Public Abstract

DE-SC0010813: High Energy Physics at Texas A&M University

Award Status: Active

Institution: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
UEI: JF6XLNB4CDJ5
PM: Kilgore, William

Most Recent Award Date: 09/01/2026
Number of Support Periods: 14
PI: Safonov, Alexei

Current Budget Period: 04/01/2026 - 03/31/2027
Current Project Period: 04/01/2026 - 03/31/2029

Public Abstract

High Energy Physics at Texas A&M University Principal Investigator: Alexei N. Safonov Co-Investigators: Stephane Cooperstein, Bhaskar Dutta, Ricardo Eusebi, Teruki Kamon, Monica Kang, Kevin Kelly, Rupak Mahapatra, Christopher Pope, Louis Strigari, David Toback Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University The program proposes a program of research in High Energy Physics (HEP), which includes several experimental and theoretical research directions for the period from 2026 - 2029. Profs. Cooperstein, Eusebi, Kamon, and Safonov co-lead the Texas A&M (TAMU) collider program focusing on the CMS experiment at the LHC. The research of this team focuses on studying properties of high energy particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This program incorporates analysis of the LHC collisions data, development of new analysis techniques, particle detector development, operations and upgrades for the high luminosity LHC running to explore the ultimate physics potential of the LHC program. The team’s focal areas include searches for new physics in the Higgs domain, extended Higgs sectors, hidden sectors and cosmologically inspired scenarios. Prof. Toback’s research is dedicated to experimental searches for dark matter using the SuperCDMS detector. His team works on the development, tuning and validation of simulations (G4CMP) and software for the experiment as it enters the Commissioning and Science Data taking phase, as well as the search for dark matter with first results expected during the heart of this proposal. Prof. Mahapatra’s work focuses on searches for ultra-low (<GeV) Dark Matter on the newly approved TESSERACT experiment using Transition Edge Sensors (TES) designed to achieve eV-scale thresholds. His team leads the detector development project with the R&D and science detectors fabricated in his facility at Texas A&M. His group also works on data analysis. Profs. B. Dutta, C. Pope, M. Kang, K. Kelly, and L. Strigari work both individually and in collaboration on important cutting-edge theoretical research areas in high energy physics. Dutta, Kelly and Strigari work on understanding the new physics that may be extracted from current and future neutrino and dark matter experiments, direct and indirect detection dark matter searches, and the LHC experiments. They construct new models to explain the new phenomena and exploit novel ways to search for new neutrino interactions, low mass dark matter, and axion-like particles. Pope is working on geometrical aspects of gravity, quantum gravity and string theory, and the role of black holes as probes of these theories at the most fundamental level. Prof. Kang is working on understanding quantum gravity through the lens of quantum field theory and string theory by studying the non-Lagrangian supreconformal field theories using geometric methods.

High Energy Physics at Texas A&M University

Principal Investigator: Alexei N. Safonov

Co-Investigators: Stephane Cooperstein, Bhaskar Dutta, Ricardo Eusebi, Teruki Kamon, Monica Kang, Kevin Kelly, Rupak Mahapatra, Christopher Pope, Louis Strigari, David Toback

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University

The program proposes a program of research in High Energy Physics (HEP), which includes several experimental and theoretical research directions for the period from 2026 - 2029.

Profs. Cooperstein, Eusebi, Kamon, and Safonov co-lead the Texas A&M (TAMU) collider program focusing on the CMS experiment at the LHC. The research of this team focuses on studying properties of high energy particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This program incorporates analysis of the LHC collisions data, development of new analysis techniques, particle detector development, operations and upgrades for the high luminosity LHC running to explore the ultimate physics potential of the LHC program. The team’s focal areas include searches for new physics in the Higgs domain, extended Higgs sectors, hidden sectors and cosmologically inspired scenarios.

Prof. Toback’s research is dedicated to experimental searches for dark matter using the SuperCDMS detector. His team works on the development, tuning and validation of simulations (G4CMP) and software for the experiment as it enters the Commissioning and Science Data taking phase, as well as the search for dark matter with first results expected during the heart of this proposal.

Prof. Mahapatra’s work focuses on searches for ultra-low (<GeV) Dark Matter on the newly approved TESSERACT experiment using Transition Edge Sensors (TES) designed to achieve eV-scale thresholds. His team leads the detector development project with the R&D and science detectors fabricated in his facility at Texas A&M. His group also works on data analysis.

Profs. B. Dutta, C. Pope, M. Kang, K. Kelly, and L. Strigari work both individually and in collaboration on important cutting-edge theoretical research areas in high energy physics. Dutta, Kelly and Strigari work on understanding the new physics that may be extracted from current and future neutrino and dark matter experiments, direct and indirect detection dark matter searches, and the LHC experiments. They construct new models to explain the new phenomena and exploit novel ways to search for new neutrino interactions, low mass dark matter, and axion-like particles. Pope is working on geometrical aspects of gravity, quantum gravity and string theory, and the role of black holes as probes of these theories at the most fundamental level. Prof. Kang is working on understanding quantum gravity through the lens of quantum field theory and string theory by studying the non-Lagrangian supreconformal field theories using geometric methods.