Higgs Mass Measurement and Other Fun Activities

LHC discovery physics and its precedents for students and teachers

Ken CecireUniversity of Notre Dame/QuarkNet

kcecire@nd.edu

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

The Plan• Masterclass is a precedent investigation.• Discovery is upon us, v1.• Discovery is upon us, v2.• Where is all fits.

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Masterclass• Mass plots• Key ratios• Waddling through data• Incorporating discovery

– Higgs candidate events– In masterclass– Masterclass-like activity

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

MasterclassAssociated investigations provide background.

– Data Express (in progress)– Rolling with Rutherford– Quark Puzzle– Top Quark Mass– Mass Calc: Z

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Higgs Search Activity• First response to July 4 announcement• Got some permission.• Tried it out in summer 2012.• Maybe better for school visit than teacher-led?

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Higgs Search

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Template Discovery Activity• Start with easy-to-interpret “re-discovery.”• Understand key features.• Go to public discovery plots.• Current version for mass plots

Part 1: Students re-createJ/Y mass plot from 2010 data . . . .Other “standard candle” plots can be used.

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Template Discovery ActivityPart 2:Students use their experience from the previous plot to examine a recent discovery mass plot…with context.

IPPOG Meeting30 November 2012

Discovery and Data Portfolio

Discovery Activities:1. Templates 2. Masterclass-like with real events