The Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), which is centre attached both to Universitat de València and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), organizes BOOST2012. From 23 to 27 July, this conference is gathering international experts on new analysis techniques for the collision of particles taking place in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The conference is focused on the analysis of massive, highly energised particles known as ‘boosted objects’, whose study would open the door to the search of physics so far unknown. Moreover, these techniques would allow to learn more about the characteristics of the new particle found in the LHC and which is thought to be the Higgs boson. Around a hundred scientists are going to gather at Centro Cultural Bancaja at the 4th edition of BOOST2012, a series of conferences existing starting in SLAC (Stanford) in 2009, Oxford (2010) and Princeton (2011).
Energy and mass are linked by Einstein’s known equation. Then, the energy transmitted to the particles running through a particle accelerator like LHC can be turned into mass. That is the reason why particles much more massive than protons or electrons are created. The most massive particles known so far, the bosons W and Z, or the top quark have been produced and have been able to be observed in the most powerful colliders of this time (SPSS and Tevatron).
Currently, the experiments ATLAS and CMS in the LHC – the biggest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world – offer a unique opportunity to study these massive particles. LHC works four times more quickly than Tevatron and it explores an uknown field. For the first time, highly massive particles having high velocity can be created.
According to Marcel Vos, Ramon y Cajal researcher at IFIC and in charge of the organization of the conference, ‘the interest of studying this kind of particles lies in the possible existence of others even heavier at the beginning of their production.’ Moreover, ‘it would help to determine if the new particle discovered in the LHC is the Higgs boson as it was foreseen by the theory or it is something new.’
Vos states that from the beginning IFIC cooperates in the development of new experimental techniques to study the ‘boosted objects’. These techniques are particularly applied to the study of the highly energetic top quark (boosted top). At the BOOST2011 at Princeton, Miguel Villaplana, who is studying at IFIC, presented the first observation of top quark candidates (as shown in the caption). Nowadays, IFIC is one of the most dedicated institutes within the group of the ATLAS experiment, which studies the top quark. María José Costa, researcher at IFIC, coordinates the group devoted to the top quark physics in ATLAS.
BOOST2012 is gathering theoretical and experimental physicists. Throughout the sessions, the production of these ‘boosted objects’ structures will be discussed as well as the algorithms for their selection and reconstruction. Among the people attending is Albert de Roeck, coordinator of the Higgs boson study at CMS – the other experiment trying to search for it -, and Jon Butterworth, researcher at ATLAS, he also disseminates many information on physics on his blog at The Guardian.
A talk open to the public
On the occasion of BOOST2012, on July 25 at 19:00 there is going to be a talk open to the public titled ‘El bosón de Higgs y el LHC: Historia de una búsqueda’. IFIC’s experts will explain what means the finding of this new particle that could be the Higgs boson. This talk will take place at the Centro Cultural Bancaja’s auditorium.
BOOST2012 has the support of Centro Cultural Bancaja, Generalitat Valenciana, Centro Nacional de Física de Partículas, Astropartículas y Nuclear (CPAN), Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC) and the Heidelberg university.
Last update: 24 de july de 2012 13:15.
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