Supervisors: Dr. Atanu Modak (RAL/PPD) & Prof. Paul Soler (Glasgow).
The LHCb experiment at CERN explores how matter and antimatter behave differently - a
phenomenon known as charge–parity (CP) violation. Understanding these tiny differences
helps explain one of the biggest mysteries in physics: why the Universe today is made almost
entirely of matter. Within the Standard Model, CP violation is described by the Cabibbo-
Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) mechanism, whose parameters form the so-called unitarity
triangle. Measuring all its sides and angles precisely provides powerful tests of the Standard
Model. This project focuses on determining the least well-known of these angles, alpha, using data
from LHCb to search for possible signs of new physics.
The student will measure alpha from the decays of neutral B mesons into four charged pions, by
studying the time-dependent evolution of the decay amplitude of different intermediate decay
channels that contribute to this final state. Using the large datasets collected by LHCb during
the last ten years, the project aims to perform the most precise measurement of the
Unitarity Angle alpha to date, providing a stringent test of the CKM framework and potential
sensitivity to physics beyond the Standard Model.
In parallel, the student will contribute to the development of the Mighty Tracker, a new high-
performance tracking detector for LHCb’s Upgrade II. The main focus will be on the design
and development of the readout electronics, which are crucial for operating the detector in the
demanding environment of the future High-Luminosity LHC. This work will involve testing
prototype readout electronics, firmware development, and integration of the full chain readout
system.
This project offers a unique combination of precision particle physics analysis and cutting-edge
detector development within a major international collaboration. The successful candidate will
work within the Glasgow and STFC-RAL groups and with collaborators in the UK and abroad.
You will have the opportunity to spend time in Glasgow and at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
(RAL), as well as spending an extended period of up to a year working at CERN with other UK
graduate students and international researchers.
For more information please contact Dr. Atanu Modak (atanu.modak@stfc.ac.uk)
and Prof. Paul Soler (Paul.Soler@glasgow.ac.uk)
