Particle Physics Research with the CMS Experiment at the LHC

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the premier scientific instruments of our time. It is the world's largest particle accelerator and has achieved the highest energy of the colliding particles. The observation of a unique fundamental particle, the Higgs boson, at the LHC in 2012 has opened a new era of discovery and understanding in particle physics. The group funded by this award will work on the most intriguing open questions of the field of particle physics. which studies elementary building blocks of matter and laws governing their interactions, by studying in greater detail the properties of the Higgs boson. The predictions of the theory that reflects the best understanding of these fundamental particles and interactions, the Standard Model, will be subject to stringent tests, and discoveries of new phenomena, predicted at the LHC energies by many theorists, are anticipated. The High Energy Physics (HEP) group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will pursue fundamental particle physics research within the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the LHC. The group will investigate properties of the Higgs boson and how it interacts with the top quark. Several measurements of top-quark properties and production cross sections are planned. Studies of single and multiple vector boson production will contribute to understanding of the structure of protons, clarify the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking, and may provide hints of new phenomena. Searches for signatures of one of the most interesting theories that go beyond the Standard Model, Supersymmetry, will be performed. During the award period, the UNL HEP group will complete its contribution to the manufacturing, installation and commissioning of the Phase 1 upgrade of the CMS Forward Pixel Detector, and will engage in the development of the Phase 2 upgrade of this detector. The group will continue making major contributions to computing, software development, and operations of the CMS experiment.