QCD calculations and measurements of vector boson + heavy flavour processes at the LHC

Overview, aims and objectives:

The studentship is being conducted jointly in Theory and Experiment. The candidate will work on developing innovative techniques for higher-order QCD calculations, and apply them to obtain high-precision predictions for key LHC processes. A particular emphasis will be put on vector boson production in association with heavy flavour. On the experimental side, the student will contribute to the operation of the ATLAS detector via control room shifts, and an authorship qualification task within the JetEtmiss group, which aims to improve and develop jet tagging methods using machine learning techniques. The student will also perform analysis on the LHC Run 3 dataset using the ATLAS detector. The measurements will be related to the calculations and tools that the student has developed during the theoretical parts of his work. Such calculations and measurements are important to improve our understanding and modelling of these processes, and are interesting not only in their own right as a test of perturbative QCD, but also e.g. in the context of proton parton distribution functions, where W+c is highly sensitive to the poorly known strange quark. There are a number of possible extensions and further developments, on both the theoretical and experimental side, which will be defined as the project evolves.

Novelty of research methodology:

The work will require development of new and innovative techniques and tools for the theory calculations, including consideration of those related to the definition of jet flavour. The measurements will be the first of their kind using the LHC Run 3 data, and will apply for the first time new, state-of-the-art analysis techniques related to the associated theoretical work. The results will be disseminated in high-profile conferences and the results will be published in refereed journal papers (and/or ATLAS CONF/PUB notes).