Particle Physics

Particle Physics is all about understanding the fundamental building blocks of matter and how they interact with each other. To do this, modern particle physicists build large experiments where the results of high-energy collisions between particles are studied. 

The theme is involved in the CMS and LHCb experiments based at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which allow us to probe nature at the most fundamental level we can reach. We're also involved in the DUNE, LZ, Mu3e, and NA62 experiments and are working on research and development projects for future experiments and the application of particle physics tecnhology to other fields. We specialise in the following three areas of research:

• Detector Research and Development

Researching and developing new solid-state and other particle detector technologies for use in future particle physics experiments, and in other fields such as healthcare and security.

• Direct Searches and Dark Matter

Searching at the CMS experiment at CERN for the production of new particles and processes, such as dark matter, new force-carrying gauge bosons, messengers from hidden physics sectors, supersymmetric (SUSY) particles, and exotic properties in Higgs boson decays and the production of top quarks. Looking for dark matter recoiling off nuclei in the Lux-Zeplin experiment.

• Flavour Physics and Beyond

Studying quark and lepton transitions to provide insights into the structure of the standard model, and to allow the discovery and study of new physics. Working on matter and antimatter asymmetry and rare quark decays on the LHCb experiment at CERN, flavour symmetry-violating muon decays at Mu3e, rare kaon decays on the NA62 experiment at CERN, and neutrino oscillations, supernovae and proton decays with DUNE.