Measuring the coupling between the Higgs and fermions with ATLAS data
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Abstract
A precision test of the Standard Model of particle physics will be made by measuring the coupling strength between the Higgs boson and the top and bottom quarks.
To facilitate these measurements, state-of-the-art techniques for identifying high pT, massive particles will be utilised and further developed. The optimised techniques will be implemented in data collected with the ATLAS detector in Run 2, beginning 2015. Scale factors and systematic uncertainties will be derived.
Ultimately, a high purity sample of high pT Higgs bosons and top quarks will be extracted from up to 100/fb of data, which will be used to determine the coupling strength of the Higgs boson to the top and b-quarks.
To facilitate these measurements, state-of-the-art techniques for identifying high pT, massive particles will be utilised and further developed. The optimised techniques will be implemented in data collected with the ATLAS detector in Run 2, beginning 2015. Scale factors and systematic uncertainties will be derived.
Ultimately, a high purity sample of high pT Higgs bosons and top quarks will be extracted from up to 100/fb of data, which will be used to determine the coupling strength of the Higgs boson to the top and b-quarks.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST/N504452/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2021 | |||
| 1659851 | Studentship | ST/N504452/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2019 | Emma Winkels |
| Description | Blog post about science conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I wrote a blog post in the Guardian online "Life and Physics" section about my experience at the European Science Open Form conference 2018. I described some of the topics discussed at the conference and my take on the whole experience. Hundreds of people read the post and it was retweeted and shared dozens of times. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.theguardian.com/science/life-and-physics/2018/aug/18/euroscience-open-forum-sharing-scie... |
| Description | Brighton science festival stand on particle physics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The University of Sussex has a stand about particle physics at the annual Brighton Science Festival every year. In 2016 I participated as one of the physicists available at the stand to explain to members of the general public what the university's experimental particle physics group does and cares about. We explain about the Standard Model, about the involvement of the university in different experiments, and about our own research fields. The public asks whatever they are interested in. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.brightonscience.com/ |
| Description | Cloud chamber workshop for high school pupils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I have taught several of these workshops to Dutch high school pupils that come to visit CERN to explore the world of particle physics. In total there were about 160 pupils split up into groups of ~24. In the workshop an introduction is given to the cloud chamber - one of the world's first particle detectors. The pupils then build their own table-top cloud chamber experiment and observe particle tracks. This workshop is part of the CERN SCOOL Lab program. I explain how the chamber works and the basic properties of the particles we can observe. The pupils ask any questions they want and are usually very interested in both the experiment itself and my personal experience working at CERN. They are all pupils taking physics & mathematics at the highest level in high school and many of them expressed interest in pursuing this field later on. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| URL | https://scool.web.cern.ch/CCW/cloud-chamber-workshop |
| Description | Guided visits to various CERN sites |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | At CERN we organise free guided tours for the general public, schools, professional visits, etc. I am an official CERN guide and have guided ~100 people (split up into groups of 12-24) over the last year to different sites at CERN. I have been the guide for visits to ATLAS which is the experiment I work on. I have also been the guide for visits to SM18 which is CERN's magnet testing facility. The CERN visits are booked full very quickly and the people attending the tours are usually very keen on learning more about this laboratory. The tours serve to give the visitor a general overview of CERN's experiments, activities, and goals, as well as providing the visitors with an opportunity to meet someone actually working at CERN to whom they can ask any questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| URL | https://visit.cern/tours/guided-tours-individuals |
| Description | Interviews for Science on Buses in Brighton |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | From September 2017-September 2018 there are 2 buses in Brighton that are dedicated to physics themes. One of the buses is dedicated to particle physics which is my field of research. The bus is covered in interesting facts and figures about this field of research. There is also an iPad installed with several short movies with interviews of physicists at the University of Sussex talking about their experience within the field. These movies are also available on the Science on Buses website. I am one of the physicists interviewed for this project in which we talk about what it's like to be a physicist, how did we get into the field, etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| URL | https://scienceonbuses.com/ |
| Description | LHCreate hackathon to design exhibition for general public |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | LHCreate is an annual hackathon organised by the CMS & ATLAS experiments. It brings together people from CERN and the IPAC design school in Geneva to create an interactive exhibit for the general public that explains some aspect of the work at CERN. In 2017, the goal was to create an exhibit that explains "Why we do what we do at CERN". It's true that CERN often carries with it a sense of scientific fascination, but to many people, the reasons behind this science are not clear. We were given 2 full days to think of and build the exhibit, after which each group presented its work in a presentation open to everyone. The audience was mostly filled with members from the general public in the region that were interested in learning more about CERN. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://lhcreate.web.cern.ch/ |
| Description | Particle Physics masterclass for A-level physics students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Every year, the University of Sussex holds a Particle Physics masterclass for A-level physics students. It features a range of activities including experiments, computer simulations, talks and discussion sessions. In 2016 I have led the computer session in which the students work with Minerva software. This shows them real event displays from the Large Hadron Collider and the students need to find out which particles they see in the events. That year I also did the Q&A session "Meet a scientist" where the students can ask any questions they have about life as a scientist. This year in 2018 I am based at CERN so I did the "virtual CERN visit" in which we connect to the students at Sussex from CERN and show them the ATLAS control room and they can ask any question about CERN, being a physicist, etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2018 |
| Description | Poster presentation at STEM for Britain |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster on my field of research at the 2017 STEM for Britain poster exhibition at the House of Commons in the British Parliament. The aim of this exhibition is to give members of both Houses of Parliament an insight into the research work being undertaken in British universities by early-career researchers. The members of Parliament were all invited to come and view the posters on display and ask any further questions to the presenters. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.setforbritain.org.uk/index.asp |