Potential IPP Summer Student Projects 2021
William Trischuk, william@physics.utoronto.ca University of Toronto
A complete listing of positions being offered at U of T can be found here:
https://www8.physics.utoronto.ca/~william/ATLASGroupSummerPositions2021.html
More information on applying for the U of T Physics USRA positions can be found at:
https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/undergraduate/intro-nserc-summer-student-program-physics-toronto/
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Steven Robertson, steven@hep.physics.mcgill.ca McGill University
Project Name: Detector and physics studies for the MATHUSLA experiment
Overview: MATHUSLA is a proposed experiment for the CERN laboratory to search for the decays of very long lived particles (LLPs) produced the the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) https://mathusla-experiment.web.cern.ch/ The detector will consist of a number of tracking layers in a 100m x 100m array in a surface building above the CMS interaction region of the LHC. Detailed studies are currently underway to optimize the detector layout and evaluate the physics performance of the experiment. These studies have important implications for ongoing detector research and development activities related to the proposed extruded-scintillator signal readout. The McGill group is actively contributing to the MATHUSLA detector research and design effort, and in particular in studies of the performance of silicon photomultipliers for readout of the scintillator bars via wavelength shifting optical fibres.
The student will participate in ongoing simulation studies of the MATHUSLA detector. The student will analyze simulated physics data to determine the impact of different detector design configurations, as well as contribute to the implementation of these configurations within the MATHUSLA (GEANT4) simulation framework. Electronics design and simulation studies may also be conducted within the context of LTSpice or similar tools, and results could be compared with data from testbench measurements. All work can be performed remotely if necessary, and the focus of the studies can be tailored to the interests of the student (e.g. physics or electronics). The student will participate in regular MATHUSLA group meetings and present their work in that context, as well as providing written documentation at the end of the work term.
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Steven Robertson, steven@hep.physics.mcgill.ca McGill University
Project Name: Searches for exotic Higgs bosons with the ATLAS experiment
Overview: The standard model of particle physics is known to provide an incomplete description of our subatomic universe. Many possible extensions predict the existence of additional scalar fields, leading to predictions of the possible existence of additional, and relatively light, Higgs bosons. Such particles can potentially be produced by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and their decays could be recorded by the ATLAS detector. The McGill group actively participates in the ATLAS experiment. We are seeking a student to participate in an ongoing analysis of data collected by ATLAS, with the objective of searching for these exotic particles.
The student will participate in ongoing physics studies related to the search for exotic (pseudo)scalar bosons decaying into pairs of muons in collaboration with members of the McGill ATLAS group. This work will focus on studies of simulated LHC physics events, with the goal of optimization of the search strategy, evaluation of uncertainties and determination of the analysis sensitivity. This work will primarily involve computational data analysis and hence can be performed entirely remotely if necessary. The student will interact closely with members of the analysis team via weekly group meetings, and will regularly present their work within the analysis group. A written report will be prepared at the completion of the project.
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Bernd Stelzer, stelzer@sfu.ca Simon Fraser University
Project Name: Higgs Boson Properties – Particle Physics (ATLAS)
Overview: The SFU experimental particle physics group (hep.phys.sfu.ca) currently consists of four faculty (Matthias Danninger, Dugan O’Neil, Bernd Stelzer, and Mike Vetterli), four postdoctoral fellows, and 7 graduate students. We are actively involved in the ATLAS experiment and have openings for ATLAS students this summer. The ATLAS Experiment: This experiment is running at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva (atlas.ch). The accelerator is colliding 2 beams of 6.5 TeV protons in order to study, among other things, the mechanism of electro-weak symmetry breaking. The biggest physics breakthrough of 2012 has been the discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Our group contributed to this milestone discovery and is very active in determining other properties of the Higgs boson. In the past 5 years, our group has helped determine the spin/CP properties of the Higgs boson and identified two additional Higgs boson production modes (VBF and ttH production). Most of these measurements were enabled by the use of advanced analysis techniques (Matrix Element Method, Machine Learning). We are also searching for phenomena that cannot be explained by the Standard Model of particle physics. Such phenomena would point the way to new theories that would extend the already impressive predictions of the Standard Model. Looking to the future, our group has taken on substantial responsibility in the development of the New ATLAS Inner Tracking detector (ITk) increasing the number of space points measurements 50-fold. We are leading the ITk activities in Western Canada, developing ITk silicon detector modules in cleanroom facilities at SFU and TRIUMF. Summer Projects on ATLAS at SFU: In your summer project, you will be able to contribute to determining the properties of the Higgs boson. In particular, we analyze the data that show evidence of Higgs boson decays to two massive W bosons. We are developing novel analysis techniques to increase the sample of Higgs events that lead recently to the first observation of VBF production in H–>WW event using the full LHC Run-2 dataset. We are adding additional observables to the existing results. Once completed, the analysis will likely lead to a paper publication.
