Brunel University's role in Nobel Prize discovery
The BaBar Detector [2]
Physicists at Brunel have helped pave the way for Nobel Prize winning discoveries in high energy physics[1].
The Standard Model of particle physics is one of the most successful and comprehensively tested theories in modern science. It seeks to answer some of the most fundamental question about the nature of matter and the universe around us.
One of the centerpieces of the Standard Model is the prediction of CP violation- the process which ensures that the universe contains more matter than anti-matter.
The Unitarity Triangle determines the nature of the CP violating mechanism. The BaBar measurement places very precise restrictions on the triangle. [4]
The mechanism behind CP violation was proposed by Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa in 1972, extending the work of Nicola Cabibbo. This year the remarkable discovery was recognised by the Nobel Prize committee, with Kobyashia and Maskawa sharing in the prize. However physicists had to wait 30 years to get a precision measurement of the effect.
The BaBar collaboration was the first group to present evidence of CP violation in the summer of 2002, confirming that there are at least three generations of matter, matching the predictions perfectly. This work could not have been possible without contributions from Brunel University, which has played an active role in the development of hardware, software and analysis in BaBar since the start of the collaboration. The results have been improved in subsequent years, setting a benchmark for excellence in particle physics research which has been matched by the 100 core analyses at BaBar.
SLAC National Accelerator Lab, home of the BaBar experiment [3]
After collecting unprecedented quantities of data and exploring new energy frontiers BaBar stopped taking data this year, but analysis continues.
With almost a decade of data at its disposal BaBar is now more sensitive than ever to new physics and has access to physics processes which are out of reach to other experiments. Brunel University's interest in cutting edge physics at BaBar continues with analyses which challenge our understanding of the strong force which binds nuclei together in atoms.
References:
[1] (.ps) B. Aubert et al. [BABAR Collaboration], Measurement of the CP-violating Asymmetry Amplitude sin 2β Phys. Rev. Lett. 89 (2002) 201802
[2] http://www.slac.stanford.edu
[3] http://www.slac.stanford.edu/xorg/ckmfitter
[4] http://www.er.doe.gov/hep/research