Research Nick Van Remortel

Abstract

The spectacular first direct detections of gravitational waves (GW) have opened up hitherto unexplored and extreme regions of the universe. To realize the rich discovery potential of GWs with laser interferometry will require new collaborations and initiatives at the interface of physics and engineering. With this Declaration of Intent our research groups join forces to put forward a coherent research program building on our strengths and centered around six challenges in GW science and engineering. Our objectives include novel precision testing of Einstein's theory of gravity near black holes and in the early universe, and key advancements on the extremely stringent requirements on the mirrors and their coatings in the interferometer cavities. This will forge a cohesive vibrant Flemish research community in this nascent field, firmly embedded in the global collaborations working towards future observatories, thereby fully integrating Flanders into this exhilarating adventure to unlock the dark side of our universe.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: Van Haevermaet Hans

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Gravitational waves were predicted by Albert Einstein, but first observations were only made a few years ago ad were acknowledged by the 2017 Nobel prize in physics. Gravitational waves are a totally new source of information to study the origin, content and evolution of our universe. To study gravitational waves in great detail, a new telescope will be built, the Einstein Telescope, embedded in a large international laboratory infrastructure with a total cost of order 2 Billion Euros. The Einstein Telescope project will likely participate in the EU ESFRI roadmap update of 2021. Its design study will be complete soon, and then a decision on the European host-site will be made. The border region between Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany is candidate host-site, together with Sardinia. A number of key technologies needed to realize the Einstein Telescope is currently not available, and require research and development efforts in the coming decade. We will develop several of these at the ETpathfinder R&D Field lab, which is a shared innovation center at which scientific and industrial partners will work together in the next two decades. We therefore construct a jointly funded and operated cleanroom lab in Maastricht, that encompasses an advanced cryogenic Michelson laser interferometer setup to test the jointly developed technologies in a representative setup.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

My project will primarily focus on the search for and the discovery of the astrophysical stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) using novel and state-of-the-art data analysis software. In the science run of O4 starting in December 2022 and running for a year, data analysis will be performed actively on strain data. After the science run, the year-long data is combined to increase our chances of finding a hint of the SGWB. Next to that, in this project, I will develop a tool which can help automatically identify spectral artefacts in the frequency domain of the Virgo data and link them to an environmental channel. This will significantly increase our ability to identify such artefacts, as well as understand their origin and possible mitigation actions. During and after O4 I will be at the EGO/Virgo site investigating possible noise sources while "noise hunting". In Italy, I will also contribute to magnetic injections into the Virgo detector where the coupling between magnetic fields and the mirrors is investigated. Next to that, I will also, for the first time, investigate the effects of the buildings on external magnetic signals in the Virgo interferometer. At the end of the project, I will contribute to upgrading the detection statistics and noise models such that a better noise sensitivity of the Virgo detector is achieved in preparation for the next science run O5. That will increase the odds of discovering the stochastic background in O5.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Lalleman Max

