Strategic Capital Investment in Advanced Silicon Detector Development

粒子物理学试图从基本粒子（夸克和轻子）、基本力（强、电磁力、弱力和引力）和介导它们的力粒子（光子、W/Z、胶子和引力子）以及最近发现的赋予基本粒子质量的希格斯粒子的相互作用来理解宇宙，它的诞生、演化和命运。在过去的三十年里，我们看到了一个成功的理论框架——标准模型的发展，在这个理论框架中，几乎所有的粒子物理数据都可以得到解释。然而，这个模型是不完整的。虽然它解释了我们在地球上遇到的东西，但对宇宙的研究表明，存在着神秘的暗物质，使星系聚集在一起，甚至更神秘的暗能量正以越来越快的速度驱使星系分离。有这么多的谜团！现在是成为一名粒子物理学家的最佳时机。牛津大学的研究将极大地促进我们对取代标准模型的任何“新物理学”理论的理解，并将指导发展标准模型的理论工作。大型强子对撞机（LHC）目前的运行功率为13 TeV；它再现了大爆炸后十亿分之一秒内的情况。牛津大学在ATLAS和LHCb中都扮演着重要角色。在接下来的十年里，大型强子对撞机将升级到更高的能量和强度，因此ATLAS和LHCb的探测器改进正在准备中。升级后的探测器将把粒子物理学的灵敏度提升到前所未有的水平，以进行几乎不可避免的新物理观测。在我们的工作中，我们正在启用强大的计算资源和分析工具，这对于从大量数据中提取重要发现是必要的。我们参与了与大型强子对撞机的大型实验相辅相成的高精度实验。LZ解决了粒子物理学和宇宙学中最重要的问题之一；寻找暗物质，一个候选是最轻的超对称性粒子。LSST将测量宇宙膨胀的速度有多快，因为神秘的暗能量代表了宇宙中75%的能量，并像反重力一样推动星系分开。在整个过程中，牛津大学将继续发展和提高机械和电子设计的能力，这样我们就有能力为我们的物理目标建造最复杂的设备。未来，我们将继续保持在粒子物理科学卓越和主要最先进探测器建设方面的世界领先地位。对于粒子物理学来说，这是激动人心的时刻，牛津大学在其中发挥着重要作用。

Particle physics seeks to understand the Universe, its birth, evolution and fate in terms of the interplay of elementary particles (the quarks and leptons) the fundamental forces (the strong, electromagnetic, and weak forces and gravity) and the force-particles that mediate them (photons, W/Z, gluons and gravitons) and the recently discovered Higgs particle that gives the elementary particles mass. The last thirty years have seen the development of a successful theoretical framework, the Standard Model, in which almost all particle-physics data can be explained. However, the model is incomplete. While it explains what we encounter on Earth, studies of the cosmos indicate the presence of mysterious dark matter that holds galaxies together and even more mysterious dark energy that is driving galaxies apart at an ever-increasing rate. There are so many mysteries! There has never been a better time to be a particle physicist. Oxford's research will advance significantly our understanding of whatever "new-physics" theory will emerge to replace the Standard Model, and will guide the theoretical work to develop it. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is now operating at 13 TeV; it reproduces the conditions within a million millionth of a second of the Big Bang. Oxford plays a major role in both ATLAS and LHCb. Over the next decade, the LHC will upgrade to higher energy and intensity, and so detector improvements are being prepared for both ATLAS and LHCb. The upgraded detectors will take particle physics to an unprecedented level of sensitivity for the nearly inevitable new-physics observations. Throughout our work we are enabling powerful computing resources and analysis tools that are necessary for the extraction of important discoveries from vast volumes of data.We participate in high-precision experiments which are complementary to the large experiments at the LHC. LZ addresses one of the most important questions in particle physics and cosmology; a search for dark matter, a candidate being the lightest SUSY particle. LSST will measure how quickly the expansion of the universe is speeding up due to the mysterious dark energy that represents 75% of all the energy in the universe and acts like anti-gravity pushing galaxies apart. Throughout, Oxford will continue to develop and enhance capabilities in mechanical and electronic design so that we retain the ability to construct the most sophisticated apparatus for our physics objectives. We will retain our world-leading role for scientific excellence and major state-of-the-art detector construction in particle physics for the future. These are exciting times for particle physics, and Oxford is playing a major role.