This CAREER proposal is for the development of novel solid state detectors for experimental particle physics research, and for creating a science outreach program designed for girls in impoverished rural settings. The PI, Julia Thom of the Department of Physics at Cornell University, will lead a program to develop silicon pixel detectors for the Compact Muon Spectrometer at the upgraded Large Hadron Collider (Super-LHC) at CERN. The research goal to understand the origin of electroweak symmetry breaking relies on the precise measurement of charged particle trajectories provided by silicon pixel detectors. In the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, electroweak symmetry breaking is associated with the existence of a Higgs particle which has yet to be discovered. While the discovery of the Higgs Boson is most likely to occur at the standard LHC, the increased luminosity at the Super-LHC will provide the statistical power to study its properties in detail. The discovery of the Higgs particle and the measurement of its quantum numbers are of utmost importance in particle physics today. The proposed program includes design, simulation and testing of cutting-edge pixel sensor technology that can withstand the extremely high radiation doses and tracking densities at the Super-LHC. This work will be carried out in collaboration with researchers at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and partners in industry. Based at Cornell University in upstate New York, the PI has learned that there are no regular science education programs that target schools in surrounding poor rural communities. In particular, the number of girls in this region pursuing higher education in science or engineering is alarmingly low. The proposal includes initiating a program that provides mentoring and science summer camps for girls, teacher workshops, and regular visits to six schools that have been classified as high-need and that show particular interest in this program. The program will be implemented in collaboration with a professional educator, whose research interest in science education in rural poverty settings matches the goals of the PI.

Intellectual Merit: The development of a new silicon pixel detector is essential to take advantage of the luminosity upgrade of the LHC for detailed studies of many of the new and possibly revolutionizing phenomena that are expected at the TeV energy scale. Since no known technology can withstand the enormous particle rates expected at the Super-LHC, the development of innovative silicon pixel detector technology built on the recent progress of the silicon processing industry would be a breakthrough in the field of particle detection. If successful, this development would have many important applications in x-ray imaging for biology and astrophysics.

Broader Impact: The research project requires an extensive collaboration between the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell, and partners in industry. The project provides an opportunity to provide graduate and undergraduate students with the experience of interdisciplinary research at the cutting-edge of pixel detector technology. The science education program would encourage girls in underserved rural areas to pursue careers in science and engineering, serve as a tool for the professional development of teachers, and bring the excitement of science to the broader community.

Project Report

The purpose of this award was the development of novel silicon pixel detectors for the S-LHC, to search for New Physics in data taken at the CMS experiment at the LHC, and to launch a science education program for upstate NY rural areas. This Project Outcomes Report is organized into three corresponding sections. 1) Development of novel silicon pixel detectors for the S-LHC The support for this project has allowed us to develop novel technology for "intelligent trackers" to be used at the upgraded LHC. Specifically, we developed pixel silicon detectors using 3D integrated circuitry by producing devices at the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility. We also developed a backside processing routine for very thin sensors, and simulated numerous devices to provide valuable feedback for the development and submission of test devices in Industry. First prototype detectors are now available and can be used at the upgraded LHC to preserve the capability to take quality physics data under harsh conditions. The project support has allowed us to develop knowledge and capabilities that are unique and have many applications beyond High Energy Physics, ranging from medical imaging to x-ray detection.Many collaborations with Institutes all over the world have been seeded by this project. The results have been published in technical journals and conference proceedings. We have trained 8 Undergraduate students over the course of 5 years to participate and drive this research. They have learned how to use the world-class cleanroom at the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility, how to design and test devices, and how to take, evaluate and publish data. They have had the chance to develop a strong background in research and nanofabrication, and all of them have gone on to excellent graduate schools in related fields. 2) Search for New Physics in data taken at the CMS experiment at the LHC The support for this project has allowed us to sift through the data taken by the CMS experiment at the LHC until 2012. We have focused our efforts on searches for New Physics, e.g. Supersymmetry, and Top Quark Physics. Resulting publications have included measurements of top quark pair production cross sections and limits on Supersymmetric models. The results have yielded important constraints on New Physics models, and many important tools for data analysis; for example, the development of b-taggers, statistical methods, and background estimation techniques. 3 Graduate students were trained to perform LHC data analysis and published the results. The results were also presented at numerous conferences. Two PhD thesis were completed successfully, one student is still working on her thesis. 3) Launch of a science education program for upstate NY rural areas We have run a successful project focused on poor rural children's local science and engineering knowledge and teacher professional development as a means for developing that knowledge in science classrooms. The activities were made available for hundreds of students and teachers from high-need school districts. They included: a) STEM In-Service Training Days b) Sponsored Field Trip for elementary/middle school students to Cornell University, to participate in various hands-on activities, to listen to graduate students talk about opportunities at Cornell, to collect and analyze samples, and to tour various laboratory facilities. Special emphasis was placed on encouraging female students and teachers to participate. c) Teacher workshops at Cornell. Collaborative efforts of the SUNY Oneonta Science Education program and Cornell/CLASSE outreach program were strengthened. Stipends and classroom material were made available to help deliver programming and implement curricular units concerned with science and engineering. The educators continue to work with Cornell staff and collaborators to develop new and innovative ways to reach underserved school children and teach science and engineering in the classroom. The program has yielded insight into what children from rural schools in upstate NY already know about science, and how new material can best be learned and integrated into their everyday experience. The findings have been documented in various talks and publications. Graduate and Undergraduate student from Cornell have participated in all aspects, including classroom visits, and learned valuable lessons from these activities. To conclude, we sincerely wish to thank the NSF for their support over the last 5 years. We feel that we have used the resources carefully and wisely, and that we have managed to develop valuable technical, educational and scientific content, which we are confident will prove to have significant impact well beyond our immediate field of research.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Physics (PHY)
Application #
0645484
Program Officer
Randal Ruchti
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2007-03-15
Budget End
2013-02-28
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$550,000
Indirect Cost
Name
Cornell University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850