Chair of Particle Physics ― The Higgs Field as Damper for Scattering-Experiments at CERN

Group leader
NameDr. Frank Siegert
Professur für Teilchenphysik
Send encrypted mail via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
Certificate of DFN-PKI for encrypted email communication.
Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics
Visitor Address:
Andreas-Schubert-Bau, Ground floor, room E17 Zellescher Weg 19
01069 Dresden
Office Hours:
By arrangement
Our group performs experimental studies on the basic symmetries of the "Standard Model of Particle Physics", which govern the fundamental interactions of particles.
To study this, we investigate one of the rarest but most important processes at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the scattering of W and Z-particles from one another.
To observe this, two quarks in the proton-proton collisions at the LHC have to radiate one W or Z, each, in coincidence. These then must approach each other to less than 1/1000 of a proton diameter.
The Brout-Englert-Higgs field plays a crucial "damping" role in this scattering process, which thus also gives insight into the properties of the Higgs boson.
Find out more on our Research page and in this ATLAS Blog.
Monica Dunford, 2017 Trefftz Professor in our group, explains the physics of the Large Hadron Collider in the movie "Particle Fever" © Kinoreal Filmverleih
- In our Research on W- and Z-Scattering at the ATLAS Experiment within the framework of the German research structure FSP-103-ATLAS, we not only test the damping contribution of Higgs particles, but are for the first time investigating the previously unobserved "Quartic Vertex" in the interaction of four weak bosons.
- In our worldwide Outreach Program we personally communicate our research to schools and to the public, sharing the original data.
- Supported by international exchange with colleagues and advanced training at specialized workshops and schools Bachelor, Master, and PhD students learn in their Theses to apply
- methods for identifying the decay products of W and Z particles in the detector and to determine their efficiency and fake rate
- modern statistical program packages and multivariate algorithms for data analysis, such as significance determination, background suppression, fitting or unfolding
- advanced programming and simulation techniques