Hadron Collider Physics

We are studying proton-antiproton collisions at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's Tevatron Collider, near Chicago, Illinois. The Tevatron operates at a center of mass energy of 1.8 TeV, and is the highest energy collider in the world. We are members of the DZERO collaboration, which operates a state-of-the-art detector for hadron collider physics. The DZERO experiment started running in the Spring of 1992, and collected data for over four years. We are using the data to test many aspects of the standard model of particle physics, and to search for evidence of new physics beyond the standard model.

UCR physicists played a major role in the discovery of the top quark in March 1995. In particular, Professor Wimpenny led the search for the top quark in its dilepton decay modes. Current topics of research include the study of top quark physics, with a special focus on electroweak single top production, led by Dr. Heinson. A separate field of research is the study of the self-couplings of the W and Z bosons and their couplings to photons, which is used as a direct probe of the gauge structure of the standard model. This research is led by Professor Ellison.

The UCR team is currently designing and testing silicon microstrip detectors for the new Silicon Vertex Detector for the DZERO upgrade. The Tevatron is being substantially improved in luminosity and energy with the addition of the Main Injector. The upgraded DZERO experiment will run in 1999. Professor Ellison is co-leading the Silicon Detector project for DZERO.

(Faculty and research staff: Prof. S.J. Wimpenny, Prof. J.A. Ellison, Prof. A. Kernan, A.P. Heinson; C. Boswell, J. Cochran, K. Gounder)

Recent Publications

The following papers are authored by the UCR group: K. Bazizi, A. Bischoff, C. Boswell, B. Choudhary, J. Cochran, J. Ellison, A.P. Heinson, T. Huehn, A. Kernan and S.J. Wimpenny; and the DZERO Collaboration.

"Search for the Top Quark in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2138-2142 (1994).

"Search for High Mass Top Quark Production in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2422-2426 (1995).

"Observation of the Top Quark", Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2632-2637 (1995).

"Inclusive m and b-Quark Production Cross Sections in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV"2, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 3548-3552 (1995).

"Search for W Boson Pair Production in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1023-1027 (1995).

"Limits on the anomalous ZZg and Zgg Couplings in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1028-1033 (1995).

"Measurement of the WWg Gauge Boson Couplings in pp- Collisions atÖs =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1034-1039 (1995).

"W and Z Boson Production in pp- Collisions at Ös =1.8 TeV", Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1456-1461 (1995).

"Top Quark Search with the DZERO 1992-93 Data Sample", Phys. Rev. D 52, 4877-4919 (1995).