TASI 2022 lectures on LHC experiments

TL;DR

This paper provides an overview of the LHC experiments, focusing on accelerators, detectors, and data analysis methods used in high-energy particle physics, exemplified by the search for the Higgs boson decay to bottom quarks.

Contribution

It offers an accessible introduction to LHC experimental tools and data processing techniques, emphasizing detector types and analysis algorithms in the context of Higgs boson research.

Findings

Explanation of accelerator and detector technologies at LHC

Description of data processing algorithms for physics analysis

Insights into Higgs boson decay search methods

Abstract

The field of experimental particle physics studies the fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. Frequently the experimental tools used to enable this study are accelerators and detectors. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the highest energy proton-proton accelerator currently operating and where the ATLAS and CMS collaboration discovered and are currently studying the properties of the Higgs boson. These notes provide a short introduction to accelerators and detectors using the LHC and its detectors as examples. The detector section will focus on two types of detectors extensively used today: tracking detectors and calorimeters. The notes will then discuss the algorithms used to process the information from the detectors and how that information is used for physics analysis using the search for the decay of the Higgs boson to bottom quarks.