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The university of Antwerp lies, since April 2019, and in close collaboration with research institutes in Flanders and The Netherlands, at the origin of the ETpathfinder R&D Fieldlab. This shared research infrastructure will, after completion, contribute for several decades to the development of high technological components for gravitational wave astronomy. The ultimate goal is the realization of the Einstein Telescope, a 30km long, underground laser interferometer in the border region between Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany, to study the cosmos via gravitational waves. The university of Antwerp is strongly committed to the realization of the nearly 2 billion Euro infrastructure of the Einstein Telescope project, because we believe in its potential to make scientific breakthroughs through technological innovation. Although the ultimate goal is to answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of our cosmos, the industrial/technological aspect as technology driver is undeniable, which is confirmed by three independent international socio-economic impact studies. The ETpathfinder R&D project should be considered as a platform to develop specialized technology In our region and thus to strengthen our site-bid for the Einstein Telescope project. In order to closely involve local industry from the start, the ET pathfinder consortium is assisted by an industrial advisory board (IAR), including representatives of nearly 40 Flemish and Dutch companies, sector organizations and local stakeholders. Many of these are located in our own province and are active in the fields of public infrastructure and construction, tunneling, underground and soil research, vessel and machine construction, sensor technology and micro-electronics, ICT and machine learning and computer aided modelling. With this IOF co-financing, the university of Antwerp can dedicate extra means and personnel to acquire expertise in the control and steering aspects of a large laser interferometer and its corresponding ICT and electronics infrastructure. As such we can profile ourselves better in the global ET infrastructure project, in view of the development and construction of the necessary computing and control infrastructure for ET in Flanders.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project is aimed to expand the research activities of the elementary particle physics group in the domain of fundamental interactions towards a study of gravity. The strong coupling regimes of Einstein's theory of general relativity can now be probed by gravitational wave observatories, several of which are online in the world. We propose to join the VIRGO collaboration and exploit the VIRGO/LIGO gravitational wave data to search for the existence of stochastic gravitational waves, the gravitational wave analogy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In contrast to the CMB, which only gives us a view on the universe when it was 370 thousand years old, the primordial gravitational wave signals will allow us to study the universe at its birth, at the period of inflation. The search for stochastic gravitational waves will in the longer term require a network of observatories with increased strain sensitivity. A future 3rd generation gravitational wave observatory will enhance the sensitivity to these and other types of gravitational waves significantly. With this project we also start an instrumental R&D program to develop key components for this future observatory.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to search for new sources of gravitational waves following the detection and first direct observation in 2015. The sensitivity of the current generation of gravitational wave interferometers will gradually be increased so every 10 to 20 days a binary black hole coalesce will be observed. It becomes interesting to search for weak signals originating from weak or distant sources, such as the coalescence of remote binary black holes, or binary neutron stars. Apart from these sources, do there also exist gravitational waves from more exotic sources, such as cosmic strings or black holes of several solar masses. Is it possible to isolate the ripples in the space-time fabric coming from the Big Bang itself from the different sources of gravitational waves? The current gravitational wave interferometers in the United States of America and Europe will start a year-long observation run in the spring of 2019 to improve the current sensitivity be a factor of 10. Afterwards the interferometers will undergo several improvements to steadily increase the sensitivity, followed by new observation periods. This should allow us to measure the gravitational waves of weak astrophysical sources such as the coalescence of remote binary black holes and remote neutron stars.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Janssens Kamiel

