Engaging Physics Tutoring: A didactical toolbox for teaching assistants (TAs)

[EN] In this paper we present a project dedicated to the development of a didactical toolbox of material for teaching assistants (TAs) supervising exercise classes for non-physics majors at ETH Zurich. With our materials we were able to support TAs in preparing high-quality exercise sessions for their class which go beyond direct instruction and activate students intellectually and emotionally. The materials are developed for 13 exercise sessions and are presented in the form of an eBook. The materials were immediately used by several TAs in dedicated focus groups. The positive feedback of students and TAs suggests that our material helped to activate and engage the students, enhancing their learning - even in the challenging setting of online teaching.The EPT project was supported by the ETH Zurich Rector’s Impulse Fund.Bondar, V.; Nuber, J.; Zeyen, M.; Schiltz, G.; Dissertori, G. (2021). Engaging Physics Tutoring: A didactical toolbox for teaching assistants (TAs). En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 9-16. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.12949OCS91

Perturbative QCD effects and the search for a H->WW->l nu l nu signal at the Tevatron

The Tevatron experiments have recently excluded a Standard Model Higgs boson in the mass range 160 - 170 GeV at the 95% confidence level. This result is based on sophisticated analyses designed to maximize the ratio of signal and background cross-sections. In this paper we study the production of a Higgs boson of mass 160 GeV in the gg -> H -> WW -> l nu l nu channel. We choose a set of cuts like those adopted in the experimental analysis and compare kinematical distributions of the final state leptons computed in NNLO QCD to lower-order calculations and to those obtained with the event generators PYTHIA, HERWIG and MC@NLO. We also show that the distribution of the output from an Artificial Neural Network obtained with the different tools does not show significant differences. However, the final acceptance computed with PYTHIA is smaller than those obtained at NNLO and with HERWIG and MC@NLO. We also investigate the impact of the underlying event and hadronization on our results.Comment: Extra discussion and references adde

NNLO QCD predictions for the H -> WW -> l l nu nu signal at the LHC

We present a first computation of the NNLO QCD cross section at the LHC for the production of four leptons from a Higgs boson decaying into W bosons. We study the cross section for a Higgs boson mass Mh = 165 GeV; around this value a Standard Model Higgs boson decays almost exclusively into W-pairs. We apply all nominal experimental cuts on the final state leptons and the associated jet activity and study the magnitude of higher-order effects up to NNLO on all kinematic variables which are constrained by experimental cuts. We find that the magnitude of the higher-order corrections varies significantly with the signal selection cuts. As a main result we give the value of the cross section at NNLO with all selection cuts envisaged for the search for the Higgs boson.Comment: typos corrected, version accepted in JHE

Response evolution of the CMS ECAL and R&D studies for electromagnetic calorimetry at the High-Luminosity LHC

While the CMS experiment is currently harvesting LHC collision data at CERN, the performance of its electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) is being constantly monitored, and work has started to assess the need for changes to the detector to ensure an adequate performance for High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) running, which is planned for 2022 and beyond. In this paper, results from CMS running, beam tests and laboratory measurements are combined to anticipate the detector performance evolution at the HL-LHC. Further, various R&D studies are illustrated, that will provide a useful choice for electromagnetic calorimetry at the HL-LHC.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Proof-of-principle of a new geometry for sampling calorimetry using inorganic scintillator plates

A novel geometry for a sampling calorimeter employing inorganic scintillators as an active medium is presented. To overcome the mechanical challenges of construction, an innovative light collection geometry has been pioneered, that minimises the complexity of construction. First test results are presented, demonstrating a successful signal extraction. The geometry consists of a sampling calorimeter with passive absorber layers interleaved with layers of an active medium made of inorganic scintillating crystals. Wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibres run along the four long, chamfered edges of the stack, transporting the light to photodetectors at the rear. To maximise the amount of scintillation light reaching the WLS fibres, the scintillator chamfers are depolished. It is shown herein that this concept is working for cerium fluoride (CeF$_3$) as a scintillator. Coupled to it, several different types of materials have been tested as WLS medium. In particular, materials that might be sufficiently resistant to the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider radiation environment, such as cerium-doped Lutetium-Yttrium Orthosilicate (LYSO) and cerium-doped quartz, are compared to conventional plastic WLS fibres. Finally, an outlook is presented on the possible optimisation of the different components, and the construction and commissioning of a full calorimeter cell prototype is presented.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings CALOR 2014, the 16th International Conference on Calorimetry in High-Energy Physics, Giessen (Germany) 6 - 11 April 2014. To be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series (10 pages, 15 figures

A visualization of the damage in Lead Tungstate calorimeter crystals after exposure to high-energy hadrons

The anticipated performance of calorimeter crystals in the environment expected after the planned High-Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN has to be well understood, before informed decisions can be made on the need for detector upgrades. Throughout the years of running at the HL-LHC, the detectors will be exposed to considerable fluences of fast hadrons, that have been shown to cause cumulative transparency losses in Lead Tungstate scintillating crystals. In this study, we present direct evidence of the main underlying damage mechanism. Results are shown from a test that yields a direct insight into the nature of the hadron-specific damage in Lead Tungstate calorimeter crystals exposed to 24 GeV/c protons.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

LHC Expectations (Machine, Detectors and Physics)

Starting in two years from now, particle physics will enter a new regime in terms of energies and luminosities, thanks to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. This report summarizes the status of the preparations, both for the machine and the detectors, as of fall 2005. The commissioning and start-up scenarios are outlined and some highlights from the very rich physics programme are given, concentrating on measurements of Standard Model processes, as well as on early discovery scenarios. The prospects of B-physics and heavy ion collisions at LHC are also briefly discussed. The report concludes with an outlook on the ultimate physics reach and on upgrade scenarios.Comment: Plenary talk given at the International Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, July 21st - 27th 2005, Lisboa, Portuga

A study of high-energy proton induced damage in Cerium Fluoride in comparison with measurements in Lead Tungstate calorimeter crystals

A Cerium Fluoride crystal produced during early R&D studies for calorimetry at the CERN Large Hadron Collider was exposed to a 24 GeV/c proton fluence Phi_p=(2.78 +- 0.20) x 10EE13 cm-2 and, after one year of measurements tracking its recovery, to a fluence Phi_p=(2.12 +- 0.15) x 10EE14 cm-2. Results on proton-induced damage to the crystal and its spontaneous recovery after both irradiations are presented here, along with some new, complementary data on proton-damage in Lead Tungstate. A comparison with FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation results is performed and a qualitative understanding of high-energy damage mechanism is attempted.Comment: Submitted to Elsevier Science on May 6th, 2010; 11 pages, 8 figure