Elementary Particle Physics Using High Energy Colliders

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The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN has produced 5 inverse femtobarns of collision data to date and the data set is expected to increase to 15 inverse femtobarns by the end of 2012. The University of Washington Experimental Particle Physics group, a member of the ATLAS collaboration, is continuing an ambitious program to take full advantage of the unprecedented discovery potential of the LHC. The research is focused mainly on the search for the mechanism of Electroweak Symmetry Breaking (EWSB). In the Standard Model (SM) as well as in Supersymmetric (SUSY) extensions of the SM, the Higgs mechanism is the most compelling explanation of EWSB. The Washington research program addresses this open question from two directions: searches for a low-mass SM Higgs and for the neutral SUSY Higgs bosons using decays into tau leptons; and searches for non-standard light Higgs decays to neutral particles that can be long-lived. In addition to the ATLAS physics program, the group continues to expand its contributions to the ATLAS detector and software. The group designed, built and commissioned a large part of the ATLAS forward muon chambers and has significant responsibilities in the operations and online and offline data quality assurance of the muon system. Group members are active participants in the fabrication of the IBL (Insertable Barrel Layer) for the ATLAS pixel detector and will participate in the IBL installation in 2013-14. The group also continues to be strongly involved in the development of b-quark tagging and muon triggering algorithms and the reconstruction and identification of tau-leptons. The program at the University of Washington provides a significant opportunity for undergraduate training, an important feature given that UW has one of the largest physics undergraduate programs in the country. The group plans to continue its long tradition of involving undergraduates in all aspects of the research work. Washington is also actively engaged in outreach efforts to local high school teachers and students as part of the national QuarkNet program. Notably, the Washington group has recently opened a new direction in its QuarkNet participation by involving teachers and students in the analysis of ATLAS data. Their commitment to broader education and outreach is also demonstrated by the fact that one of the group's faculty members has recently become a co-principal investigator of QuarkNet at the national level.