Web-Based High-Energy Particle Physics Event Generation

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project addresses the critical need to develop accurate event simulations for high energy particle physics research. It has two main thrusts. The first is to expand the scope and functionality of the MadGraph/MadEvent software packages to allow model builders to work with MadGraph using their preferred language of the Lagrangian, give phenomenologists greater control of the processes generated, and allow experimentalists to seamlessly integrate these tools into their analysis environment. The second thrust will be the development of human resources and expertise at the University of Illinois necessary to take full advantage of these tools in the analysis of data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Graduate students will develop the skills necessary to participate in the exciting discoveries that the LHC data will provide, and a postdoctoral research associate will receive essential training to work with theorists and experimentalists in creating the relevant simulations necessary for the data analysis. A crucial part of this proposal is the optimization of the codes for HEP Grid Computing. .The vast computing resources of the Grid will allow for the feasible generation of the millions of unweighted events required for an experimental analysis in a short amount of time. Perhaps even more important, by moving to a Grid-compatible format, experimentalists will be able to fully incorporate MadEvent into their analysis environments. This project will create a common platform with which everyone can work efficiently. This common platform will dramatically reduce the transition time from model development to phenomenological analysis to an experimental analysis and discovery. A second important benefit of the project is the training it will provide to the young scientists and students working on the software developments. The "Science Thursdays" that the PI will participate in is an excellent way to pass on science to elementary school children. The proposed event visualisation will be an invaluable tool to educate the general public in the exciting physics we expect to discover at the LHC.