Research in Hadron Collider Physics

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This proposal requests support for the research program of the Notre Dame group, which emphasizes experiments performed at hadron colliders. Key physics areas include the study of the top quark, the continued testing of the Standard Model, the search for physics beyond the Standard Model, and the investigation of the Higgs sector. An important facet of this program is the education and preparation of the next generation of experimental high-energy physicists. This program is centered on the D0 experiment at Fermilab and the CMS experiment currently under construction at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the CERN laboratory in Geneva Switzerland. The physics of the D0 experiment involves the study of the top quark, strong interaction physics (QCD), electroweak physics (W/Z), B-quark physics, and searches for new phenomena. Of particular interest is the possibility of discovering a Higgs boson with a mass less than 180 GeV/c2. The LHC experiment will expand the physics horizon to include complete coverage of the Higgs sector and supersymmetry.The Notre Dame program involves four major aspects: (a) installation, commissioning and calibration of the D0 detector for Run II at Fermilab; (b) analysis of the Run II data with emphasis on topics singled out by the ND faculty and graduate students, e.g., BS mixing, search for supersymmetry, hard diffraction, study of the top quark, searches for evidence of extra dimensions, and Higgs searches; (c) overall coordination and development of tracking algorithms and software for the new D0 scintillating fiber tracker including track algorithms, detector simulation, calibration, pattern recognition, and track fitting; and (d) detector R&D and construction of the CMS detector at the LHC.On CMS, this group is participating in the development, construction and implementation of the hadron calorimeter (HCAL) with emphasis on the electro-optical readout of the detector sub-system. This group has also provided major leadership in development of the Quarknet project involving high school teachers and students in high-energy physics nationwide.