Particle Physics Group

Organisation profile:The EDF group conducts international experimental and theoretical research on fundamental particles and interactions. This is done on the one hand using particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The EDF group participates in the partnership that built and operates the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector. Collaborators study high-energy collisions between protons and heavy ions, with specific attention to processes associated with the strong and weak nuclear forces and interactions of the Higgs boson. The group is also participating in the construction of a new trace chamber for the CMS detector that will be put into operation at the start of the "High Luminosity" phase of the LHC. In synergy with these experimental activities, the EDF group carries out theoretical studies related to the description of the structure of the proton in quantum chromodynamics. On the other hand, the EDF group also studies gravitational interactions with interferometer experiments (LIGO/Virgo), investigating the possibility of discovering stochastic gravitational waves. Since it became possible to directly observe gravitational waves in 2015, a new generation of detectors such as the Einstein Telescope (ET) is being developed, for which the Meuse-Rhine Euregion in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany is a candidate site. The EDF group is a founding partner of the international ETpathfinder collaboration that currently has a building a prototype for ET in Maastricht. Here, the group is contributing to the development of new tools and technologies for seismic attenuation systems.

Keywords:DIFFRACTION, PARTICLE ACCELERATORS, QUANTUMCHROMODYNAMICS, HIGGS, SUPER SYMMETRY, SILICON DETECTORS

Disciplines:Elementary particle and high energy physics