(Press-News.org) AMHERST, Mass. – Physicists Benjamin Brau, Carlo Dallapiccola and Stephane Willocq at the University of Massachusetts Amherst were instrumental in this week's preliminary observation of a new particle, possibly the long-sought Higgs boson, announced by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) particle physics laboratory.
The Standard Model of particle physics can correctly explain the elementary particles and forces of nature after more than four decades of experiments. But it cannot, without the Higgs boson, explain how most of these particles acquire their mass, which is a key ingredient in the formation of the universe. Though scientists are not certain this week that the new particle is indeed the Higgs boson, physicists at UMass Amherst who work on the ATLAS project are elated by the possibility and excited that their work since joining the international team eight years ago is paying off.
The UMass Amherst physicists use ATLAS, one of two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located deep under Switzerland and France, to make significant contributions to the project in muon identification and reconstruction. They have written large parts of the code now used to reconstruct the trajectories of muons detected in the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer.
Willocq says, "The ability to find muons among the debris of the proton collisions from the collider is critical to the research done with ATLAS. The long-sought Higgs boson is being hunted by hundreds of particle physicists eager to discover this hypothetical particle or disprove its existence. Higgs bosons may manifest themselves by decaying into muons as well as other particles. By identifying and measuring those muons and accompanying Higgs decay particles we hope to find evidence for the Higgs. Muons provide telltale signs of the ephemeral presence of a Higgs boson produced by the collider."
A muon is a negatively charged, unstable elementary particle similar to the electron, but about 200 times heavier. The ATLAS detector includes a huge magnet that bends the paths of charged particles for momentum measurement. The device records and measures particles created in collisions, along with their paths, energies and identities.
Willocq adds, "We are responsible for the maintenance and further development of the muon event data classes, as well as substantial parts of the reconstruction software. Since joining ATLAS in 2004, we have held coordinator positions for muon reconstruction, muon software, muon combined data quality and muon combined performance. Graduate students have also played a significant role in the commissioning and continued operation of the endcap Muon Spectrometer detector system, as well as muon data acquisition."
Scientists at the LHC announced their latest results at a seminar in Switzerland this week on July 4. Physicists from across the United States had gathered at laboratories and universities in the middle of the night to watch it streamed live online. Most U.S. scientists participate in experiments from their home institutions, accessing and analyzing their data remotely through high-capacity networks and grid computing.
It was in 1964 that Peter Higgs proposed the existence of a new particle, now known as the Higgs boson, whose coupling with other particles would determine their mass. But it has eluded discovery. Now, scientists are approaching the moment of knowing whether the Higgs is the right solution to this problem.
More than 1,700 people from U.S. institutions, including 89 American universities and seven U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, helped design, build and operate the LHC accelerator and its four particle detectors. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and the National Science Foundation provide support for research and detector operations at the LHC along with computing for the ATLAS experiment.
Preliminary findings announced this week are based on data collected in 2011 and 2012, while 2012 data are still under analysis. More presentations about the results from the CERN particle physic lab are expected to be announced soon at the International Conference on High Energy Physics in Melbourne, Australia.
### END
UMass Amherst physicists' work is critical to Higgs boson search
Physicists at UMass Amherst were instrumental in this week’s preliminary observation of a new particle, possibly the long-sought Higgs boson, announced by the CERN particle physics laboratory
2012-07-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Algae extract increases good cholesterol levels, Wayne State research finds
2012-07-07
Detroit - A Wayne State University researcher has found that an extract from algae could become a key to regulating cardiovascular disease.
In a study funded by Health Enhancement Products of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Smiti Gupta, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has found that dietary intake of ProAlgaZyme increased the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in an animal model.
While medications for the control of high plasma cholesterol levels such as statins and numerous dietary ...
Zebrafish reveal promising mechanism for healing spinal cord injury
2012-07-07
BETHESDA, MD – July 6, 2012 – Yona Goldshmit, Ph.D., is a former physical therapist who worked in rehabilitation centers with spinal cord injury patients for many years before deciding to switch her focus to the underlying science.
"After a few years in the clinic, I realized that we don't really know what's going on," she said.
Now a scientist working with Peter Currie, Ph.D., at Monash University in Australia, Dr. Goldshmit is studying the mechanisms of spinal cord repair in zebrafish, which, unlike humans and other mammals, can regenerate their spinal cord following ...
Zebrafish provide insights into causes and treatment of human diseases
2012-07-07
BETHESDA, MD – July 6, 2012 – Zebrafish, popular as aquarium fish, now have an important place in research labs as a model organism for studying human diseases.
At the 2012 International Zebrafish Development Conference, held June 20-24 in Madison, Wisconsin, numerous presentations highlighted the utility of the zebrafish for examining the basic biological mechanisms underlying human disorders and identifying potential treatment approaches for an impressive array of organ and systemic diseases.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), while rarely ...
Images in an instant: Suomi NPP begins direct broadcast
2012-07-07
Real-time data that will be used in everything from weather forecasts to disaster response is now being beamed down to Earth from a cone-shaped appendage aboard the nation's newest Earth-observing satellite.
The High Rate Data (HRD) link is an antenna aboard the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite that provides 'direct broadcast' data to users in real-time. Researchers world-wide are then able to use customized algorithms, or mathematical formulas, turning raw data into images to help manage quickly changing regional events, such as rapidly spreading ...
