NSF-BSF: Standard Model Physics and Beyond

The fundamental laws of nature, such as the origin of mass and the symmetries between the forces that govern the universe, will be investigated through studies of the Higgs boson and searches for new particles using data from the Large Hadron Collider collected with the ATLAS detector at CERN. Technologies developed for particle physics research are anticipated to contribute to advances in computing, data analysis, and instrumentation. The training of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral scholars, will be supported, helping to strengthen the future science and engineering workforce. Precision measurements of Higgs boson properties, including its self-coupling, and searches for phenomena beyond the Standard Model, including heavy resonances, charged Higgs bosons, and long-lived particles, will be performed by the University of Washington group using the ATLAS detector at CERN. Detector operations, software and computing development, and upgrades for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider will be supported through contributions to the Inner Tracker system, trigger development, simulation, and analysis infrastructure including AI development. The sensitivity for one of the searches will be enhanced through a collaborative effort with Tel Aviv University. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.