ATLAS External Grants Lydia Beresford (YIG)  · 

The LHC as a photon collider: casting light on new phenomena

Helmholtz Young Investigator Group of Lydia Beresford (2022-2027)

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the highest energy hadron collider in the world. It has enabled important insights into the nature of elementary particles. Almost all LHC researchers study these hadron collisions. However, the focus of this Young Investigator Group is on using the LHC in a novel way: as the world’s highest energy photon collider. Photon collisions occur when the electromagnetic fields surrounding LHC protons interact. This opens a new kinematic regime for laboratory photon collisions, thereby providing a promising route to discovering new phenomena which could solve some of the most fundamental questions in physics.

With my group we will search for dark matter using LHC photon collisions and will pioneer the use of novel forward proton detectors. These detectors help us to identify photon collisions and provide unique information about them. This new approach will enable us to search for dark matter particles in well-motivated, unexplored regions. We will also perform new measurements of photon interactions. By measuring the tau lepton magnetic moment (“g-2”) to world-leading precision we will test fundamental assumptions of the Standard Model. This could lead to a new understanding of the fundamental particles which make up our Universe.

Candidates interested in Bachelor, Masters or PhD theses are welcome to contact me any time

Group members

Group leader

Postdocs

PhD students

Lydia Beresford

Savannah Clawson
Working closely with the YIG:
John Hallford

Weronika Stanek-Maslouska
Daniel Werner

Teaching

Semester

Title

University/School

Summer 2024

LHC Physics Lectures (4 Lectures)

DESY Summer Student Program

SoSe 2024

Journal club for MSc course "Particle physics and the Large Hadron Collider"

University of Hamburg

Contact Information

Lydia Beresford
Beresford
Phone:
E-Mail: Lydia Beresford
Location: 01C / O1.342
DESY
Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany

 

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