Bristol Particle Physics Consolidated Grant 2012-17
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
The University of Bristol proposes to carry out research into the fundamental laws of space, time, matter and force. The current theoretical description of physics at the smallest scales, the Standard Model, is known not to hold at energies greater than around 1TeV. By carrying out experiments at particle colliders, we will observe how and when the Standard Model breaks down; discover new models which accurate describe physics at these scales; measure the parameters of these models; and investigate their significance for cosmology and the study of the large-scale universe. This work will be carried out using a wide range of different experiments and studies.
The experimental data supporting this programme will be obtained using the CMS and LHCb experiments at the CERN LHC, and the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS. We will use these detectors to work both at the energy frontier, with sensitivity to new heavy particles, and the precision frontier, comparing the largest ever experimental data sets with the predictions of the Standard Model. Having built important components of these experiments, we will continue to operate and maintain the apparatus, and design and install upgraded equipment to further enhance their capabilities.
We will design and construct new particle detectors and instruments, optimised for sensitivity, performance and cost. Along with new techniques we will develop in computing and data analysis, this technology will be used in the future to build new experiments at future colliders, and to solve practical problems in the security, medical and environmental sectors.
The results of our research will be publicised via talks, media involvement and events, in order to enhance public understanding and appreciation of science. We will engage with schools wherever possible, in order to ensure the continued take-up of science subjects at school and university level.
The experimental data supporting this programme will be obtained using the CMS and LHCb experiments at the CERN LHC, and the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS. We will use these detectors to work both at the energy frontier, with sensitivity to new heavy particles, and the precision frontier, comparing the largest ever experimental data sets with the predictions of the Standard Model. Having built important components of these experiments, we will continue to operate and maintain the apparatus, and design and install upgraded equipment to further enhance their capabilities.
We will design and construct new particle detectors and instruments, optimised for sensitivity, performance and cost. Along with new techniques we will develop in computing and data analysis, this technology will be used in the future to build new experiments at future colliders, and to solve practical problems in the security, medical and environmental sectors.
The results of our research will be publicised via talks, media involvement and events, in order to enhance public understanding and appreciation of science. We will engage with schools wherever possible, in order to ensure the continued take-up of science subjects at school and university level.
Planned Impact
The key beneficiaries of the proposed research programme, and the benefits they are likely to obtain, can be classified as follows:
- The results obtained and techniques developed in this programme will be of direct benefit in the international fields of experimental and theoretical particle physics and astronomy. The research outputs will directly address outstanding questions in these fields.
- Other academic disciplines will benefit directly and indirectly through access to instruments and techniques developed in this research programme. There is also potential impact upon private-sector companies for commercialisation of detector and computing technology. Examples of areas where impact has already been demonstrated include the security and medical instrumentation sectors. UK industry will also benefit through contracts for specialized detectors and electronic / mechanical assemblies.
- The results from high-profile particle physics experiments provide both a significant cultural impact for the general public, and an impact on the science agenda of national and regional government. Engagement of both the general public and policy makers is an explicit aim of this programme, with routes detailed in the pathways to impact document.
- There is a particular impact upon schools and universities, due to the postitive effect of experimental particle physics upon take up of science courses at GCSE, A-Level and degree levels. The results obtained as part of this research programme will help to continue the 'LHC effect', with physics becoming an increasingly popular subject.
- The technological and organisational demands of experimental particle physics have a demonstrated impact upon culture and best practice in universities and academia in general, and will continue to do so. For instance, through the move to open electronic repositories and open publishing; through the use of networking and distributed research in many disciplines; and through well planned and high profile public engagement exercises.
- The results obtained and techniques developed in this programme will be of direct benefit in the international fields of experimental and theoretical particle physics and astronomy. The research outputs will directly address outstanding questions in these fields.
- Other academic disciplines will benefit directly and indirectly through access to instruments and techniques developed in this research programme. There is also potential impact upon private-sector companies for commercialisation of detector and computing technology. Examples of areas where impact has already been demonstrated include the security and medical instrumentation sectors. UK industry will also benefit through contracts for specialized detectors and electronic / mechanical assemblies.
- The results from high-profile particle physics experiments provide both a significant cultural impact for the general public, and an impact on the science agenda of national and regional government. Engagement of both the general public and policy makers is an explicit aim of this programme, with routes detailed in the pathways to impact document.
- There is a particular impact upon schools and universities, due to the postitive effect of experimental particle physics upon take up of science courses at GCSE, A-Level and degree levels. The results obtained as part of this research programme will help to continue the 'LHC effect', with physics becoming an increasingly popular subject.
- The technological and organisational demands of experimental particle physics have a demonstrated impact upon culture and best practice in universities and academia in general, and will continue to do so. For instance, through the move to open electronic repositories and open publishing; through the use of networking and distributed research in many disciplines; and through well planned and high profile public engagement exercises.
