Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics

Master and PhD projects

Higgs Boson Research with Data Collected by the ATLAS Experiment at CERN

The work will be carried out analysing experimental data and phenomenological research in the ATLAS experiment at CERN. After the discovery of a Higgs boson with 125 GeV mass, at the forefront of research is the measurement of its properties. A fundamental prediction of the Higgs mechanism is that its coupling to a fermion pair is proportional to the fermion mass. The data taken at Run-2 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will allow measuring this coupling to the heaviest fermion, the top-quark, with precision. This measurement of the ttH coupling will test the Standard Model (SM) and in case deviations are observed, could lead the direction for possible models beyond the SM. The research will be carried out in a decay mode involving tau-leptons. The project will be performed in an inspiring international collaboration and offers the possibility for research travels to CERN. The project is foreseen for Masters students and can be extended to doctoral theses if qualified candidates apply.

Timepix Luminosity Analysis in the ATLAS Experiment at CERN

The work will be carried out analysing data being collected with Timepix (TPX) pixel detectors in the ATLAS experiment at CERN. The TPX devices are chiefly developed and maintained by the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics (IEAP). These devices allow characterizing the composition of radiation in the ATLAS experiment. They also allow determining the primary collision rate with precision. The resulting luminosity measurements are particularly important for many precision analyses in the ATLAS experiment. The TPX detectors will be used for particle identification. Besides the data analysis the project may also be oriented towards confronting high-level simulations with the new experimental results. The application of up-to-date statistical methods will ensure the utmost achievable precision. The project will be performed in an inspiring international collaboration and offers the possibility for research travels to CERN. The project is foreseen for Masters students and can be extended to doctoral theses if qualified candidates apply.

Investigation with the ATLAS Forward Proton Detector of Anomalous Quartic Gauge Boson Couplings and Relation to New Physics

The ATLAS Forward Proton (AFP) project has a large potential to extent to the physics reach of ATLAS at CERN by tagging and measuring the momentum and emission angle of very forward protons. This enables the observation and measurement of a range of processes where both protons remain intact. The AFP detector is located in the LHC tunnel about 210 m on both sides of the ATLAS central detector. The two-photon production of W pairs has a relatively large cross section and anomalous Quartic Gauge Boson Couplings should be measurable in this process during normal high luminosity data taking, or limits be put upon them. The tagging of protons in the AFP detector synchronized with the ATLAS central detector will allow a large background reduction. This method will be able to probe the scale of new physics well beyond existing limits. The investigation of this process is a challenge as it combines accelerator, detector, trigger, high-level data analysis and phenomenological interpretations. The project will be performed in an inspiring international collaboration and offers the possibility for research travels to CERN. The project is foreseen for Master students and can be extended to doctoral theses if qualified candidates apply.

ATLAS ANALYSIS GROUP MEMBERS (ATLAS CTU current)