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

To unravel the most fundamental building blocks of matter and how they interact to form the universe around us, is a longterm fascination and challenge of humanity. Participation in the CMS experiment at the LHC particle collider at CERN provides access to the forefront of this international research. With our recent discovery of the Higgs particle, all elementary particles of the Standard Model of particle physics are now observed. We started a unique exploration of how the Higgs particle fits into the model and our experimental verification of the predictability of the model is unprecedented. The omnipresence of dark matter in the universe is only one of the open questions in particle physics for which we seek answers typically by extending the Standard Model with new particles and interactions. Many phenomena related to these extensions can be discovered or tested with our experiment. The scientific ambition of the CMS Collaboration is perfectly aligned with the European Strategy for Particle Physics where the exploration with the LHC and soon its upgraded version is indicated as the highest priority for the field.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The detection of gravitational waves (GW) in 2015 and the beginning of the multi-messenger astronomy era have demonstrated the scientific potential of gravitational wave observatories and provide a solid basis for the future of GW (astro-)physics. Einstein Telescope (ET) is envisioned to be the pioneer of a new generation of gravitational wave detectors. An EU-funded ET Conceptual Design Study has identified the Belgian-Dutch-German border border area as a promising location to site Einstein Telescope. With this application we encourage our region, and Belgium, to fully support the ET proposal for the 2020 update of the ESFRI Roadmap. We also call for a concerted effort to establish our region as an international hotspot in GW research and to work together to realise this truly unique opportunity for Belgium to co-host a major international research facility.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Gravitational waves provide a window for physicists to study the cosmos in a totally new way an over a wide range of aspecs: from black holes to the big bang itself. The study of gravitational waves requires a new large research infrastructure: The Einstein Telescope. It is a 3rd generation Michelson Interferometer telescope for gravitational waves and will be constructed at ~200m depth. The key enabling technologies for the Einstein Telescope are not yet complete and require extensive R&D. With the ETpathfinder R&D Fieldlab we aim to develop and test most of these technologies. ETpathfinder will be a distributed innovation centre where science and industry collaborate during a period of at least 2 decades.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In 2012, a scalar particle has been discovered at the LHC (CERN). As of today, its properties match those of the Higgs boson of the Standard Model (SM), the current theory of fundamental interactions. This discovery has crowned 50 years of research, including seminal work done in Belgium by Brout and Englert. It has also opened a new era for particle physicists, with more-than-ever pressing mysteries to face, including the absence, despite predictions and indirect indications, of signs of new physics at the LHC. The overarching objective of this project, lead by a collaboration of theorists and experimentalists, is to use the Higgs as a probe of still largely unexplored territories beyond the SM. First, we aim at more precisely determining the Higgs boson couplings within the SM, including its self-coupling. We will either discover new interactions, or will constrain the range of possibilities. Concurrently, we will look for new scalar particles, possible siblings of the Higgs boson, a challenging and far-reaching task. Second, we will focus on a special feature of the Higgs boson, that of providing a gateway to a whole new world of hidden particles and interactions, an exploration which may shed light on the dark matter and neutrino mysteries. The proposal brings together the young generation of physicists that has contributed to the discovery of the Higgs and now leads a broad, ambitious and original research project on the high-energy physics frontier.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research proposal focuses on the new kinematic region of highly energetic, nearly back-to-back jets which will be explored for the first time at the LHC Run II. Our approach is based on recognizing that in the back-to-back region theoretical predictions for jet distributions are sensitive, despite the large transverse momentum of each individual jet, to Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) colorcorrelation effects which go beyond the expectation of customary next-to-leading-order or next-tonext- to-leading-order calculations, and lead to novel "color entanglement" processes. We will employ advanced QCD factorization and resummation techniques to investigate these effects theoretically, to identify relevant jet observables, and to interpret the results of measurements of multi-TeV, nearly back-to-back jets which we will perform with the CMS detector at Run II. Phenomenological and experimental studies will focus on the jet transverse momentum imbalance, on the azimuthal distance between the jets, and on the azimuthal correlation between the leading jet transverse momentum and the transverse momentum imbalance. The outcome of the proposed studies will be a high-impact set of methods to deal with QCD color correlations in multi-jet final states, which could be used both for precision physics, possibly revealing new aspects of the Standard Model, and for searches for physics beyond the Standard Model in multi-jets channels, both at the LHC and future high-luminosity experiments.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Hautmann Francesco
• Co-promoter: Van Haevermaet Hans
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The neutrino oscillation experiments, together with cosmological constraints and direct neutrino measurement experiments, have firmly established that at least 2 of the neutrinos have a tiny but non-vanishing mass. This provides tantalizing experimental evidence for physics beyond the standard model. "Sterile" neutrinos, introduced in several simple extensions of the Standard Model, provide an alluring way to explain these observations, through the so-called "seesaw" mechanism. Such sterile neutrinos interact with our known world only through their mixing with the SM neutrinos. Depending on the number of these additional sterile neutrinos and their masses, several outstanding questions in the field can also be addressed eg. a few-keV sterile neutrino can serve as a dark matter candidate; CP violation associated to these sterile neutrinos can be introduced to solve the observed matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe; and several historical experimental anomalies can be explained. We propose to search for heavy sterile neutrinos by using the newly constructed SoLid detector near the BR2 reactor of the SCK-CEN in Mol. The detector is unique in its kind and is among several newly staged short baseline reactor experiments. The data analysis proposed here extends the baseline research program of the SoLid experiments to a vastly different mass scale of sterile neutrinos. SoLid is well placed for the detection of these states in comparison with older experiments due to the excellent background conditions near the BR2 reactor and the superior instrumentation and analysis techniques employed.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Verstraeten Maja

