In the Standard Model as well as in its Supersymmetric extension, the mechanism proposed to explain electroweak symmetry breaking presents signature particle(s), the Higgs boson(s). This program will cover searches for the Higgs boson(s) at both the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. In particular, the search will be focused on a Higgs decaying into a pair of tau-leptons. The tau -channels offer a clean signature with reduced backgrounds, and are central to the search for all types of Higgs particles such as those deriving from Standard Model, light neutral Supersymmetric, heavy neutral Supersymmetric, charged Supersymmetric theories. Transfer of the expertise from the Tevatron to the LHC will be critical for the success of the Higgs research program of the CMS experiment at the LHC. This proposal will help start a tau -lepton effort within the US part of the CMS Collaboration. Discovering the mechanism responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking and the origin of mass constitutes one of the most important open questions and highest priorities in particle physics today. Fermilab Tevatron and the CERN LHC hadron colliders offer unique discovery opportunities in that front. The PI's research in the last several years has been focused on the quest for the Higgs boson; the signature particle for the prevailing mechanism proposed to explain electroweak symmetry breaking and therefore, brings extensive expertise to the program.
The educational and outreach goals are to engage non-traditional participants, namely female high school teachers and students in particle physics research at the scientific frontier, in the hope to infuse these very young women with a love for physics and science in general. The program will build on the strength of the existing QuarkNet project at the University of Notre Dame, but will extend the project in two new directions: putting the emphasis on young women in science; and extending the participation of high school students and teachers from building hardware to physics analysis of Tevatron data aimed at the discovery of the Higgs boson.
