Advanced course on
general techniques used in particle physics to conduct experiments.
This includes a part on the physics of detection techniques and a part
on the reconstruction and analysis of particle collisions.
Both lecturers were involved in divers particle physics experiments in
the past and lecture in function of the experimental techniques which
are utilied at these experiments. Several of these techniques have very
clear applications beyond the particle physics research.
This course will in general be taught in English, unless all students
are Dutch speaking. All the course material is in English.
Agenda
2012-2013
Students not from the VUB have to register using the form via
this
link, and submit it at the secretary of the Faculty of Science at
the VUB. This registration is free of charge. They will receive a VUB
student card which is useful on the VUB campus.
Detection techniques
Prof. Albert De Roeck (UA)
The use of particle detectors is a key ingredient in the study of
particle physics phenomena, but also in many other disciplines of
science, medicine and industry. In order to built and understand the
instrumentation, one needs to study the interaction of particles with
matter and the basic detector principles. This part of the course will
introduce those concepts in detail, to the level when the student will
be able to understand any modern particle detector. The detectors
around the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will serve as the main example.
The exam consists in an advanced presentation of a specific particle
detector used in particle physics. Examples are gas detectors,
semiconductor detectors, calorimeters, Cherenkov detectors, cosmic rays
detectors, gravitational wave detectors, ...
The transparancies of the lectures are available via this
link
(2011-2012).
For the year 2012-2013 the link is here:
lecture 1,
lecture
2,
lecture
3,
lecture
4.
Reconstruction and Analysis
techniques
Prof. Jorgen D'Hondt (VUB)
Particle collisions are provided by divers scientific facilities, among
which we take the Large Hadron Collider at CERN as the main example. A
series of tools and techniques have to be applied in other to extract
physics results. The chain from the detection of the signals in the
detector to the final physics result is the topic of this part of the
course.
The content of this part of the course is the following.
- Overview of the main parameters of colliders and
detectors which are needed for the design of the Trigger and Data
Aquisition systems
- Trigger algorithms and Data Aquisition (DAQ) systems
for detectors at particle colliders
- Reconstruction of tracks (incl resolution on the
transvers momentum, measured in a magnetic field, Kalman filter
algorithm, ...)
- Jet reconstruction via divers jet clustering
algortihms
- Statistical aspects of key analysis techniques (incl
Feldman-Cousins method)
Part of the material for the course (Trigger and DAQ) can be found in
the slide via this
link. The
remaining part of the course will be taught on the black board, because
they involve detailed calculations. A copy of the written notes will be
provided.
Lecture notes (2011-2012):
lecture
1,
lecture
2 and
lecture
3.
Lecture notes (2012-2013):
lecture
1,
lecture
2 and
lecture
3 (and
notations
of lecture 3).
Task: Write a 5 to 7
pages primer on jet reconstruction algorithms.
What is the aim of these reconstruction algorithms? Which algorithms
are available? What are their key features? What are the main
challenges for these algorithms? How are they used? For what purpose?
You need to get introduced to these concepts in order to answer one of
the questions during the exam. The primer needs to be send by email in
pdf format to the lecturer at least 2 days before the exam.
An example references: "Towards Jetography", G.Salam,
arXiv:0906.1833v2
