CAREER: New Physics with Top Quarks at the LHC and Bringing It Home to a Regional Planetarium

大型强子对撞机有望揭示粒子质量和电弱对称性破缺的起源，并提供新的物理特征，从而深入了解宇宙的基本性质。顶夸克是寻找新物理学的关键角色，这一重要关系将在该奖项支持的工作中得到解决。这个职业奖的主要目的是提高，加强和扩大Schwienhorst教授在ATLAS的研究计划，并启动新的活动，在传播LHC的结果，以一般公众使用密歇根州立大学校园艾布拉姆斯天文馆。该奖项允许扩展MSU现有的ATLAS单顶工作（标准模型（SM）单顶组），以创建一个专门致力于新物理的新组，可以用单顶最终状态（新现象（NP）单顶组）来解决。PI概述了一个分析计划，从早期数据中新物理的一般搜索到精确测量和需要先进分析技术的大数据样本的特定搜索。这项研究的结果不仅与粒子物理学有关，而且与宇宙学和天体物理学以及我们对自然的一般理解有关。这项工作涉及研究生和本科生在数据分析和物理结果的交流中的重要作用。它通过艾布拉姆斯天文馆将粒子物理学与天文学、天体物理学和宇宙学联系起来。学生们与密歇根州立大学的信息图形专家和天文馆的工作人员一起，将建立关于粒子物理学，LHC和ATLAS实验的简短的独立模块，最初用于艾布拉姆斯天文馆，后来可用于分发到全国各地的其他天文馆。随着LHC结果的出现和新物理学的具体图景的出现，这些模块将定期更新和扩展。天文馆展示不仅将向广大普通观众介绍粒子物理学，而且还将为本科生提供一个极好的机会来学习粒子物理学。这是一项创新性的贡献，大大扩展了传统粒子物理学外联项目的范围。

The LHC is expected to reveal the origin of particle mass and of electroweak symmetry breaking and provide access to new physics signatures that give insight into the fundamental nature of the universe. The top quark is a key player in this search for new physics, and this important relationship will be addressed in the work supported by this award. The primary purpose of this CAREER award is to enhance, strengthen and broaden Professor Schwienhorst's research program at ATLAS and initiate new activities in dissemination of LHC results to the general public using the Abrams planetarium on the campus of Michigan State University. This award allows for the expansion of the existing ATLAS single top effort at MSU (the Standard model (SM) single top group) to create a new group specifically devoted to new physics which can be addressed with the single top final state (the New Phenomena (NP) single top group). The PI has outlined an analysis plan leading from general searches for new physics in early data to precision measurements and specific searches with large data samples that require advanced analysis techniques. The results of this research will be relevant not only to particle physics but also to cosmology and astrophysics and our general understanding of nature. This work involves both graduate and undergraduate students in important roles in data analysis and communication of physics results. It connects particle physics to astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology through the Abrams Planetarium. The students, together with information graphics experts at MSU and planetarium staff, will build short self-contained modules about particle physics, the LHC, and the ATLAS experiment, initially for the Abrams planetarium, and later to be available for distribution to other planetariums around the country. The modules will be updated and expanded regularly as LHC results start to appear and a concrete picture of new physics emerges. The planetarium show not only will introduce a large general audience to particle physics but also will provide an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students to learn about particle physics as practiced at MSU. This is an innovative contribution which significantly extends the reach of traditional particle physics outreach projects.