Particle Physics Consolidated Grant from the University of Sheffield - ATLAS, ATLAS upgrade, T2K, FNE, MICE, EDELWEISS/EURECA, DMGS, SNO+, R&D, KE

我们生活在一个粒子物理和粒子天体物理发现的非凡时代，有可能在理解物质的组成和宇宙结构方面产生阶段性的变化。我们计划在谢菲尔德的粒子物理和粒子天体物理方面获得这笔综合拨款的研究是这些发现的核心。首先，我们似乎接近回答了粒子质量的根本问题。在这一领域，谢菲尔德将继续在ATLAS实验中发挥主导作用，该实验通过探测著名的希格斯玻色子，现在看起来即将解开谜团。我们的ATLAS工作，我们是目前唯一深度参与旗舰4轻子通道希格斯搜索的英国小组，旨在确认2011年12月报告的第一个过量证据。与此同时，寻找超对称粒子的同样基本的搜寻工作将继续进行，并为下一次实验预期的ATLAS升级进行辐射建模和探测器测试。我们目前为ATLAS提供英国发言人。最近的第二个重大进展是2011年的T2K实验，报告了第三个中微子混合角不为零的证据。这可能会解开所谓电荷宇称(CP)破坏的实验进展，以回答为什么宇宙包含物质而实际上不包含反物质的谜团。我们的T2K和中微子小组将专注于做出进一步的分析，以确认新的结果，但也将利用我们在LBNO和LBNE合作中的成员资格，向下一代长基线中微子实验进展关键的新探测器技术，以观察CP破坏。为此，我们的重点将是液态Ar技术，我们在电致发光读数方面的开创性工作，以及我们对µ子背景的模拟工作。后者也是我们正在进行的一项实验的关键，该实验旨在观察质子是否衰变，这是理解大统一物理理论的核心问题。与我们的中微子计划密切相关并对其至关重要的是继续参与旨在了解太阳中微子的SNO+，以及MICE在未来中微子束的高功率粒子束目标方面的相关研究和开发。最近的技术发展使探测器对WIMP暗物质的灵敏度有了显著提高，谢菲尔德小组对雪绒花和漂移做出了关键贡献。利用我们在背景缓解战略、校准和数据分析方面的领先地位，我们未来的工作将集中在雪绒花的操作和数据分析，以及朝着吨级低温实验EURECA的发展。该小组还处于独特的有利地位，可以通过新的工作做出贡献，旨在看到或排除声称的低质量WIMP事件的明确的银河系特征。我们在定向WIMP探测器方面的开创性工作将在英国的博尔比地下站点DRIFTIIe安装一个新的实验，而我们继续分析南极DM-ICE17的数据，我们为其提供了NaI探测器，将寻求年度调制星系特征，并为计划于2013年在那里进行的新实验提供设计信息。我们的通用检测器研发对巩固该集团至关重要，这与一个强有力的知识交流计划密切相关，该计划目前包括涉及15家不同公司的资助项目。这里的重点活动将包括开发与中微子物理和天体物理相关的液态Ar粒子跟踪技术，与国土安全相关的新的气基定向中子方案，以及新的Muon否决权研发。后者与我们关于二氧化碳地下储存技术的KE方案相联系。我们计划在2013年前在760米深处首次部署测试探测器。这是该组织对气候变化和预防犯罪方面的关键社会议程做出的贡献的一部分。

We are living in an exceptional age for discoveries in particle physics and particle astrophysics with potential for producing step changes in understanding of the composition of matter and the structure of the Universe. The research we plan with this consolidated grant in particle physics and particle astrophysics at Sheffield is at the core of these discoveries. Firstly, we appear to be near answering the fundamental question of what gives particles mass. In this field Sheffield will continue to play a leading role in the ATLAS experiment that now looks to be on the verge of solving the mystery by detecting the famous Higgs Boson. Our ATLAS work, where we are currently the only UK group heavily involved in the flagship 4-lepton channel Higgs search, will aim to confirm the first evidence for excess reported in Dec. 2011. Simultaneously work will continue in the equally fundamental hunt to find supersymmetric particles and on radiation modeling and detector tests for the ATLAS upgrade anticipated as the next experiment. We currently provide the UK spokesman for ATLAS. A second recent major advance, made by the T2K experiment in 2011, reports evidence for a non-zero third neutrino mixing angle. This potentially unlocks progress to experiments in so-called charge-parity (CP) violation to answer the mystery of why the Universe contains matter and virtually no anti-matter. Our T2K and neutrino group will focus on contributing further analysis to confirm the new results but also, using our membership of the LBNO and LBNE collaborations, progress key new detector technology towards a next generation long baseline neutrino experiment to see CP violation. For this our focus will be with liquid argon technology, our pioneering work on electroluminescence light readout for that, and our simulation work on backgrounds from muons. The latter is key also to our on-going work towards an experiment to see if the proton decays, an issue at the core of understanding Grand Unified Theories of physics. Closely related and vital for our neutrino programme is continued participation in SNO+, aimed at understanding solar neutrinos, and the MICE experiment with its related R&D on high power particle beam targets for future neutrino beams. Technological developments recently led to significant improvement in sensitivity of detectors to WIMP dark matter with key contributions from the Sheffield group towards EDELWEISS and DRIFT. Exploiting our leadership in background mitigation strategy, calibration and data analysis, our future work will concentrate on EDELWEISS operation and data analysis, as well as on developments towards ton-scale cryogenic experiment EURECA. The group is also uniquely well positioned to contribute through new work aiming to see, or exclude, a definitive galactic signature for the claimed low mass WIMP events. Our pioneering work on directional WIMP detectors will see a new experiment installed at the UK's Boulby underground site, DRIFTIIe, while our continued analysis of data from DM-ICE17 at the Antarctic South Pole, for which we supplied the NaI detectors, will seek an annual modulation galactic signature and inform design of a new experiment there planned for 2013. Our generic detector R&D is vital to underpinning the group, closely related to a vigorous knowledge exchange programme that now includes funded projects involving 15 different companies. Highlight activity here will include development of particle tracking technology in liquid argon relevant to neutrino physics and astrophysics, new gas-based directional neutron programmes with relevance for homeland security, and new muon veto R&D. The latter links to our KE programme on CO2 underground storage technology. We plan first deployment of test detectors at 760m depth by 2013. This is part of the group's contribution to key social agendas in climate change and crime prevention.