Centre for Particle Physics at RHUL

Post Graduate

Open Day

February 9th 2012

Our successful theory: the Standard Model

But still working on fundamental questions!

©The Quantum Universe

Connections with astrophysics!

Centre for Particle Physics 12 academic staff, 5 engineers/technical support staff, 8 postdoctoral researchers, 16

postgraduate students, 2 Euromasters

ATLAS: 5 academic staff Multipurpose detector at the LHC (CERN) RHUL involvement dates back from ~1990

Built part of the electronics for the Data Acquisition System Highly involved in the trigger of the experiment/Upgrade activities

Future Accelerators: 5 academic staff Part of the John Adams Institute Aspects of future linear accelerators and LHC upgrade R&D toward a detector for a future linear accelerator

Dark Matter Experiment: 2 academic staff Involved in DEAP/CLEAN experiments Located at SNOlab

Theory: 2 academic staff LHC phenomenology Dark Matter

PhD opportunities available  ~2 studentships funded by STFC for ATLAS

2 studentships funded by STFC for Theory

1 studentship funded by SEPnet for Dark Matter experiment

Accelerator Science:1 STFC funded3 joint CERN-RHUL1 joint ESS-RHUL1 joint Diamond-RHUL

New This Year: Rutherford Prize!

• To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the model of the atom, the PP group has created a "Rutherford Prize" of £1000 to be given to an exceptionally promising PhD student due to start in October 2012.

• The prize will be judged by PP academics based on the quality of the PhD application and interview and awarded by Prof Mary Fowler (RHUL Dean of Science and great-grand-daugther of Rutherford) during Spring 2012.

Ernest Rutheford

ATLAS Biggest detector in the world!

LHC is most powerful accelerator ever built!

RHUL group: Trigger software Readiness for data taking Part of the UK grid Physics analysis very diverse

Amazing opportunity for a Postgraduate student! Spend 1 year at CERN!

ROBin electronics card for ATLAS DAQ

Daniel Hayden, RHUL Postgrad

Dr. Pedro Teixeira-Dias

Current research interests: Search for the Higgs boson

Particle that might be responsible for the mechanism of particles mass in the Standard Model!

And its properties

Higgs produced with a top and anti-top quark at the LHC

ALEPH event display of a possible Higgs event?

Dr. Veronique Boisvert

Co-convenor of the UK ATLAS Top Group

Current research interests: study the top quark: to look for new physics! involves many subdetectors

Good way to make sure the detector is well calibrated

Well suited for low luminosity running

Top can sometimes be partner of other particles

like Higgs

020

406080

100

120140

160180

Mass (GeV/c

2)

nu c b W Z top

Dr. Tracey Berry Co-convenor of the UK ATLAS

SUSY/Exotics Group

Current research interests: Look for exotic phenomena

Signs of extra dimensions!• Could explain why gravity is so

weak Graviton would decay into 2

very energetic electrons

• String theory predicts 10 or 11 space-time dimensions

Or Evidence of New Particles!

High-mass electron pair event

Our world

Extra Dimensions!

e

e

Dr. Glen Cowan

Co-convenor of ATLAS Statistics Group

Author of “Statistical Data Analysis”

Current research interests: Search for Supersymmetry Statistical methods applied to

ATLAS data Eg. Combined results from

various Higgs search analyses Combinations with CMS data

Bayes Theorem

Reverend Thomas Bayes (1702−1761)

Future Accelerators

Beam diagnostics very important for a e+e- collider: Use laser techniques to

get dimensions and positions of beams

RHUL laser wire team testing their setup at DESY

Laser wire chamber

Work done at the major labs in the world:FNAL (USA), SLAC (USA), KEK (Japan), DESY (Germany), CERN (Switzerland)

Professor Grahame Blair

Deputy director of John Adams Institute

Current research interests: Laser-based beam diagnostics Simulation of accelerator beam-lines Issues of machine-detector

interfaces at the LHC LHC accelerator and the upgrade to

its injector chain

Dr. Pavel Karataev

Leader of new initiative at CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) Test Facility at CERN

Current research interests: Various methods for beam

diagnostics Generation of intense

electromagnetic radiation beams

KEK (Japan)

Dr. Stewart Boogert

Current research interests: Aspects of design of linear

collider affecting physics goals: Luminosity measurements Top quark mass measurement

from threshold scans at a linear collider

Laser wire beam diagnostics Beam Position Monitors at

DIAMOND and CLIC

Dr Stephen Molloy (ESS)

Current research interests: Advanced electromagnetic

simulation for accelerators Higher order modes Cavity design

Superconducting accelerators RF simulation and laboratory

tests Simulation of CLIC

At European Spallation Source

Dark Matter Experimentscryogenic dark matter search, under construction,x100 dark matter sensitivity of current experiments

DEAP/CLEAN

N

χ

χ

Measurement: Recoil NucleusKinetic Energy

pixel X

pix

el Y

CCD

Chargereadout

Light readoutCCD (PMT)

Light readoutCCD (PMT)

-V

-V

0V+V0V

F e-

DMTPC Directional Dark Matter Search

time (s)

Volt

ag

e

Goal: measure the dark matter wind by correlatingnuclear recoil signal with galactic motion

Detector R&D:time projection chamber with optical and charge readout

Dr Jocelyn Monroe & Dr James Nikkel

Strategy: pulse shape discrimination and radiopurity control to fight

backgrounds measure and calibration all backgrounds in-situ (PhD

project) if there is a signal, test predicted A2 dependence of dark

matter signal by swapping targets (Argon/Neon) (PhD project)

Outer VesselVeto Tank

SNOLab Infrastructure

Conclusion

The Centre for Particle Physics offers great opportunities to be at the forefront of physics Work on the next

big machine! International

collaboration! Discover new

particles!