University of Alabama

Lead Investigator: Professor Paolo Rumerio

ABSTRACT

The goal of elementary particle physics research at the University of Alabama (UA) is to learn about the fundamental nature of our universe: what are the elementary particles that make up everything else, and what are the interactions between them.  Research at the Energy Frontier at UA is performed using the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), where experiments are probing the very highest energy collisions ever produced in the laboratory.  The CMS data analysis efforts in the UA CMS group are focused on the search for physics beyond our current Standard Model. A range of exotic signatures are explored, including searches for leptoquarks, exotic rare Higgs decays, and new physics in multi-top-quark channels. The UA group also continues to lead efforts of developing advanced Machine Learning techniques for high-energy physics applications with CMS, to provide critical support to the operations and upgrade of the CMS Hadronic Calorimeter (HCAL) and to prepare the High-Luminosity LHC upgrades. The UA team provides several contributions to the CMS High-Granularity Endcap Calorimeter (HGCAL) upgrade for operations during the high-luminosity LHC era at CERN. The efforts are jointly undertaken with Fermilab and at the new UA HGCAL laboratory for electrical characterization of the HGCAL hexaboards.