Experimental Particle Physics
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: College of Science and Engineering
Abstract
The three-year timescale is particularly exciting with the possibility of Higgs discovery at the Tevatron and the opening of the new energy frontier at the LHC: we will focus our efforts on Higgs analysis, discovery and interpretation, and the search for new physics in CP violation and rare B decays. Improved analysis techniques, well-calibrated detectors, increased computing power and theoretical input will be essential. All academics are heavily involved in the LHC programme and our strategy is to generate leading-edge physics results from two experiments (ATLAS and LHCb) based upon expertise developed in those experiments and from CDF and ZEUS, as well as ALEPH. We plan to provide timely first results in Higgs limit setting and discovery for ATLAS and CDF. We will secure high-quality completion on CDF where we have set demanding goals in the Higgs analyses that will benefit ATLAS. Our ZEUS involvements in the hadronic final state and prompt photon sectors will similarly underpin first ATLAS results. Based on our earlier work, we will be key players in answering questions concerning the origin of mass and the nature of CP violation. For LHCb, we will discover rare two body B decays and search for CP violation in charm with early data samples. We will perform a detailed study of a rare decay process and a comparison of tree and loop diagram mediated measurements of the unitarity angle gamma that offer significant new physics sensitivity. We continue to invest in and promote a world-class Detector Development activity to enable longer-term initiatives and our Grid strength is aimed at maximising our impact in LHC physics. We additionally lever support through Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Faculty in these areas. We have set up physics analysis streams for ATLAS and LHCb, using the Grid, and will fully exploit the first LHC data. We will also maintain our involvement in longer-term initiatives where we have leadership roles. We presently participate in the LHCb upgrade, the ATLAS-FP initiative, the super-LHC intensity upgrades and future neutrino initiatives. We anticipate greater involvement in linear collider work, contingent upon discoveries made at the LHC. Over the next three years we will develop these areas and progress those where early investment will become most productive, consistent with the highest priority of LHC physics exploitation.
Organisations
| Description | • Publication of the search for [AC51], discovery of [AC31,AC45] and first properties of [AC68,AC69] the Higgs Boson. • Publication of first ATLAS measurement on VH,H?bb [AC1]. • First results on ATLAS search for ttH,H?bb [AC20]. • Publication of world best limits in searches for ttbar resonances at 7 TeV [AC29]. • Assembly and characterisation of quad module for ATLAS upgrade [AP9]. • World's best measurement of the Bs ? K+K- effective lifetime that constrains the CP violating phase in BS mixing [LC3,LC4]. • Precision measurements of the D0 mixing parameters A? and yCP [LC1,LC2]. • Measurement of properties of orbitally excited states of Bs mesons [LC11,LC12]. • Successful operation and determination of performance of the ATLAS SCT, LHCb RICH and VELO detectors and the ATLAS and LHCb triggers during the LHC Run 1 [AC67,AP33,DP2,DP4,DP5]. • Determination that a neutrino factory offers best possibility for discovery of neutrino CP violation [NC1,NC4]. • Building and characterisation of the muon beam for MICE [NC5,NC6]. |
| Exploitation Route | 1. Particle physicists and others with a direct interest in fundamental particles, within and beyond the Standard Model. 2. Users of silicon sensors in many fields of science, technology and industry e.g. synchrotron radiation facilities, medical applications and security applications. 3. Users of large-scale computing resources in many fields of science. 4. Firms employing our graduates, RAs and technicians will benefit from their leading-edge skills and ability to work in challenging international environments. 5. Physics graduates gain from undergraduate teaching and projects as well as from PhD training within the group. 6. Future physics graduates and others benefit from our outreach programme. |
| Sectors | Education,Electronics,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Security and Diplomacy |
| Description | The creation of impact from the developments we undertake for HEP has always been a priority for the Glasgow PPE group, long before it was made a University priority through its inclusion as a parameter in the REF exercise. For the first time REF2014 included not only assessment of academic output but also the impact the research has had on the economy, society, public policy, culture and the quality of life. 100% of the School's impact was judged to be at least "internationally excellent", with 42% rated as "world-leading", placing the School 9th in the UK for Physics impact. The PPE group was responsible for the generation of an impact case based on Medipix technology. The continued promotion of technologies developed for Particle Physics for applications outside the field remains a strong priority for our group and is most evident in the Detector Development and GridPP activities. The key feature of our exploitation strategy is to use additional funding that we raise to support the transformation of research outcomes to commercial opportunities and industrial applications. The Detector Development group's focus on the development of pixel detector systems has resulted in the