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Matthias Danninger, mdanning@sfu.ca Simon Fraser University
Project Name: Calibration studies for the Pacific Ocean Neutrino Explorer
Overview: The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Explorer (P-ONE) is an initiative to construct one of the world’s largest neutrino detectors in the deep Pacific Ocean. Located in the Cascadia Basin region of the Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), P-ONE will consist of cutting-edge photosensors arranged in a three-dimensional array along 10 cables (strings). Each string will extend a kilometre upwards from the ocean floor, with a 50 m inter string spacing, instrumenting more than a 1/8 km3 volume. This provides sensitivity to very high-energy neutrinos originating from some of the most extreme astrophysical processes in the Universe. P-ONE collaborators and ONC’s operations team have already been able to build, test, deploy and operate a particle physics payload at the Cascadia Basin site. These detectors consist of calibration modules to characterize the P-ONE site for a neutrino telescope. These P-ONE precursors, STRAW (STRings for Attenuation length in Water, deployed in 2018) and STRAW-b (deployed in 2020) allow systematic and independent determinations of the optical properties of the ocean water. The primary objective of this USRA project is to contribute to ongoing data analyses using the STRAW-b calibration data.
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Matthias Danninger, mdanning@sfu.ca Simon Fraser University
Project Name: Finding new Physics with Global Fits in particle and astroparticle physics (ATLAS, GAMBIT)
Overview: Many different probes are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM): direct and indirect searches for dark matter (DM), accelerator searches, and neutrino experiments. Experiments such as CRESST, Fermi-LAT and PAMELA may even already show tantalising hints of DM. To make robust conclusions about the overall level of support for different BSM scenarios from such varied sources, a simultaneous statistical fit of all the data, fully taking into account all relevant uncertainties, assumptions and correlations is an absolute necessity. This approach is commonly called a `global fit’. Such holistic analyses exploit the synergy between different experimental approaches to its maximum potential. Robust analysis of correlated signals, in a range of complementary experiments, is essential for claiming a credible discovery of DM or new physics at the TeV scale – and indeed, even for definitively excluding theories. This `win-win’ ‘situation is a particular feature of a global fit analysis, as even non-detections provide crucial physical insight into which theories and parameter regions are disfavoured. In this summer student project the student will integrate in a first step the latest ATLAS Run 2 results into this global-fit framework. In a second step they will perform a smaller-size global fit of a sensitive model, to see what impact their newly integrated analyses have.
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Andrew Frey, a.frey@uwinnipeg.ca University of Winnipeg
Project Name: Theory Work Developing Connections between Quantum Information Theory and Gravity
Overview: This project will develop connections between quantum information theory (QIT) and gravity, especially as described holographically in string theory. Specifically, the AdS/CFT correspondence maps gravitational physics in Anti-de Sitter spacetime, the solution to Einstein’s equations with a negative cosmological constant, to the physics of certain quantum field theories (particle physics). Recent work has demonstrated how to relate QIT quantities, such as measures of entanglement, from the particle physics description to the gravity description. In this project, the student will learn key concepts of QIT and how they can appear in different gravitational settings.
Once the student has built up sufficient background knowledge, there are several possibilities for concrete calculations/projects, depending on their interests and preparation. One possibility is examining holographic proposals for QIT quantities in new situations within AdS/CFT; another is to extend holographic prescriptions to cosmological or black hole spacetimes and test them for consistency with laws of QIT. The specific project will be customized to the capabilities and interests of the student.