Experimental Particle Physics Rolling Grant 2009-2014

这项研究的目的是了解宇宙的基本组成部分（基本粒子）的性质以及控制这些粒子相互作用的基本力的性质。通过这样做，将获得关于宇宙起源和演化的深刻见解，特别是在大爆炸后的最初时刻。兰开斯特研究方案涵盖所有主要类型的加速器设施，其基础是利用Tevatron（费米实验室）和LHC（欧洲核子研究中心）机器的强子对撞机物理学，以及对日本长基线中微子振荡的观测。所有这些工作都将得到兰开斯特在表征和理解重度辐照硅粒子探测器特性、在网格上操作高性能计算设施以及编写离线事件重建软件方面的专业知识的支持。强子对撞机物理有望揭示B强子（含重b夸克）的详细性质，包括含奇异夸克的中性B介子的混合，以及与宇宙中存在的物质-反物质不对称性有关的CP破坏。LHC的新物理学研究将侧重于理解质量的起源（以及希格斯玻色子的作用），新的自然对称性（例如超对称性）和额外空间维度的存在。中微子振荡计划预计将提供关于三种已知中微子的质量和混合量的重要信息。如果在μ中微子束中可以观察到电子中微子的出现，那么在研究的进一步阶段，就有可能在标准模型的中微子部分中建立CP破坏的存在。这可能对理解宇宙的物质-反物质不对称性产生广泛的影响。为高能粒子物理和广泛的替代应用开发新的粒子加速器技术是Cockcroft研究所的使命。兰开斯特集团是该研究所的共同创始人，并继续致力于支持其发展。

This research is aimed at understanding the properties of the basic building blocks of the Universe (the elementary particles) and the nature of the fundamental forces which govern the interactions of these particles. In so doing, deep insights will be gained about the origin and evolution of the Universe, especially in the first moments after the Big Bang. The Lancaster research programme covers all the main types of accelerator facilities and is based on hadron collider physics with the Tevatron (Fermilab) and LHC (CERN) machines, and the observation of long baseline neutrino oscillations in Japan. All of this work will be underpinned by Lancaster's expertise in characterising and understanding the properties of heavily irradiated silicon particle detectors, in operating high performance computing facilities on the Grid and in writing offline event reconstruction software. The hadron collider physics is expected to reveal detailed properties of B hadrons (containing heavy b-quarks) including the mixing of neutral B mesons containing strange quarks, and CP violation which is related to the existence of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe. Searches for new physics at the LHC will focus on understanding the origin of mass (and the role of the Higgs boson), the existence of new symmetries of nature (e.g. supersymmetry) and extra spatial dimensions. The neutrino oscillations programme is expected to provide important information about the masses of and the amount of mixing amongst the three known species of neutrinos. If the appearance of electron neutrinos can be observed in a muon neutrino beam then it may be possible, in a further phase of the research, to establish the existence of CP violation in the neutrino sector of the Standard Model. This could have wide reaching implications for the understanding of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe. The development of new particle accelerator technology for high energy particle physics and a broad range of alternaive applications is the mission of the Cockcroft Institute. The Lancaster group were co-founders of the Institute and remain commited to supporting its evolution.