ATLAS

Research at the energy frontier with the ATLAS Detector  
 

  1. Analysis of ATLAS data

    Dag Gillberg

    The Large Hadron Collider just outside Geneva, Switzerland, is delivering high energy proton-proton collisions that are being recorded by the ATLAS detector. During the Run-2 (2015-2018) and Run-3 (presently ongoing) data taking periods, we have collected a very large new dataset of such collisions. Through analysis of this data, we can expand our knowledge of the fundamental nature of our world. One of the topics that will be investigated is studies of the Higgs boson that was discovered in 2012. 

    This summer project involves analysis of the ATLAS data. Possible tasks are to explore kinematic and production properties of the Higgs boson in events where it decays either to two muons or in conjunction with a vector boson such the W or Z bosons. These are very rare Higgs processes which can provide additional handles to probe new physics beyond the Standard Model of Physics. The developed analyses can then expand in preparation for the Run-3 data taking period scheduled for 2022 to provide input for improved statistics and/or observation potential. This work will include working both with Monte Carlo simulated collisions and with the actual LHC data. As part of this project, improvements of the ATLAS reconstruction will be investigated that might aid future discoveries.
     

  2. Characterization of the electrical properties of silicon sensors for the ATLAS detector upgrade at the LHC

    Thomas Koffas

    In 2026-2028, the Large Hadron Collider and the ATLAS detector will undergo major upgrades to prepare for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) scheduled to start in 2029. The HL-LHC will operate at a significantly higher intensity: the instantaneous luminosity of the proton beams will be seven times that of the design criteria. This significantly enhances the overall physics potential, but also makes the experimental conditions harsher and more challenging. The entire inner tracking detector of ATLAS will need to be replaced with a new silicon Inner Tracker detector (ITk) to cope with this situation. The particle physics group at Carleton University is actively working on this detector upgrade, and is looking for interested students to work on the characterization and performance evaluation of the ITk detector sensors. This work will include the study of the state-of-the-art thin silicon sensors, as well as specially designed test structures that will be probed by dedicated equipment in order to understand their physics performance under carefully controlled environmental conditions. As a separate task, the evaluation of the performance of silicon test structures under high radiation conditions and the study of radiation-induced effects on semiconductor materials, will also be pursued. Both projects will require the development of the required experimental setups, including LabView-based readout and control software, as well as C++-based analysis of the measurement data. In both projects, students will acquire extensive experience in working in clean rooms under environmentally controlled conditions, in handling state-of-the-art experimental equipment, in performing extensive data analysis using ROOT and other software packages and in basic database operations.

 

For more information on the ATLAS project at Carleton University, please consult http://physics.carleton.ca/atlas/

Contacts:

Professor Alain Bellerive (alainb atphysics [dot] carleton [dot] ca)
Professor Dag Gillberg (dag atphysics [dot] carleton [dot] ca)
Professor Thomas Koffas (koffas atphysics [dot] carleton [dot] ca)

 

 

 

 

 

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