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The general purpose of this project is to implement methods of calculation and algorithms for inclusion of "true cascade summing" corrections into spectrum analysis software. This development should include design and validation of TCS correction algorithms, creation of nuclide libraries (if applicable) and/or implementation of calibration methods. All results must be included into software for Gamma-ray spectrum analysis – bGAMMA. Objectives: 1) Study current implementations (published) and calculation algorithms for TCS correction in Gamma-ray spectrometry 2) Identify the applications and corresponding list of nuclides (of interest) and their type of TCS correction, according to specific decay scheme. For some cases adoption of restrictions and/or simplifications might be applicable. As result radioisotope libraries containing the TCS correction factors for specific applications should be created 3) Developed a (if possible) generic algorithm for calculation of TCS in gamma-ray spectrometry. If necessary, particular or complete nuclide libraries must be created as well. 4) Implementation of validation tests, experimental measurements and mathematical Monte Carlo simulations for different applications, nuclides of interest, sample geometries and densities and detectors efficiencies. 5) Implementation of a calibration method using "Peak-to-Total" detector efficiencies or "LS" calibration curves to derive the TCS corrections. 6) Implementation of proposed algorithm(s) and specific TCS-aware nuclide libraries for TCS corrections into the general purpose gamma-ray spectrum analysis software- bGAMMA

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Piñera Ibrahin

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Our current understanding of the most elementary building blocks of matter and their interactions is summarized in the Standard Model of particle physics. Within this Standard Model, neutrinos are the most puzzling. Decades of experiments have lead to the conclusion that neutrinos have a very small mass. Due to this small mass, a neutrino of a certain flavor has a non-zero probability to oscillate to a neutrino of another flavor. Oscillations between the three neutrinos in the Standard Model have been observed typically over large distances (>1km) from the place where they were produced. Over the last years, a deficit of the observed number of neutrinos at short distances (<100m) from reactors is measured. This could be an indication of an oscillation to a fourth and new type of neutrino. The aim of recent short baseline neutrino experiments is to prove or discard the hypothesis of the existence of the so-called sterile neutrino. One of the most promising short baseline experiments that is able to answer this question is the SoLid experiment. The SoLid detector is a neutrino detector consisting of plastic scintillator cubes with Li-6 screens installed at a the BR2 reactor at SCK-CEN in Mol, Belgium. The detector setup has been tested thoroughly over the last years and a 5 times larger detector is currently being constructed. This project aims to record and analyze the new data in order to provide an answer to the sterile neutrino hypothesis in the next 4 years.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: De Roeck Albert

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Scientific curiosity drives us to explore the largest as well as the smallest structures around us. With its 27 km circumference the Large Hadron Collider at CERN collides protons at the highest energies to study the most fundamental building blocks of matter. The recent discovery of the Higgs particle by the ATLAS and CMS experiments was awarded internationally. As a consequence the particle physics community worldwide assigns the top priority to further explore the properties of the Higgs particle as well as to extend our search for new physics phenomena. From 2026 onwards the High-Luminosity LHC will be operational at CERN delivering a 10 times larger dataset of proton collisions to the physicists. This requires the construction of adequate and typically novel detector systems. The Belgian experimental particle physics groups are skilled and motivated to continue their research and leadership in the CMS experiment. The Tracker System is the main system to be innovated and replaced. This Hercules application embraces the construction by the Belgian teams of one Tracker Endcap. This exceptional equipment will be the basis of our research for the next 2 decades.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Cosmoparticle physics is a fundamental discipline that emerged at the end of the 20th century, and it is a quickly evolving field. It studies the relationship between the largest scales of the Universe and the smallest scales in Nature. As such, it is at present a multi-disciplinary field interconnecting particle physics, cosmology, general relativity, astrophysics and astrophysics This network aims to bundle the expertise in various fields related to cosmoparticle physics in Belgium through interchange of researchers, common meetings and seminars and contacts with international centers of expertise.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

