US ATLAS Operations: Empowering US Universities for Discoveries at the Energy Frontier

美国 ATLAS 运营：帮助美国大学探索能源前沿

• 批准号: 0612811
• 负责人: P. Michael Tuts
• 金额: $ 4500万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-02-01 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0612811&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: US; ATLAS; Operations; Empowering; Universities

The U.S. ATLAS Operations Program aims to provide U.S. university scientists with access to the uniqueLHC science opportunities through a balanced program that encompasses: (1) the technical effortassociated with maintenance and operation of the U.S.-built detector subsystems, essential in achieving adetailed understanding of the detector for physics results; (2) the maintenance and refinement of software,computing and physics analysis support, critical in allowing scientists at U.S. universities to fully exploitthe physics potential of the LHC, in part through the establishment of university-based Tier 2 computingcenters in the U.S. and the expansion of the existing worldwide grid of resources; (3) an R&D programfor detector upgrades, to maximize the physics output during the long period of running expected for theLHC and maintain U.S. intellectual leadership in accelerator-based particle physics; and (4) a strongeducation and outreach program. The ATLAS collaboration, consisting of 151 institutes from 34countries, is completing construction of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) atCERN, and preparing for initial data taking in 2007. The 34 institutions of U.S. ATLAS, with the supportof NSF, have made major and unique contributions to the construction of the ATLAS detector, andcontinue to provide critical support for the ATLAS computing and software program, and pre-operationstasks as the detector is commissioned at CERN.Intellectual Merit: The goal of the U.S. ATLAS Operations Program is to empower U.S. physicists toaddress some of the most profound questions in particle physics today: what is the physical origin ofmass? Do supersymmetric particles exist and will they shed light on the nature of dark matter? Doesspace-time have extra spatial dimensions? Answers to these questions would provide a major advancetoward completing a unified view of the particles in nature, the forces with which particles interact, andtheir role in the past and future of our universe. This is a time when particle physics researchers haveunusually compelling indications that the step to be taken by the LHC, leading to collision energies farbeyond those available at existing facilities, will lead to especially important discoveries withimplications over a broad field of fundamental science. This program rests on the especially strongscientific case for investigating the energy regime that will be accessed by the LHC, and benefits from aprogram in which the international community is providing a major part of the investment. The boldinitiative of the NSF, in partnership with the DOE, to carry out a very significant portion of theconstruction and operations of the ATLAS detector has opened up this opportunity for U.S. scientists.Broader Impacts: This proposal will enhance the computing infrastructure for research, education andbeyond. The LHC computing requirements are driving a paradigm shift towards global computing withpotentially significant economic impacts, and our students will be at the forefront in using these newtechnologies. NSF-ATLAS groups continue to expand their education and outreach programs, with aparticular focus on high school teachers and students (closely coordinated with QuarkNet), and onoutreach to under-represented populations. We plan on strengthening and expanding our outreach effortsin the run-up to ATLAS data taking, including plans to help establish a computing center in Africa as partof our expanding network of worldwide grid facilities. This site will provide a platform on which tolaunch a program of Grid-based outreach in Africa. Starting in a few years the LHC will be the majoraccelerator-based program in which to train the next generation of physicists. Support for R&D activitieswill lay the groundwork for new technologies that might be adopted by other fields.

美国ATLAS操作计划旨在通过一个平衡的计划为美国大学科学家提供获得独特的LHC科学机会，该计划包括：（1）与美国的维护和操作相关的技术努力。建立了探测器子系统，实现了对探测器物理结果的详细了解;（2）软件、计算和物理分析支持的维护和改进，这对美国大学的科学家充分开发LHC的物理潜力至关重要，部分是通过在美国建立以大学为基础的Tier 2计算中心和扩大现有的全球资源网格;（3）一个&用于探测器升级的研发计划，以在LHC预期的长期运行期间最大限度地提高物理输出，并保持美国在基于加速器的粒子物理学方面的智力领先地位;（4）一个强大的教育和推广计划。由34个国家的151个研究所组成的ATLAS合作项目正在欧洲核子研究中心的大型强子对撞机（LHC）上完成ATLAS探测器的建造，并为2007年的初始数据采集做准备。在NSF的支持下，美国ATLAS的34个机构为ATLAS探测器的建造做出了重大而独特的贡献，并继续为ATLAS计算和软件计划提供关键支持，并在探测器在CERN投入使用时提供预操作工作。美国ATLAS行动计划的目标是使美国物理学家能够解决当今粒子物理学中一些最深刻的问题：质量的物理起源是什么？超对称粒子存在吗？它们会揭示暗物质的本质吗？时空有额外的空间维度吗？这些问题的答案将提供一个重大的进步，以完成自然界中粒子的统一观点，粒子相互作用的力量，以及它们在我们宇宙的过去和未来中的作用。这是一个粒子物理学研究人员有异常令人信服的迹象表明，大型强子对撞机将采取的步骤，导致碰撞能量远远超过现有设施，将导致特别重要的发现，其影响涉及广泛的基础科学领域。该计划依赖于调查LHC将获得的能源制度的特别强大的科学案例，并受益于国际社会提供主要投资的计划。美国国家科学基金会与美国能源部合作，实施ATLAS探测器的建设和运行的一个非常重要的部分，这一大胆的倡议为美国科学家打开了这个机会。更广泛的影响：这一提议将增强研究，教育和其他领域的计算基础设施。大型强子对撞机的计算要求正在推动全球计算的范式转变，具有潜在的重大经济影响，我们的学生将在使用这些新技术的最前沿。NSF-ATLAS团体继续扩大其教育和外展计划，特别关注高中教师和学生（与QuarkNet密切协调），以及对代表性不足的人群的外展。我们计划在ATLAS数据采集的准备阶段加强和扩大我们的外联工作，包括计划帮助在非洲建立一个计算中心，作为我们不断扩大的全球电网设施网络的一部分。该网站将提供一个平台，在此基础上启动一项在非洲开展的基于网格的外联方案。几年后，大型强子对撞机将成为培养下一代物理学家的主要加速器项目。对研发活动的支持将为其他领域可能采用的新技术奠定基础。