The University of Liverpool, Department of Physics Particle Physics Rolling Grant

粒子物理学是研究物质的基本成分和将物质结合在一起的力的学科。用最基本的成分来解释我们周围宇宙本质的深刻理论思想，只有通过粒子物理学家在世界上最大的实验室进行的实验才能得到证实或拒绝。利物浦是英国三个最大的大学实验粒子物理小组之一。它成功的一个先决条件是它的设施，这些设施允许它为粒子物理实验建造主要的探测器部件。这些部件的成功交付使小组成员能够在世界上许多前沿粒子物理实验中承担主要责任，并进行重要的科学测量。让大型集团能够在这个竞争激烈的领域占据显赫地位给英国带来的好处，可以用实践和智力两个方面来概括。实际的好处来自于这样一个事实，即我们可以在竞争极其激烈的国际研究环境中吸引和培养年轻人获得最高水平的技术和科学专门知识。这是培养英国下一代科学领袖的沃土。此外，在这种高度可见的环境中，我们卓越的研究团队及其科学计划吸引了来自世界各地的顶尖科学家来到英国的大学和实验室。粒子物理给社会带来的技术好处也是巨大的，范围从IT(网络是在欧洲核子研究中心开发的)，到用于医学成像和传感器等领域的尖端设备，以增强安全性。更重要的是，就智力利益而言，粒子物理研究是所有基础科学的核心。粒子物理学家研究的基本物理过程解释了世界上观察到的所有物理现象。例如，夸克和胶子现在被认为是构成质子和中子的基本粒子。质子和中子，加上电子(也是基本粒子)，构成了我们组成和我们在日常生活中观察和使用的所有元素。对这些过程的详细了解是所有科学的基础，需要广泛的实验和理论研究。粒子物理学的最终目标是完整地描述所有的物质和力，以及空间和时间。这项拨款提案是我们粒子物理计划的继续，是对英国研究宇宙基本物理过程的计划的关键贡献。

Particle physics is the study of the basic components of matter and the forces that bind matter together. The deep theoretical ideas which explain the nature of the Universe around us in terms of its most fundamental constituents can only find confirmation or rejection through the experiments carried out at the world's largest laboratories by particle physicists. Liverpool is one of the three largest university experimental particle physics groups in the UK. A prerequisite for its success are its facilities, which allow it to build major detector components for particle physics experiments. Successful delivery of these components have enabled group members to take major responsibilities at many of the world's frontier particle physics experiments and to make important scientific measurements. The benefits to the UK of having the large groups able to take prominent rôles in this highly competitive field can be summarised in both practical and intellectual terms. The practical benefits stem from the fact that we can attract and develop young people to the highest level of technical and scientific expertise in an extremely competitive international research environment. This is fertile ground for the training of the UK's next generation of scientific leaders. Furthermore, in this highly visible environment, the excellence of our prominent research groups and their scientific programmes attract leading scientists from around the world to UK universities and laboratories. The technological benefits of particle physics to society are also enormous and range from IT (the Web was developed at CERN), to leading edge devices for fields such as medical imaging and sensors to enhance security. More importantly still, in terms of the intellectual benefit, is the central rôle of research into particle physics to all basic science. The fundamental physical processes, that particle physicists study, account for all the physical phenomena observed in the world. For example, quarks and gluons are now known to be the fundamental particles that make up protons and neutrons. Protons and neutrons, with electrons (also fundamental particles), make all the elements of which we are composed and that we observe and use in everday life. A detailed understanding of these processes underpins all science and requires extensive experimental and theoretical research. The ultimate goal of particle physics is a complete description of all matter and forces, along with space and time. This grant proposal, for a continuation of our particles physics programme, is a key contribution to the UK programme of research into the fundamental physical processes of the Universe.