Experimental Research in Elementary Particle Physics

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Particle physics is focused on the search for the most basic building blocks of the Universe and the rules that bind them. The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located near Geneva, Switzerland is the world's most powerful particle accelerator, able to reach the highest particle energies in a laboratory setting. The CMS detector at the LHC is one of the world's most powerful and sophisticated cameras, observing the collisions of protons and recording the outcomes for detailed study by CMS experimentalists. The members of the high energy physics group at Rutgers University have been crucial to the construction, maintenance, and continued improvement of the device itself. They have initiated and guided several studies of the data collected, including ones that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. The data being gathered now and in the coming years will allow a greater understanding of the basic structure of nature, perhaps including insights into the huge difference in the strengths of the fundamental forces, or even glimpses of new fundamental particles. The Rutgers high energy physics group will continue to be at the forefront of these investigations. The Rutgers high energy physics group is carrying out several with the CMS experiment at CERN, studying proton-proton interactions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. They continue to innovate and implement new data analysis techniques in searches for new physics signatures with leptons, photons, jets and missing energy. They are also incorporating ideas like high-speed pattern recognition, deep multivariate neural networks, self-guided machine learning, and image recognition into the search for new physics at the deepest levels. The group has a history of leadership in CMS, including leading major analysis groups and leading efforts on detector hardware and operations in the areas of tracking, calorimetry and luminosity measurement. They work closely with theorists to bring forth new ideas, leading to a rich program of physics analyses that has originated from their efforts. This award also allows the Rutgers group to continue deploying an improved version of front-end electronics they designed for the pixel detector, as well as testing and installation of the front-end electronics for the forward hadron calorimeter. They are also working on longer-term upgrades, specifically the Outer Tracker and a fast Track Trigger, introducing innovative ideas that promise to increase the reach for new physics to regions not previously capable of being probed by any collider. They plan to host a production and testing facility for the upgrades. Through the Rutgers QuarkNet program, the group runs summer workshops for high-school teachers and students from across New Jersey, analyzing LHC data and building cosmic-ray telescopes. They also mentor undergraduate students from Rutgers and the NSF REU program, as well as qualified high school students. These students work closely with the group and contribute to ongoing studies and physics analyses. To address the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, they are helping develop programs to provide research opportunities to collegiate and pre-college women. They have developed a highly successful intensive instructional program for high school physics teachers in AP-level physics which has led to improved student understanding of physics, and a marked increase in perfect scores on the AP-physics exam. The Rutgers group continues to convey the excitement of particle physics with frequent talks at local high schools, libraries, and other venues.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.