Organisations
Publications
Aaij R
(2014)
Measurement of the forward W boson cross-section in pp collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2014)
Measurement of the t-channel single-top-quark production cross section and of the |V tb| CKM matrix element in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 8 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Observation of top quark pairs produced in association with a vector boson in pp collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Measurement of top quark polarisation in t-channel single top quark production
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Search for dark matter particles in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV using the razor variables
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2015)
Study of Z production in PbPb and pp collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV in the dimuon and dielectron decay channels
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry in Z/?* ? µ + µ - decays and determination of the effective weak mixing angle
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2021)
Observation of the $$ {B}_s^0 $$ ? D*±D± decay
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Search for s channel single top quark production in pp collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ and 8 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of CP asymmetries and polarisation fractions in B s 0 ? K * 0 K ¯ * 0 $$ {B}_s^0\to {K}^{\ast 0}{\overline{K}}^{\ast 0} $$ decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2014)
Measurement of associated W + charm production in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 7 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the inelastic pp cross-section at a centre-of-mass energy of s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 7 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Study of ? $$ \varUpsilon $$ production and cold nuclear matter effects in pPb collisions at s NN $$ \sqrt{s_{NN}} $$ = 5 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetries in B s 0 ? J/?K S 0
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Measurement of the Z? production cross section in pp collisions at 8 TeV and search for anomalous triple gauge boson couplings
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Correlations between jets and charged particles in PbPb and pp collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Search for Higgs boson off-shell production in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV and derivation of constraints on its total decay width
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Angular analysis of the B0 ? K*0e+e- decay in the low-q2 region
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Measurement of the CKM angle ? using B ± ? DK ± with D ? K S 0 p + p -, K S 0 K + K - decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2016)
Study of D sJ (*) + mesons decaying to D * + K S 0 and D *0 K + final states
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2014)
Erratum: Search for anomalous $ t\overline{t} $ production in the highly-boosted all-hadronic final state
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Search for a light charged Higgs boson decaying to c s ¯ $$ \mathrm{c}\overline{\mathrm{s}} $$ in pp collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Observation of the ? b 0 ? J/? pp - decay
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Search for neutral color-octet weak-triplet scalar particles in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2014)
Search for W' ? tb decays in the lepton + jets final state in pp collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 8 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2017)
Search for heavy resonances decaying to tau lepton pairs in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 $$ \sqrt{s}=13 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Observation of associated production of a Z boson with a D meson in the forward region
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the exclusive ? production cross-section in pp collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ TeV and 8 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Differential branching fractions and isospin asymmetries of B ? K (*) µ + µ - decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Measurement of transverse momentum relative to dijet systems in PbPb and pp collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2014)
Search for the associated production of the Higgs boson with a top-quark pair
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2014)
Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons decaying to a pair of tau leptons in pp collisions
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Search for neutral MSSM Higgs bosons decaying into a pair of bottom quarks
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Forward production of ? mesons in pp collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ and 8 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2014)
Measurement of CP asymmetry in B s 0 ? D s ± K ± decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Search for the ? b 0 ? ?? ' and ? b 0 ? ?? decays with the LHCb detector
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the time-integrated CP asymmetry in D 0 ? K S 0 K S 0 decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2014)
Measurement of the triple-differential cross section for photon + jets production in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s} $ = 7 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Chatrchyan S
(2014)
Event activity dependence of $ Y $ (nS) production in $ \sqrt{ {{s_{NN }}}} $ = 5.02 TeV pPb and $ \sqrt{s} $ = 2.76 TeV pp collisions
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Erratum to: Search for third-generation scalar leptoquarks in the tt channel in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Decomposing transverse momentum balance contributions for quenched jets in PbPb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{N}\;\mathrm{N}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Measurement of electroweak production of a W boson and two forward jets in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2016)
Angular analysis of the B 0 ? K *0 µ + µ - decay using 3 fb-1 of integrated luminosity
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2017)
Search for top quark decays via Higgs-boson-mediated flavor-changing neutral currents in pp collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Search for a very light NMSSM Higgs boson produced in decays of the 125 GeV scalar boson and decaying into t leptons in pp collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Search for vector-like T quarks decaying to top quarks and Higgs bosons in the all-hadronic channel using jet substructure
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2016)
Erratum to: Comparison of the Z/?* + jets to ? + jets cross sections in pp collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Khachatryan V
(2015)
Search for physics beyond the standard model in dilepton mass spectra in proton-proton collisions at s = 8 $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Aaij R
(2015)
Measurement of the Z+b-jet cross-section in pp collisions at s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 7 TeV in the forward region
in Journal of High Energy Physics
| Description | This award supported several key developments in particle physics. Most notably, early in the funding period the Higgs boson was discovered and considerable effort was then spent to precisely determine its properties to see if it is really exactly as predicted. There were a host of other measurements at various experiments, pinning down details of the standard model and trying to spot deviations. Finally, good progress was made in "spinning out" particle physics technology into other areas, including the development of systems for scanning for dense materials (with security and other applications) as well as for radiotherapy beam monitoring. |
| Exploitation Route | The group is continuing to pursue these lines of research with subsequent grants. Other particle physics groups have also noted our results. And companies are working with us to develop commercial products based on our knowledge exchange. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Healthcare |
| Description | Research conducted in muon tomography is being investigated by homeland security agencies, the nuclear industry and others as a means of remote, non-invasive imaging. Research in radiotherapy beam monitoring has led to commercial products. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Healthcare,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |