Parton distribution functions and central exclusive production at the Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the biggest and most ambitious scientific experiment ever devised. By colliding protons at extremely high energy, we can explore the nature of the fundamental particles with unprecedented precision. As a particle theorist, my research concerns the theory behind the elementary particles and their interactions, but with a strong emphasis on what can be measured and tested in LHC collisions. This work is essential to interpret the results of the LHC and their impact on particle physics; by confronting our best theoretical understanding with data from the LHC we can learn a huge amount. As a physicist it is tremendously exciting to have my work used to understand the results of this enormous experimental enterprise.

My research focusses on two key areas. The first topic concerns the structure of the proton. This particle is not fundamental in nature, but it is in fact composed of a complex sea of interacting quarks and gluons. Yet, the LHC is a proton-colliding machine, and it is therefore essential to almost all LHC physics that we understand the structure of these particles. I am a member of one of the world-leading collaborative efforts to model this non-trivial substructure of the protons, so that we can understand what to expect when we collide them. It is only through these efforts that collision processes, where particles such as the newly-discovered Higgs Boson are produced, can be understood at all. By further developing our best models of the proton, and accounting for new data from the LHC as well as the latest theoretical insights, I look forward to continuing to play such a central role in the LHC project.

My second topic concerns a special class of collision event, known as 'central exclusive production'. Generally, the high-energy nature of the protons collisions at the LHC leads them to break up into a spray of additional particles. However, it is also possible in a particularly rare and unique process for the protons to produce a particle such as the Higgs, but remain completely intact afterwards. This is Einstein's famous equation in its purest form: the kinetic energy lost by the protons is used to create a new heavy particle. This process is sensitive to the strong force that binds protons together in unconstrained and untested regimes. In addition, the unique and simple nature of this process provides important insight into the properties of the created particle. As a leading expert in the theory of these processes, I will continue investigating new ways to exploit this production mode, and provide the tools for my experimental colleagues to compare their measurements with theoretical expectations.