Searching for exotics signatures (Dark Matter/Extra Dimensions)

About the Project

The long-established RHUL ATLAS group is renowned for its expertise in physics (Higgs, top quark and exotic signatures involving electrons), statistical methods and plays a leading role internationally in the ATLAS trigger and data acquisition systems. The group is also heavily involved in the upcoming upgrades of the detector in view of the High-Luminosity running of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The successful candidate will make use of the new, highest energy (13.6 collisions) Run 3 dataset at the LHC to search for evidence of new physics in data containing two electrons or two muons. These channels can be used to search for new particles like the graviton, new gauge bosons or dark photons which decay to dileptons. The graviton is the only force carrier that has not been experimentally discovered. It is predicted in extra-dimensional models which explain why gravity is much weaker than other forces. This signature can also be used to probe for compositeness models, which predict new interactions between the constituents of quarks and leptons. This project will include analyzing the latest Run 3 data to search in the invariant mass distribution of events to search for evidence of new physics produced from decays of dark photons predicted in dark matter models, new gauge bosons or gravitons.

In addition, PhD students in the RHUL ATLAS group contribute to the development of the ATLAS trigger system, as well as to the operation of the ATLAS detector at CERN.

Applicants should submit their application using our Applicant Portal. Please note that a research proposal is not required.

Find out more about Research degree (PhD) opportunities at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Applications for PhD degrees are via our Applicant Portal.

Funding Notes

The funding normally comes with the possibility for Long Term Attachment funds to work at CERN for up to 12 months during the PhD.