Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model through the Running of the Strong Coupling Constant in the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC

Louisiana Tech University, Ruston LA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide support to a Louisiana Tech University group working on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC machine and ATLAS, a large particle detector facility, were built as basic science tools using funds from NSF and other agencies around the world. One of their primary objectives was to find the Higgs Boson, the last particle in the historically successful "Standard Model" (SM) that accounts for so much of the existence of, and forces between, known particles forming the matter in the universe. This effort has been successful. The next step in the experiments is to look for evidence for physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) that might, for instance, account for the presence of the mysterious "Dark Matter" that makes up so much of the mass of the universe. The LHC is currently starting Run 3, at higher energy and with significantly increased event samples. It is possible that evidence for BSM physics could emerge at this higher energy and with the higher event statistics. Analytically, Louisiana Tech is one of the leading institutions in the US pursuing precision Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) measurements. In particular, the group applies novel approaches, Including using Machine Learning techniques, to precision measurements of multi-jet final states. Such studies are significant because the multi-jet ratios that the group measures provide a relatively precise measurement of the strong coupling constant, an important physical quantity, in a manner that ameliorates systematic effects. In addition, any deviations observed in such multi-jet parameters with respect to QCD predictions can provide a window to new physics. In support of their work and other researchers in the field, the Louisiana Tech group has created fast software programs that allow researchers to make fast perturbative QCD predictions of observables in hadronic processes. In the broader context, the LHC provides an excellent platform for providing outreach and communication about basic science to K-12 students and the general public and serves as a recruiting tool for physics majors to Louisiana Tech from the north Louisiana area. As part of this effort, the Louisiana Tech group will partner with local high schools to provide International Masterclasses for physics students that will give them an opportunity to visit the university and its facilities and allow them to perform real analyses using LHC data. This project is jointly funded by the NSF Physics Division Elementary Particle Physics Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.