Physics and Arts Summer Institute 2009 Derek Robins July 28, 2009
Table of Contents
Introduction Standard Model Summary Standard Model Interactions (Illustration & Table) Standard ModelFermions, Bosons, Quarks, Leptons, Force Carriers , and the Higgs Boson (Illustration) Summary of Standard Model Particles and Force Interactions (Illustration) The Higgs Boson in Context How the Higgs Mechanism WorksEinstein Analogy How the Higgs Mechanism Works (continued) Why Do We Need the Higgs? Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Analogies The Higgs and the Big Bang Big Bang Timeline, History of the Universe (Illustration) Predicted Mass of the Higgs Boson Will the Higgs Boson be Detected? Will the Higgs Boson be Detected? (continued)
Introduction
The Higgs Boson is a theoretical elementary, subatomic particle predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. It is the only Standard Model (SM) particle that has not yet been observed. Dubbed the God particle by Nobel Prize winning physicist Leon Lederman, the Higgs is thought to impart mass to all other particles in the universe. The Higgs particle is named after the British theorist Peter Higgs who along with Robert Brout and Franois Englert theorized its existence in 1964. The search for the Higgs remains one of the most important objective of research in elementary particle physics today. Since the current way to test particle physics theories is experiments in particle accelerators (colliders), one of the main goals of the worlds newest and most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN on the Franco-Swiss Border, is to detect the Higgs particle. Experiments also continue at the Tevatron at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois, the worlds second most powerful collider.
The Standard Model (SM) grew out of combining special relativity and quantum mechanics which spurred on other theories over the last few decades leading to the SM of todaythe heart of particle physics theory.
The Standard Model has successfully predicted the existence of the top quark, the W Boson, and the Z Boson. It is strongly backed by experimental data and has been never made false predictions. The only SM particle predicted but not yet detected is the Higgs Boson. If the Higgs is found, the SM will be considered to be complete.
1. Numerous physicists chat quietly in a fairly crowded room. 2. Einstein enters the room causing a disturbance in the field.
2.
3.
Followers cluster and 3. surround Einstein as this group of people forms a Source: David Miller massive object. (University College London)
Particles that normally would have mass (e.g. Fermions, weak force carriers) move through the Higgs field interacting with Higgs particles.
Through this interaction or disturbance particles may acquire mass. Heavier particles interact more with the Higgs field taking on more mass. Those particles that normally do not have mass, do not interact with the Higgs field, and therefore do not acquire it.
Source: CERN
Higgs field exhibits gauge and rotational symmetry Source: Time Travel Research Center-Turkey/Denizli
In the SM, the Higgs is introduced so that the physics and symmetry of the Standard model is retained.
Source: CERN
With more data, Fermilab may be able to eventually rule out entire regions of theoretically possible Higgs masses.
Source: CDF, Fermilab
Source: CERN
An Independent Research Study Physics and Arts Summer Institute 2009 Derek Robins July 29, 2009
Table of Contents
Introduction Particle Accelerators Cross Section of a Particle Detector The Tevatron at Fermilab Large Hadron Collider (LHC) From Above The Atlas Detector at the LHC Feynman Rules and Feynman Diagrams Feynman Rules and Feynman Diagrams (continued) MadGraph/MadEvent Graphical and Numerical Output from MadGraph for Process e+e- mu+muThe Higgs Search Higgs Modeling with MadGraph Results: MH=115 GeV, 1.96 TeV Results: MH=150 GeV, 1.96 TeV Results: MH=200 GeV, 1.96 TeV, 14 TeV About the Results Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Introduction
An Independent Research Study was undertaken with Professor Doreen Wackeroth, Department of Physics, University at Buffalo over a nine month period, September 2008 - May 2009. The majority of time on the project was spent learning key particle physics concepts at the advanced undergraduate and graduate school levels, modeling particle collisions at particle accelerators, and comparing theoretical data to real collision data from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois (Fermilab). Key sources of information were articles from physics journals, particle physics textbooks and presentations, one on one tutorials with Dr. Wackeroth, and data from Fermilab. Modeling ways in which the Higgs Boson can be produced at particle accelerators was the core focus of the research.
Particle Accelerators
Accelerate particles to near light speed and then collide them together. The Tevatron collides protons and antiprotons whereas the LHC collides protons and protons. Attempt to recreate the conditions of the universe fractions of a second after the big bang. Use supercooled magnets (near absolute zero) to steer and accelerate particles around a tunnel Particles collide, annihilate into energy, and create new particles (E=mc2). Particle detectors detect different particles created in a collision by detecting where particles travel after emerging from the collision site. The two largest and most powerful accelerators in the world are: the Tevatron at the Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN on the Franco-Swiss border, the worlds most powerful collider.
The rules are derived from the Lagrangian of a particle system and are a way of expressing movements and interactions of a particle in the language of mathematics.
Feynman Diagrams are pictorial representations of particle collisions and can be constructed from the Feynman rules.
1) The above expression describes how a particle with mass m propagates in space-time.
the interaction of a particle with the electromagnetic force. The strength of the force is determined by the electric charge (q).
Theoretical particle physicists use the Feynman rules and the Standard Model to predict what an experimentalist might see at an actual particle accelerator.
Scientists look for deviations between theory predictions and observations at accelerators. Deviations indicate possible new physics. To this day, the Standard Model has never made an incorrect prediction.
MadGraph/MadEvent
MadGraph/MadEvent models particle collisions that take place in particle accelerators. It is a professional research software tool that generates collision data based on the Standard Model. It calculates cross sections and produces a number of histograms of collisions.
An example of input of a common process is: e+e-mu+mu
All possible Feynman diagrams are produced as well a number of distributions including invariant mass, momentum, and angular distributions. Cross section (probability that the event occurs) calculations are displayed. Feynman diagrams show that e+e-mu+mu can be either mediated by a Z boson (Z) or a photon (A). Angular distributions show that when e+ and e- collide, most muons emerge at a low angle relative to the beam line.
Graphical and Numerical Output from MadGraph for Process e+e- mu+mu-
s =29 GeV
Cross section=28.703 pb
Fermilab is better suited for finding a light Higgs (MH=115-180 GeV)background noise, PDFs.
The LHC has enough energy to find the Higgs. If the Higgs exists, it should be detected there.
0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 -0.1 80 100 120 Invariant Mass (GeV) 140 160 Series1
F-NH LHC
The Z Higgs process (used in this study) appears to have a greater signal at the Tevatron compared to that of the LHC, especially for lower Higgs masses.