Searching for pairs of scalar particles at the LHC

This proposal concerns particle physics research, aiming to identify the fundamental constituents of the universe and how they interact. Our current knowledge is summarised in the standard model, which is known to be an incomplete theory.

Experimental data are needed to understand how to construct a more complete theory.My research focuses on scalar particles, both on the standard model Higgs boson and on searches for unknown particles. The fields of scalar particles plays a critical role in the evolution of the universe and its present state.

The Higgs field is responsible for the masses of elementary particles and the inflation of the universe is thought to have been driven by a phase transition in an as of yet unknown scalar field. The only place where we can create scalar particles is at CERN.

I conduct my research at the ATLAS experiment, where I search for the production of pairs of scalar particles.To be able to probe rare processes such as production of pairs of scalar particles, upgrades of the accelerator and the detectors are underway. A novel detector to measure the timing of particles is to be installed in these upgrades.

My group has a leading role in the design and construction of this detector, specifically for its capability to measure the luminosity of the LHC to an unprecedented precision.

Since knowledge of the luminosity is the main uncertainty for many measurements, such an improvement has a profound impact on the physics program of the ATLAS experiment.