prominent involvement of group members in upgrade detectors for both ATLAS and LHCb. In addition to these core activities, the Medipix family of ASICS continues to prove a fruitful source of applications both within and outwith HEP. Glasgow University has recently signed licence agreements with Quantum Detectors and Kromek Group PLC to use IP developed by GU on the applications of Medipix technology. Negotiations are underway with Bruker on the use of Medipix for an EBSD (Electron Back Scattered Diffraction) camera where the technology offers breakthrough performance and the possibility to revolutionise the way that diffraction measurements are performed in electron microscopes. Bruker have taken a patent on aspects of this based on a recent publication from the group [arXiv:1607.05269]. The group has raised a large fraction of the funds required to join Medipix4 (250k CHF) and anticipates joining the collaboration in the coming year. This will enable us to take advantage of the innovations foreseen for the Medipix4 family of ASICs and continue to develop new and exciting applications in the pursuit of further impact generation. As part of the ATLAS Upgrade R&D the Glasgow group has been working Micron Semiconductor to develop pixel sensors for ATLAS with the aim of Micron supplying sensors for a pixel endcap and possibly other parts of the ATLAS pixel upgrade. This collaboration has allowed Micron to submit to the CERN Market Survey for the ATLAS pixel sensor order. The key developments have been the design and characterisation of a 50x50 ?m2 pixel sensor and under bump metalisation. The ATLAS group is collaborating with ZOT Ltd on the design and manufacture of a flexible hybrid for pixel modules and it is hoped that this will allow ZOT to compete for the supply of the ATLAS pixel endcap and possibly other parts of the LHC upgrade projects. Similarly, the LHCb group collaborates with ZOT on the design and manufacture of the flexible and vacuum compatible electrical high-speed links and the on-detector electronics boards for the VELO upgrade. The group has obtained STFC IAA funding to develop next generation semiconductor probe needles in collaboration with PTSL (a UK probe card company) and Archer Technicoat Ltd (a UK CVD materials company), which builds on STFC IPS funding. We are presently in discussion with IPGroup (the GU preferred venture capital group) to explore taking the work to a commercial stage. The group also has demonstrable impact in culture where group members are Scientific Advisors on the Antonine Wall Distance Slabs Research project. The project works with Historic Environment Scotland and History of Art and Archaeology Departments in the University of Glasgow. We are applying our knowledge of X-ray detectors for X-ray fluorescence measurements of Roman Period Stones from the Antonine Wall for identification of original paint colours. In addition we are using analytical techniques from particle physics to extract characteristic element peaks from XRF spectra with high background noise. The GridPP project, led from the University of Glasgow, provides another successful pathway. Despite a focus on Particle Physics, GridPP also supports many other disciplines, both as a production system and as an incubator for groups who will ultimately develop their own infrastructure. GridPP is a core founding member of the UKT0 alliance in the UK that brings together existing STFC infrastructures (GridPP, DIRAC, SCD, JASMIN, etc) and user groups within the broader STFC science domain, many of whom do not currently have a viable e-infrastructure. The strategic importance of UKT0 has already enabled seed funding (£1.5m) and is now on the BEIS roadmap for significant support in future years that will benefit the whole stable of STFC supported science and facility users. More directly, GridPP is working closely with SKA as they develop their computing strategy to cope with data volumes that will rival the LHC by the mid 2020s. Beyond STFC science, GridPP continues to support a number of organisations such as the BioMed community (with whom GridPP has just agreed an SLA to be acknowledged in their publications) and the CERN@school organisation that brings the power of the Worldwide LHC computing Grid into classrooms across the UK. The associated Virtual Organisation (VO) - cernatschool.org - has proven useful as a "technology demonstrator" VO for GridPP's User Engagement toolkit. The tools have successfully been used to store and access data from the school-based Timepix detectors and generate Monte Carlo simulations of the Langton Ultimate Cosmic ray Intensity Detector (LUCID) experiment's satellite-based detectors. At a local level, GridPP continues to work with other groups such as the AHRC funded SAMUELS project that is examining the use and meaning of words in the Hansard parliamentary records (1803 to 2005). Enabling the researchers to use ScotGrid reduced their processing time from 2-3 years to 48 hours and a subsequent construction and hosting of a database was completed in an additional two months providing a key resource for this project. Finally, all investigators will play an active role in the generation of impact and knowledge exchange and will ensure that appropriate training is provided to all researchers associated with the group activities in the key aspects of communication, public engagement and our extensive teacher CPD programme, media engagement, intellectual property protection and commercial exploitation. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Education,Electronics,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic |