2012 Consolidated Grant Supplement : UCL

Experimental particle physics studies extremely small sizes, or equivalently extremely high energies. We seek to understand the underlying nature of the physical universe in terms of fundamental forces and particles. This knowledge underpins our quest to answer some of the biggest questions in science, such as how our universe originated and evolved from the Big Bang.

Experiments capable of reaching these extremes of energy & size are very technically demanding. The challenges include devising precision detectors which can operate in hostile environments, particle accelerators which can collide beams at very high energies, super-sensitive detectors capable of identifying very rare decays, high-speed electronics which can read out millions of pieces of information per second & software which can analyse petabytes of data in a distributed fashion. Particle physics thereby stimulates a variety of important technological developments.

This is a supplementary award to our "consolidated grant", underpinning the base of highly skilled research & technical staff which allows UCL to lead projects at the very highest levels. It provides the support that allows the group to effectively train PhD students & young post-doctoral researchers. The science this grant will support includes:

- Understanding the mechanism that gives particles mass by searching for new fundamental particles such as the Higgs boson with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. In the event of such a discovery, measuring the properties of the Higgs boson will be critical. Cross checking with precision measurements from the Tevatron collider will allow a powerful consistency check of the standard model of particle physics.

- Understanding why we live in a universe that is dominated by matter with only a tiny anti-matter component, in contrast to the conditions immediately following the Big Bang. We will study in detail the properties of the neutrino, which is a stable, uncharged, almost massless particle released in radioactive beta decays. The neutrino is being studied with the MINOS experiment. UCL is also completing the construction of the SuperNEMO experiment, which will search for the incredibly rare process whereby two simultaneous beta-decays occur inside the nucleus. Examining such decays will yield fundamental insights into the nature of the neutrino.

- Searching for phenomena at extremely high energies, well beyond the reach of man-made accelerators like the LHC. We are searching for the interactions of ultra-high energy neutrinos in the Antarctic ice using the ANITA experiment & we are preparing for experiments that will search for the exceedingly rare process whereby a muon (a heavier version of the electron) spontaneously converts into an electron.

- Developing new accelerator and detector technologies for future experiments. We need to build higher energy colliders, and giant detectors able to detect neutrino beams fired over large distances, as well as 10-times larger underground detectors to continue the search for rare processes. These crucial science goals require the realisation of new detectors with unprecedented performance and which can be scaled-up effectively and affordably.

- Sharing the results of our work with other scientists and industry. Our accelerator and radiation measurement expertise can be applied to the fields of nuclear medicine and security. We also cooperate with instrument manufacturers in order to develop better products for our own research and for other scientific and industrial users.

Some of this work is funded on other grants but is underpinned by the technical expertise that is supported by this consolidated grant. Continuity & support for the technical base in the UCL High Energy Physics Group is vital to progress the science & the benefits that it brings.

Particle physicists undertake basic research at the frontier of knowledge. Our audience consists not only of fellow physicists
but scientists and non-scientists alike who share a curiosity for the results of our research.

We know, for example from studies of university applications, that particle physics is one of the most frequently cited motivations for school pupils to study physics at A-level and beyond. Our research, and in particular the presentation of our research to public audiences, is therefore a crucial factor in encouraging young people to study the physical sciences at a time when the UK economy needs many more science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates. The UCL group reaches out to public audiences through highly effective work in schools and science fairs and also in national print and broadcast media.

Although the fruits of particle physics research do not (yet!) have any direct applications, the instruments required to perform experiments in high-energy physics have historically and continue to generate significant innovation that has wider impact. For example nuclear medicine relies on radiation detection technology originally developed for nuclear and particle physics experiments. A new branch of nuclear medicine is the use of hadron beams to deliver radiation doses with far greater precision and far less collatoral damage than conventional radiotherapy. The UCL particle physics group is involved in efforts to transfer expertise in laboratory based proton accelerators to help deliver better understood proton beams for such medical applications, with the
corresponding potential benefits to patients that this might bring.

Another impact of our research is in the security arena.We are developing novel radiation detectors that may be used to discover and monitor nuclear materials, as well as using cosmic rays to see inside hidden spaces.

UCL particle physicists are committed to disseminating the results of their research as widely and effectively as possible, ensuring that anyone with an interest in our work - be it professional interest or simply personal curiosity - has the chance to learn more about what we do.