Support for experimental particle physics

实验粒子物理学在物质的最小粒子，夸克和轻子以及它们之间的作用力的水平上解决了一些关于宇宙结构和行为的基本问题。在这个项目中，我们正在为欧洲核子研究中心大型强子对撞机上的ATLAS项目的准备工作做出贡献，该项目将于2007年开始获取数据。我们正在建造和调试电子系统和驱动它们的软件。从2007年底开始，我们将在获得数据后进行分析。特别是，我们将搜索希格斯玻色子存在的证据，希格斯玻色子是目前粒子物理学标准模型的关键缺失元素之一，以及超对称粒子，预计存在。我们还计划更好地了解质子的结构。与此同时，我们正在继续研究在加州的斯坦福大学直线加速器上采集的数据，以测量粒子和反粒子之间行为的微妙差异，这种差异可能是宇宙中存在物质而没有反物质的原因。我们正在为一项建造直线对撞机的重大研究和发展方案作出贡献-这是一种将使电子和正电子以极高的能量发生碰撞的加速器。这台由全球合作提出的机器将是有史以来建造的能量最高的正负电子对撞机。我们还在开展一项关于将在该加速器上使用的探测器的研究和开发方案。

Experimental particle physics addresses some of the fundamental questions about the structure and behaviour of the Universe at the level of the smallest particles of matter, the quarks and the leptons, and the forces acting between them. In this project we are contributing to the preparation of the ATLAS project at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN that will begin taking data in 2007. We are constructing and commissioning electronic systems and the software that drives them. From late 2007 we will be analysing the data as it becomes available. In particular we will be searhing the data for evidence of the existance of the Higgs boson, one of the key missing elements of the Standard Model of particle physics at present, and for supersymmetric particles, that are expected to exist. We are also planning to understand better the structure of the proton. In parallel we are are continuing our studies of data taken at the Stanford Linear Accelerator in California to measure the subtle difference in behaviour between particles and antiparticles that may be responsible for the existence of matter but no antimatter in the Universe. We are contributing to a major research and development programme for the construction of a linear collider - an accelerator that will collide electrons and positrons at very high energy. This machine, proposed by a worldwide collaboration, will be the highest energy electron-positron collider ever built. We are also carrying out a research and development programme on a detector to be used at this accelerator.