate in Particle Physics — University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (2002)

 

Publications & Professional Activity

Selected Publications

C. Scarlett, E. Fischbach, J. J. Coy, P. Edwards, O. Piatibratova, T. Monsue, and R. Burkhart, Evidence of Space Weather in Radon Decay, Pre-Print (2024).

E. Fischbach, D. Krause, Q. Le Thien, M. Mueterthies and C. Scarlett, Implications of Recent KATRIN Results for Lower-Limit on Neutrino Masses, e-Print 2208.03790.

E. Fischbach, T. Gruenwald, D. Krause, M. McDuffie, M. Mueterthies and C. Scarlett, Phenomenological Implications of a Magnetic 5th Force, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 38 (2023) 2350007 e-print 2207.06471

E. Fischbach, T. Gruenwald, D. Krause, M. McDuffie, M. Mueterthies and C. Scarlett, Indications of a Fifth Force Coupling to Baryon Number in the Potter Test of the Weak Equivalence Principle, May 7, 2021 e-Print: 2105.03501 [hep-ph].

E. Fischbach, T. Gruenwald, D. Krause, M. McDuffie M. Mueterthies and C. Scarlett, Significance of Composition-Dependent Effects in Fifth-Force Searches, e-Print:2012.02862 (2020).

M. Rominsky, E. Schmidt, E. Niner, et al., Fermilab Test Beam Facility Annual Report: FY19, May 18, 2020.

J/Psi and Psi(2S) production at forward rapidity in p+p collisions at Sqrt(s) = 510 GeV, Phenix Collaboration, Phys. Rev. D 101 (2020) 5, 052006 e-Print 1912.12424.

Measurement of Charged pion double spin asymmetries at midrapidity in longitudinally polarized p + p collisions at √𝑠 = 510 GeV , Phenix Collaboration, Phys. Rev. C 102 (2020) 1, 014902 e-Print 1910.14487.

Professional Activity

  • Technical Executive Officer, National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) 2018 - 2025
  • Luminate Fellow (2022) for Optical Innovations
  • Committee on Minorities (COM) for the American Phyical Society