With this project the universities of Antwerpen, Gent and Brussels, and the SCK-CEN Mol intend to construct a competitive short baseline reactor neutrino detector at the BR2 research reactor with a thermal power between 60-80MW located at the SCK-CEN in Mol.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: De Roeck Albert

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The search for sterile neutrinos is a next step in the fundamental research of elementary particles and their interactions. With SoLid, we created a new international collaboration of 11 research centers spread across Europe and the United States. Together we develop and exploit a novel neutrino detector near the core of the BR2 research reactor of the SCK-CEN in Mol. With this instrument we aim to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations, a phenomenon that can reveal new physics in the neutrino sector and perhaps an indication of the nature of dark matter.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

From our long standing experience in tracking devices, we wish to take an active role in the development of a new Silicon Strip Tracking system as well as an upgraded Muon System for CMS. Our R&D related to the Muon System is targeted at the LS2 upgrades, while the Silicon Tracker part will have its main impact in the later stages of CMS.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The search for a scalar Higgs particle is one of the main goals of the physics program of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Using the data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment we plan to implement and validate a matrix element technique to search for a light neutral scalar Higgs boson. Matrix element techniques incorporate the maximum theoretical knowledge about signal and background processes in order to infer a physical quantity from data. This method will extend the sensitivity of cut-based and multivariate analysis techniques already applied in CMS and will contribute to the discovery or exclusion of Higgs particles within or beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Alderweireldt Sara

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

There is a common interest to extend collaboration in order to investigate the following phenomena: - The existence and nature of double hard parton scatterings - Their theoretical description and modelling in terms of parton density distributions and evolution equations - The impact of this phenomenon on searches for new particles predicted by supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model of particIe physics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The quest to explore and understand the fundamental building blocks of Nature has intrigued humanity since ever. Revealing the way they build up the matter around us as well as the Universe is the topic of particle physics. Our state-of-the-art theory in particle physics does not provide an empirically verified answer to key questions like how these particles acquire their observed mass nor for the abundance of Dark Matter in the Universe. Experiments are being built to unravel these elements by discovering new physics phenomena beyond our current theory and to measure very precisely the properties of the known phenomena. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is the unique particle accelerator which is at the forefront of this research by colliding protons at the highest energies. The Compact Muon Solenoid experiment is built and operated by an international consortium of institutions to detect and reconstruct the particle collisions. The Universiteit Antwerpen, the Universiteit Gent and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have very active teams of researchers that construct, operate and maintain the experiment as well as analysing the accumulated data of the CMS detector in the search for an understanding of the fundamental interactions in Nature. This project embraces all the detector, logistical and operational costs for the Flemish contribution to one of the largest scientific experiments ever.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The objective of this project is to obtain a clear insight into the nature of the Higgs mechanism, in particular whether it is associated with a single scalar boson, with multiple scalars, a composite object of strongly bound fermions, or with heavier resonances. This will be done by performing measurements in the years 2012-2020 at the Large hadron Collider (LHC), a protonproton collider located at the CERN laboratory for particle physics in Geneva, operating at the highest beam energies ever achieved.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The application domain of embedded systems is in need of design processes for parallel data processing in FPGAs. This project will develop a concrete design process based on a case study of simple pattern recognition by means of a high-level synthesis tool. This will lead to new generic insights in the design process of FPGA-code, as well as the efficient development of algorithms being used in current particle physics experiments.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: De Meulenaere Paul

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Fundamental interactions include electroweak forces, strong interactions, and gravity (and their possible extensions). Their study aims at unraveling Nature's mechanisms at their most intimate level, but should also provide understanding of our Universe and its evolution through work at the edge of present knowledge. The ultimate purpose of the project is to improve our understanding of fundamental interactions.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The primary objective of this project is to analyze the data that will be collected by the CMS experiment in 2012 to provide a further independent confirmation of the existence of a light Higgs boson using a topology that has not been studied so far: the Higgs production through vector boson fusion (VBF) and it's decay to b-quarks. The final state is a distinctively full hadronic topology, with four hadronic jets, which makes it a both an unconventional and challenging search. The results will provide access to the Yukawa Higgs couplings to b-quarks and to weak vector bosons (W,Z), improving our understanding of the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Azzurri Paolo

