CAREER: Superior Silicon Tracking and Discovery at CMS and D0

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal addresses why the fundamental particles have masses and why these masses are all different. Thesae are some of the most important outstanding questions in particle physics. The discovery of Higgs bosons and measurements of their properties would shed light on these historic questions. It may be possible to discover a light Higgs at the Fermilab Tevatron if models such as the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) are considered. MSSM predicts Higgs production cross sections one to several orders of magnitude larger than those of the standard model. Near the end of Run II, with integrated luminosities of less than 4 fb-1, it could be possible to discover Higgs bosons at moderately large values. In addition, the combined results of CDF and D0's standard model Higgs search would close the search window on Higgs masses up to 125 GeV, a mass region that will be difficult to explore at the LHC. These physics and tracking studies will bridge the gap between the Tevatron and the LHC. Precision silicon detectors have played an historic role in the search for the Higgs boson and the PI has a long experience with building and optimizing the performance of such devices and using them to set the world's best limits on the mass of the Higgs. This work will continue with the construction of the CMS forward pixel detector and the construction of a small lab for future R&D into silicon detectors. The education and outreach part of this proposal seeks out high achieving bi-lingual (Spanish-English) high school students and pairs them with mostly Latino elementary school students who are tutored two afternoons per week. This creates a system that is beneficial for both the younger students and the tutors. The program has worked successfully near Fermilab (BEST) and the PI proposes to start a similar one based in Lincoln, Nebraska.