Centre for Particle Physics at RHUL Post Graduate Open Day February 9 th 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 funded  3 joint CERN-RHUL  1 joint ESS-RHUL  1 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 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 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

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 Experiments cryogenic dark matter search, under construction, x100 dark matter sensitivity of current experiments DEAP/CLEAN N χ χ Measurement: Recoil Nucleus Kinetic Energy

pixel X pixel Y CCD Charge readout Light readout CCD (PMT) Light readout CCD (PMT) -V 0V +V 0V F e-e- DMTPC Directional Dark Matter Search time (s) Voltage Goal: measure the dark matter wind by correlating nuclear 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 A 2 dependence of dark matter signal by swapping targets (Argon/Neon) (PhD project) Outer VesselVeto TankSNOLab 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!