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The search for a scalar Higgs particle is one of the main goals of the physics program of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Using the data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment we plan to implement and validate a matrix element technique to search for a light neutral scalar Higgs boson. Matrix element techniques incorporate the maximum theoretical knowledge about signal and background processes in order to infer a physical quantity from data. This method will extend the sensitivity of cut-based and multivariate analysis techniques already applied in CMS and will contribute to the discovery or exclusion of Higgs particles within or beyond the Standard Model of particle physics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Fellow: Alderweireldt Sara

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The UA group aims to measure final states consisting of multiple jets in order to study QCD parton dynamics at low fractional momenta, multi-parton interactions and the underlying event.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

TERA-Labs, a joint research group of the Karel De Grote Hogeschool specialised in Embedded Systems, datacommunication and ICT partners with the experimental Elementary Particle Physics group of the University of Antwerp in research of high performance distributed FPGA-based data acquisition systems based on µTCA, a promising new standard in embedded technology. The aim is to establish and expertise platform in the hardware-software co-design of complete data acquisition systems with pure scientific and industrial measurement and automisation applications.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-principal investigator: Temmerman Marijn

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

We propose to study the heavy flavor content of the proton through the measurement of particle jets initiated by bottom quarks together with Z bosons in proton-proton collisions, using the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We will compare the obtained experimental results to theoretical predictions based on different factorization schemes in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This is a fundamental research project financed by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO). The project was subsidized after selection by the FWO-expert panel.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The Compact Muon Solenoid experiment has put emphasis on the detection and identification of muons; the only penetrating charged particle we know. At the LHC, the bunch crossing frequency will be 40 MHz, which, at the nominal luminosity of 10^34 cm-2s-1, leads to 800 million proton-proton collisions per second. Every 25 nsec some 1000 particles emerge from the interaction point into the CMS spectrometer. In less than 3 microsec a first level trigger has to reduce this rate to 100 kHz without losing potentially interesting collisions requiring further analysis. This task, without which research at the LHC would be impossible, relies heavily on the muon detection system. The construction of the forward muon RPC system for the CMS phase 1 detector is completed and consists of 432 chambers. All gas gaps have been produced and tested in Seoul where a gas gap production facility has been set up for this project. It is an alternative to the Italian company GT that up to then had the world monopoly for RPC gas gap production and delivered gaps to L3, Babar, ATLAS and the CMS barrel. Station 1 (144 RPC's) has been produced and tested at CERN with the help of Chinese manpower. Stations 2 and 3 (288 RPC's) are assembled in Islamabad and retested at CERN. For the final testing of endcap RPC's, a large area cosmic hodoscope has been built at CERN in which 10 chambers can be tested together. This infrastructure will remain operational until completion of the entire system. Today all 432 RPC detectors of the initial system have been installed on the endcap yokes. The completion of the forward RPC system for CMS phase 2 will require 288 extra chambers for the |eta|<1.6 region and 180 RPC's for the region 1.6 <eta< 2.1. Production of gas gaps will further proceed in Seoul while chamber assembly would be performed in the other participating institutes and possibly also in Belgium. The final testing of the detectors would be concentrated in the CERN cosmic hodoscope. As mentioned before the total cost for the completion of the CMS forward RPC system is estimated to be 6 MCHF and an equal sharing among the participants is envisaged resulting in 1MCHF for the Belgian partners. It is proposed that 160 RPC chambers would be assembled in Ghent and Brussels, while Antwerp will concentrate more on the front end read out electronics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Wolf Eddi
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Recent precision measurements of the top quark and W-boson masses at the Tevatron collider, Fermilab, USA, imply the existence of a relatively light Higgs boson with a mass less than 144 GeV at 95% C.L. The search for a light to intermediate mass Higgs boson is now of top priority in the Tevatron physics program (recently extended until end 2009), and is one of the main motivations for the construction of the LHC collider at CERN, which begins its operations in the spring of 2008. For masses below 144 GeV, the Higgs decays with 98% probability to a pair of b-quarks, making its separation from background processes very difficult at the Tevatron. The increased centre-of-mass energy and luminosity of the LHC will overcome some of these problems by allowing more stringent selections and/or the study of rare decays and by opening a range of new Higgs production mechanisms that have smaller cross sections at the Tevatron. The latter will be used as main strategy in this proposal where a Higgs discovery group will systematically explore the Higgs boson mass range between 114-135 GeV, by using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC collider at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. The project's focus is the distinct topology where the Higgs boson decays into a pair of b quarks and is accompanied by the production and decays of two top quarks: ttH->bbWWbb. We will investigate mainly the final states in which at least one W boson decays leptonically. The proposed research complements ongoing activities at the particle physics group of the University of Antwerpen, where a Higgs boson search at intermediate to High Higgs masses is conducted in the dominant decay mode H->WW, using final states in which both W's decay leptonically. Both projects combined will cover the whole Higgs mass region which is kinematically accessible by the LHC accelerator.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick
• Co-promoter: De Wolf Eddi

