SST 2024: Session 4 Links, Materials, Assignment
Beyond the Standard Model at the LHC
July 16, 2024
7:30pm - 9:30pm Eastern time
Learning objectives:
In this lecture, we will discuss how physicists use the LHC to search for evidence of new physics. We will briefly talk about prospects for future colliders after the LHC.
The slides from session 4 can be found here. The chat transcript is here.
A recording of the course can be found here.
Homework assignment (due July 16):
A. Look up a recent CMS or ATLAS result that you find interesting. Add a slide to the class Google slides (link sent via email) to share in breakout groups next session.
ATLAS results: https://atlas.cern/updates/briefing
CMS results: https://cms.cern/cms-updates?field_article_type_target_id=382
Questions to answer in your slide:
- What was the goal of this analysis and why is it significant? Is this a search for new physics or a precision measurement of a predicted Standard Model result?
- What particles were used in the analysis? Does the summary describe the methods or challenges of this analysis?
- What is the result?
B. Read Gizmodo article about the importance of “finding nothing”: https://gizmodo.com/the-scientists-who-look-for-nothing-to-understand-every-1796309514
C. Fill out the weekly course survey (link sent via email). Note that this step is required every week in order to self-report the number of hours spent so we can give you professional development credit.
The homework should take approximately one hour to complete. If you finish before one hour, then feel free to explore the additional resources below. If you cannot finish the assignment in one hour, then feel free to stop halfway through.
Additional resources
General overview of the CMS detector: https://cms.cern/detector
Undiscovered particles the LHC is looking for: https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-undiscovered-particles-on-the-edge-of-known-physics-5640527
Particle physics community planning (what should we do after the LHC?):
US 2021 Snowmass process and 2023 P5 report: https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/scientists-design-program-for-the-future-of-us-particle-physics-research
European Strategy Update 2020: https://cerncourier.com/a/european-strategy-update-unveils-ambitious-future/
New colliders:
Muon collider excitement: https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/this-is-our-muon-shot
Benefits of different collider choices: https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/a-trio-of-paths-toward-the-discovery-machine-of-the-future
Some of the options:
New world record for accelerator magnets set by Fermilab in 2020: https://news.fnal.gov/2020/07/fermilab-achieves-14-5-tesla-field-for-accelerator-magnet-setting-new-world-record/
Case study: hints of a 760 GeV di-photon resonance ("bump")
First sighting: https://gizmodo.com/the-lhcs-seen-an-intriguing-glimpse-of-what-could-be-a-1748284918
Data analysis and statistics: https://gizmodo.com/don-t-get-too-excited-yet-about-the-lhc-s-hint-of-a-new-1748318180
Results after more data: https://gizmodo.com/its-official-the-lhc-didnt-find-a-new-particle-1784845439