Physicists at the University of Bristol are smashing particles together at the CERN Large Hadron Collider to find where the Standard Model of particle physics breaks down. This model, which describes the universe at its smallest scales, is known to fail at energies above roughly 1 trillion electronvolts. The team is hunting for the new particles and forces that must take over at these extreme energies, using the CMS, LHCb, and NA62 detectors. This is fundamental science with no immediate practical application. The work addresses a core gap in knowledge: we do not know what laws govern matter and force at the highest energies. If successful, the research will reveal a new, more complete theory of nature. In the longer term, the detectors and data-analysis techniques developed here could be adapted for security scanning, medical imaging, or environmental monitoring. Past fundamental particle physics research has given us technologies like the World Wide Web and medical PET scanners, and this work follows that tradition of building knowledge first, with applications emerging later.
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The University of Bristol proposes to carry out research into the fundamental laws of space, time, matter and force. The current theoretical description of physics at the smallest scales, the Standard Model, is known not to hold at energies greater than around 1TeV. By carrying out experiments at particle colliders, we will observe how and when the Standard Model breaks down; discover new models which accurate describe physics at these scales; measure the parameters of these models; and investigate their significance for cosmology and the study of the large-scale universe. This work will be carried out using a wide range of different experiments and studies. The experimental data supporting this programme will be obtained using the CMS and LHCb experiments at the CERN LHC, and the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS. We will use these detectors to work both at the energy frontier, with sensitivity to new heavy particles, and the precision frontier, comparing the largest ever experimental data sets with the predictions of the Standard Model. Having built important components of these experiments, we will continue to operate and maintain the apparatus, and design and install upgraded equipment to further enhance their capabilities. We will design and construct new particle detectors and instruments, optimised for sensitivity, performance and cost. Along with new techniques we will develop in computing and data analysis, this technology will be used in the future to build new experiments at future colliders, and to solve practical problems in the security, medical and environmental sectors. The results of our research will be publicised via talks, media involvement and events, in order to enhance public understanding and appreciation of science. We will engage with schools wherever possible, in order to ensure the continued take-up of science subjects at school and university level.
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