Experimental Particle Physics: Glasgow 2006-11

Physicists at the University of Glasgow are building radiation-hardened detectors and grid-computing systems for the Large Hadron Collider, while simultaneously mining data from older experiments at CDF and ZEUS. They are hunting for the Higgs boson and signs of supersymmetric particles—two of the most sought-after quarry in fundamental physics. The work matters because the Higgs mechanism is the last unconfirmed piece of the Standard Model, and supersymmetry could explain dark matter. If the Higgs is found, it will confirm how other particles get their mass; if supersymmetry appears, it will open a new realm of physics. The project also has a concrete, non-academic spin-off: the same detector expertise is being applied to develop retinal implants and to understand how the eye converts light into perception. This is primarily curiosity-driven fundamental science. Past work of this kind—for example, the invention of the World Wide Web at CERN—shows that building infrastructure for particle physics can yield unexpected, society-wide benefits in computing and imaging.