Oxford particle physicists are dismantling the Standard Model of particle physics—the current best description of the universe’s fundamental forces and particles—because they know it is incomplete, with many parameters that must be inserted by hand rather than explained by theory. This matters because the Standard Model, while robust, cannot account for phenomena such as neutrino mass or the dark matter that appears to make up most of the universe. The Oxford team is pursuing multiple experiments to find the theory that must replace it. They are finishing work on the SNO neutrino experiment, moving to the MINOS and Braidwood reactor experiments, and preparing for the LHC’s ATLAS and LHCb detectors, which could revolutionise particle physics. They also lead the CRESST-II and cryo-EDM searches for dark matter, and the John Adams Institute is designing future accelerators like the International Linear Collider. This is fundamental science with no immediate practical application. But past fundamental particle physics research gave us the World Wide Web, medical imaging, and particle accelerators used in cancer therapy. A deeper understanding of matter’s fundamental structure could similarly yield unforeseen technologies—from new computing paradigms to novel materials—decades from now.
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Particle physics attempts to understand the Universe and its evolution in terms of the interplay of a small number of fundamental forces and particles. The last thirty years has seen the development of a robust and extremely successful theoretical framework in which all available data can be explained. However, this model is demonstrably incomplete and has many parameters that must be inserted by hand. Our proposed progamme will significantly advance our understanding of whatever theory must be constructed to replace the Standard Model. Our collaboration in the SNO experiment has been a major contributor to our understanding of the phenomenon of neutrino mass, originally outside the Standard Model. As SNO draws to an end, we will continue our neutrino investigations with a leading role in the MINOS experiment and prepare for the future by proposing involvement with the Braidwood reactor experiment. The CDF and ZEUS experiments are also coming to the end of their life but we intend to continue our important contributions to the remaining running and in the exploitation of the full data sample to produce papers whose results are likely to remain in the text-books for many years. The LHC experiments will come on line during the period of this Rolling Grant and we will do everything in our power to ensure that Oxford plays a major role in the extraction of physics results from ATLAS and LHCb, which have the potential to completely revolutionise our understanding of particle physics. We are committed to providing the computing resources and analysis tools necessary for the extraction of these results, and our work in ensuring that Grid concepts and technology are available to the wider academic and business communtiy will continue. The CRESST-II and cryo-EDM experiments will use technologies in which Oxford has a world lead to explore some of the most important questions in particle physics and cosmology; in particular the nature off the material that appears to make up most of the Universe. The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science has major programmes in the accelerators of the future, the International Linear Collider and the Neutrino Factory. The JAI has made an excellent beginning and its work will be further strengthened in the near future. We are also providing leaders in international bodies charged with the development of new accelerators. We will continue to develop and enhance our capabilities in mechanical and electronics design so that Oxford will retain the ability to construct the most sophisticated apparatus of whatever size is required for the task. We are determined to play a leading role in world particle physics in the future, as we have in the past.
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