HI-C sounding rocket mission has finest mirrors ever made
2012-07-07
On July 11, NASA scientists will launch into space the highest resolution solar telescope ever to observe the solar corona, the million degree outer solar atmosphere. The instrument, called HI-C for High Resolution Coronal Imager, will fly aboard a Black Brant sounding rocket to be launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The mission will have just 620 seconds for its flight, spending about half of that time high enough that Earth's atmosphere will not block ultraviolet rays from the sun. By looking at a specific range of UV light, HI-C scientists hope ...
NASA's TRMM Satellite sees heavy rainfall in Tropical Storm Daniel's center
2012-07-07
NASA's TRMM satellite revealed that Tropical Storm Daniel's most concentrated rainfall is occurring around the storm's center.
When the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Tropical Storm Daniel on July 6, 2012 at 0034 UTC, data revealed heavy rain falling around the southern periphery of the center of circulation. The heavy rain was falling at a rate of more than 2 inches/50 mm per hour. TRMM is jointly managed by both NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA.
Daniel remains no threat to land, however, as the storm is expected to continue ...
UC Davis study finds that above-normal weight alone does not increase the short-term risk of death
2012-07-07
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — An evaluation of national data by UC Davis researchers has found that extra weight is not necessarily linked with a higher risk of death.
When compared to those with normal weight, people who were overweight or obese had no increased risk of death during a follow-up period of six years. People who were severely obese did have a higher risk, but only if they also had diabetes or hypertension.
The findings, which appear in the July-August issue of The Journal of American Board of Family Medicine, call into question previous studies -- using data ...
Scientists develop mouse model that could lead to new therapies for liver cancer
2012-07-07
Richmond, Va. (July 6, 2012) – Researchers have created the first mouse model demonstrating the role of a cancer promoting gene, Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), in hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer. The mouse model represents a critical step in understanding the molecular mechanisms of liver cancer progression and could lead to novel therapies for the disease.
Insights from the mouse model were recently published in the journal Hepatology by a team of researchers led by Devanand Sarkar, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Harrison Scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) ...
Antibodies from rabbits reduce risks associated with
2012-07-07
Richmond, Va. (July 9, 2012) –Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center's Bone Marrow Transplant Program have demonstrated that the use of antibodies derived from rabbits can improve the survival and relapse outcomes of leukemia and myelodysplasia patients receiving a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.
Recently published in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation, a study led by Amir Toor, M.D., hematologist-oncologist in the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at VCU Massey Cancer ...
Watches and Jewellery Pty Ltd Wins Outstanding Achievement in E-Commerce from Interactive Media Awards
2012-07-07
Watches and Jewellery Pty Ltd, one of Australia's fastest growing online Watch and Jewellery Stores with a wide choice of leading brands., today announced that it has been awarded Outstanding Achievement in Website Development by the Interactive Media Awards for its work on the Watches and Jewellery Online Store. The honor recognizes that the project met and surpassed the basic standards of excellence that comprise the web's most professional work. The site was honored specifically for excellence in E-Commerce.
The judging consisted of various criteria, including design, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Policy briefs present approach for understanding prison violence
Early adult mortality is higher than expected in US post-COVID
Recycling lithium-ion batteries cuts emissions and strengthens supply chain
Study offers new hope for relieving chronic pain in dialysis patients
How does the atmosphere affect ocean weather?
Robots get smarter to work in sewers
Speech Accessibility Project data leads to recognition improvements on Microsoft Azure
Tigers in the neighborhood: How India makes room for both tigers and people
Grove School’s Arthur Paul Pedersen publishes critical essay on scientific measurement literacy
Moffitt study finds key biomarker to predict KRASG12C inhibitor effectiveness in lung cancer
Improving blood transfusion monitoring in critical care patients: Insights from diffuse optics
Powerful legal and financial services enable kleptocracy, research shows
Carbon capture from constructed wetlands declines as they age
UCLA-led study establishes link between early side effects from prostate cancer radiation and long-term side effects
Life cycles of some insects adapt well to a changing climate. Others, not so much.
With generative AI, MIT chemists quickly calculate 3D genomic structures
The gut-brain connection in Alzheimer’s unveiled with X-rays
NIH-funded clinical trial will evaluate new dengue therapeutic
Sound is a primary issue in the lives of skateboarders, study shows
Watch what you eat: NFL game advertisements promote foods high in fat, sodium
Red Dress Collection Concert hosted by Sharon Stone kicks off American Heart Month
One of the largest studies on preterm birth finds a maternal biomarker test significantly reduces neonatal morbidities and improves neonatal outcomes
One of the largest studies of its kind finds early intervention with iron delivered intravenously during pregnancy is a safe and effective treatment for anemia
New Case Western Reserve University study identifies key protein’s role in psoriasis
First-ever ethics checklist for portable MRI brain researchers
Addressing 3D effects of clouds for significant improvements of climate models
Gut microbes may mediate the link between drinking sugary beverages and diabetes risk
Ribosomes team up in difficult situations, new technology shows
Mortality trends among adults ages 25-44 in the US
Discontinuation and reinitiation of dual-labeled GLP-1 receptor agonists among us adults with overweight or obesity
[Press-News.org] UMass Amherst physicists' work is critical to Higgs boson searchPhysicists at UMass Amherst were instrumental in this week’s preliminary observation of a new particle, possibly the long-sought Higgs boson, announced by the CERN particle physics laboratory