The study of elementary particles and their interactions (Consolidated Grant 2019 - 2022)
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
This grant is to continue the group's programme of investigation into the properties of elementary particles and the fundamental forces of nature.
One of the main objectives of this grant will be to support the exploitation of the LHC experiments which will be taking data during the period of this grant. The CMS experiment will continue to measure the Higgs particle, following its successful discovery in 2012. It will also be able to extend the parameter space in searches for SUSY and other new phenomena such as finding evidence of potential dark matter candidates. The LHCb experiment will offer complementary tests of the Standard Model and beyond with the ability to look for extremely rare decays in flavour physics and to measure CP asymmetries in the decays of B mesons, both of which are sensitive to contributions from new physics. The group will also be active in preparing the next generation of detectors for the high luminosity upgrade of the LHC.
The T2K long baseline neutrino experiment will allow us to expand our understanding of the masses and mixings in the neutrino sector, and should provide key indications of CP violation in the neutrino sector. The SoLid experiment will take data throughout the grant period and should settle the very short baseline neutrino anomoly. One of the other missing pieces of the neutrino puzzle is whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle. We are preparing the SuperNEMO experiment to attempt to determine if the neutrino is a Majorana particle and first data-taking will occur during the grant. Heavy neutrino-like particles are predicted in several new physics models and we are starting preparations for the SHiP experiment to search for these new particles.
The group will be active in several experiments specifically searching for new physics. Direct conversion of muons to electrons is heavily suppressed in the Standard Model so any observation of this process would be a major discovery. The COMET experiment is searching for this process and will take data during the grant. Similarly, a measurable electric dipole moment for the electron could only arise through new physics and the eEDM experiment will continue to push down the limits for such an effect. Around a quarter of the Universe is composed of dark matter and its nature is unknown. This has so far remained undetected in the laboratory and the group will continue its activity in searching for direct evidence of a dark matter candidate through the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment.
Accelerators to produce muon beams will be needed for future neutrino and muon collider experiments. The group is continuing its research in this area through the nuSTORM studies. Proton beams also have potential applications for other scientific fields and for healthcare, and the group is studying how to apply these techniques in these areas.
One of the main objectives of this grant will be to support the exploitation of the LHC experiments which will be taking data during the period of this grant. The CMS experiment will continue to measure the Higgs particle, following its successful discovery in 2012. It will also be able to extend the parameter space in searches for SUSY and other new phenomena such as finding evidence of potential dark matter candidates. The LHCb experiment will offer complementary tests of the Standard Model and beyond with the ability to look for extremely rare decays in flavour physics and to measure CP asymmetries in the decays of B mesons, both of which are sensitive to contributions from new physics. The group will also be active in preparing the next generation of detectors for the high luminosity upgrade of the LHC.
The T2K long baseline neutrino experiment will allow us to expand our understanding of the masses and mixings in the neutrino sector, and should provide key indications of CP violation in the neutrino sector. The SoLid experiment will take data throughout the grant period and should settle the very short baseline neutrino anomoly. One of the other missing pieces of the neutrino puzzle is whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle. We are preparing the SuperNEMO experiment to attempt to determine if the neutrino is a Majorana particle and first data-taking will occur during the grant. Heavy neutrino-like particles are predicted in several new physics models and we are starting preparations for the SHiP experiment to search for these new particles.
The group will be active in several experiments specifically searching for new physics. Direct conversion of muons to electrons is heavily suppressed in the Standard Model so any observation of this process would be a major discovery. The COMET experiment is searching for this process and will take data during the grant. Similarly, a measurable electric dipole moment for the electron could only arise through new physics and the eEDM experiment will continue to push down the limits for such an effect. Around a quarter of the Universe is composed of dark matter and its nature is unknown. This has so far remained undetected in the laboratory and the group will continue its activity in searching for direct evidence of a dark matter candidate through the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment.
Accelerators to produce muon beams will be needed for future neutrino and muon collider experiments. The group is continuing its research in this area through the nuSTORM studies. Proton beams also have potential applications for other scientific fields and for healthcare, and the group is studying how to apply these techniques in these areas.
Planned Impact
While much of the research described in this grant is exploring fundamental questions where the immediate impact implications of discoveries can take decades to unfold, there are several examples of areas where technology developed in the pursuit of discoveries can have a more immediate impact. The group has potential impact in several key areas; training, outreach, transfer of HEP technology and ideas, and transfer and development of accelerator technology. These reach a diverse audience ranging from schoolchildren to cancer practitioners to neutron source users. See the submitted "Pathways to Impact" document for further details.