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Using the CMS detctor at the LCH accelerator of the CERN laboratory we will study final states resulting from proton-proton collisions at unprecendented energies of 14 TeV. Certain final states, consisting of a collimated particle jet and lots of missing energy, are sensitive to new phenomena related to the production of gravitons that propagate in compactified spatial dimensions, which are being proposed as a possible solution to the hierachy problem in quantum-gravity.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to analyse the data that will collected by the CMS detector at the LHC accelerator. It consist mainly of the research of the top quark and so-called "diffraction and forward physics". To realise this a contribution will be made to the development of a Belgian TIER-2 GRID computing centre.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Mechelen Pierre
• Co-promoter: De Roeck Albert
• Co-promoter: De Wolf Eddi
• Co-promoter: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Recently, the study of diffractive processes has known a large renewed interest. The diverse experimental programmes of current hadron accelerators such as HERA and TEVATRON offer, together with future machines such as the LHC at CERN, a great new challenge both in theoretical and experimental particle physics research. Diffractive processes can be considered as a sub-class of inelastic scattering processes, where one of the colliding particles survives the interaction: A + B à A + X. The H1 experiment of the German research centre DESY, situated in Hamburg, to which the particle physics group of the UA is connected, has seen a considerable upgrade last year. The very forward proton spectrometer (VFPS), co-developed by our group and partly financed by the FWO, is a considerable part of this upgrade. The VFPS detector is complementary to the existing system of H1 and has in contrast to the existing spectrometer a very large acceptance and the possibility of precise calibration. Numerous diffractive processes, such as di-jet production, open charm and vector meson production, have been measured with the existing H1 setup, however with limited statistics and large background contamination from proton-dissociation processes. The new VFPS detector will contribute, in combination with an increased luminosity of the HERA accelerator, to a more precise measurement of these processes. It is therefore expected that, in parallel with theoretical progress, new insights will be gained in the dynamics of diffraction within the framework of the quantum-chromodynamics formalism. The commisioning of the new apparatus and the collection of new data is planned before the end of 2003.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Wolf Eddi
• Fellow: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

• Particle Physics Group

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Using the large statistics available of e+e- interactions at the high energy LEP accelerator at CERN, Geneva, with the DELPHI detector, decay properties of the W-boson will be measured, in particular the average charge multiplicity, the mass and width of the W, as well as correlations between its decay products. Emphasis will be on the measurement of Bose-Einstein correlations and the search for possible color reconnection effects.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Verbeure Frans
• Fellow: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Using the large statistics available of e+e- interactions at the high energy LEP accelerator at CERN, Geneva, with the DELPHI detector, decay properties of the W-boson will be measured, in particular the average charge multiplicity, the mass and width of the W, as well as correlations between its decay products. Emphasis will be on the measurement of Bose-Einstein correlations and the search for possible color reconnection effects.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Verbeure Frans
• Fellow: Van Remortel Nick

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project