Organisations
Publications
Akerib D
(2020)
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the 0 ? ß ß decay of Xe 136
in Physical Review C
Akerib D
(2021)
Improving sensitivity to low-mass dark matter in LUX using a novel electrode background mitigation technique
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2021)
Constraints on effective field theory couplings using 311.2 days of LUX data
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Improved modeling of ß electronic recoils in liquid xenon using LUX calibration data
in Journal of Instrumentation
Akerib D
(2020)
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) radioactivity and cleanliness control programs
in The European Physical Journal C
Akerib D
(2021)
Projected sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment to the two-neutrino and neutrinoless double ß decays of Xe 134
in Physical Review C
Akerib D
(2022)
Fast and flexible analysis of direct dark matter search data with machine learning
in Physical Review D
Akerib D
(2020)
Investigation of background electron emission in the LUX detector
in Physical Review D
Alauze X
(2021)
An ultracold molecular beam for testing fundamental physics
in Quantum Science and Technology
Algueró M
(2021)
A complete description of P- and S-wave contributions to the B0 ? K+p-l+l- decay
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Alonso I
(2022)
Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map
in EPJ Quantum Technology
Araújo H
(2023)
The MIGDAL experiment: Measuring a rare atomic process to aid the search for dark matter
in Astroparticle Physics
Athar M
(2022)
Status and perspectives of neutrino physics
in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics
Aymar G
(2020)
LhARA: The Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications
in Frontiers in Physics
Badurina L
(2022)
Prospective sensitivities of atom interferometers to gravitational waves and ultralight dark matter.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Badurina L
(2020)
AION: an atom interferometer observatory and network
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Bertoldi A
(2021)
AEDGE: Atomic experiment for dark matter and gravity exploration in space
in Experimental Astronomy
Bertone G
(2023)
Perspectives on fundamental cosmology from Low Earth Orbit and the Moon.
in NPJ microgravity
Blondel A
(2020)
The SuperFGD Prototype charged particle beam tests
in Journal of Instrumentation
Bogomilov M
(2022)
Multiple Coulomb scattering of muons in lithium hydride
in Physical Review D
Buchmueller O
(2023)
Large-scale atom interferometry for fundamental physics
in Contemporary Physics
Cai T
(2023)
Measurement of the axial vector form factor from antineutrino-proton scattering.
in Nature
Calabrese R
(2022)
Performance of the LHCb RICH detectors during LHC Run 2
in Journal of Instrumentation
Chakraborty K
(2021)
New physics at nuSTORM
in Physical Review D
Chakraborty K
(2022)
Exploring Sterile Neutrino and Non-Unitary Neutrino Mixing at nuSTORM
CMS Collaboration
(2021)
Measurements of production cross sections of the Higgs boson in the four-lepton final state in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV.
in The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields
Deisting A
(2021)
Commissioning of a High Pressure Time Projection Chamber with Optical Readout
in Instruments
Edmonds A
(2022)
Measurement of proton, deuteron, triton, and a particle emission after nuclear muon capture on Al, Si, and Ti with the AlCap experiment
in Physical Review C
Egede U
(2022)
Electroweak Penguin Decays of b -Flavored Hadrons
in Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science
Fitch N
(2020)
Methods for measuring the electron's electric dipole moment using ultracold YbF molecules
in Quantum Science and Technology
Hagiwara K
(2019)
Search for Astronomical Neutrinos from Blazar TXS 0506+056 in Super-Kamiokande
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Hall G
(2020)
Single Event Upset rates in the CBC in CMS
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Harada M
(2023)
Search for Astrophysical Electron Antineutrinos in Super-Kamiokande with 0.01% Gadolinium-loaded Water
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Hayrapetyan A
(2024)
Search for Scalar Leptoquarks Produced via t -Lepton-Quark Scattering in p p Collisions at s = 13 TeV
in Physical Review Letters
Hayrapetyan A
(2024)
Muon identification using multivariate techniques in the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV
in Journal of Instrumentation
Hayrapetyan A
(2023)
Observation of four top quark production in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV
in Physics Letters B
Hayrapetyan A
(2024)
Search for new Higgs bosons via same-sign top quark pair production in association with a jet in proton-proton collisions at s = 13 TeV
in Physics Letters B
Ho C
(2023)
Systematic errors arising from polarization imperfections in measurements of the electron's electric dipole moment
in Physical Review Research
LHCb Collaboration
(2020)
Observation of structure in the J/?-pair mass spectrum.
in Science bulletin
LHCb Collaboration
(2022)
Measurement of the lifetimes of promptly produced Oc0 and ?c0 baryons.
in Science bulletin
LHCb Collaboration
(2021)
Evidence of a J/?? structure and observation of excited ?- states in the ?b-?J/??K- decay.
in Science bulletin
LHCb Collaboration
(2023)
Search for the rare decays and at LHCb
in Chinese Physics C
Linehan R
(2022)
Design and production of the high voltage electrode grids and electron extraction region for the LZ dual-phase xenon time projection chamber
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Long K
(2021)
Muon colliders to expand frontiers of particle physics
in Nature Physics