Project description
Spontaneous muon-to-electron conversion could unravel new physics beyond the Standard Model
In the Standard Model, the muon, electron and tau particles are part of a family called leptons. Each lepton has a partner particle: the muon neutrino, electron neutrino and tau neutrino. Scientists have observed neutrinos (which lack electric charge) morphing between their three types and have reason to believe that the charged leptons might do the same. Coherent Muon to Electron Transition (COMET) is a nuclear physics experiment in Japan that will search with unprecedented sensitivity for the neutrinoless muon-to-electron conversion. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the COMETBMP project aims to optimise the beam and detector configurations. Direct muon-to-electron conversion should increase understanding of why particles in the same category, or family, decay to lighter, more stable mass states.
Objective
COMET (Coherent Muon-to-Electron Transition) is an experiment with major European involvement which will search for mu-e conversion, improving the sensitivity by 10,000 times compared to previous searches. In the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM), muons simply cannot spontaneously turn into electrons, but tiny deviations of reality from the SM can cause this, perhaps at the level of a few muons in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. Any observation would be a seminal discovery that redefines our understanding of the Universe, and complements other searches for breakthroughs in particle physics, such as at high-energy colliders.
The quality of the novel intense muon beam is key to the ultimate sensitivity of COMET, and therefore the Beam Measurement Programme (BMP) once the beam is completed in 2022 will be a defining factor. I have been deeply involved in the design and construction of the detectors for COMET since 2012, as an MSc student. The ideas for the BMP grew from this work, but currently only a conceptual plan for it exists.
In this research, I will develop the BMP beam and detector configurations, using modern methods to optimise the configurations to be used and analyse the data. The optimisation of the design of the Beam Blocker, a BMP component which actively moderates the beam to allow high-intensity measurements, is particularly crucial.
Imperial College HEP has world-class expertise in areas such as Machine Learning and Bayesian Optimisation, and is the ideal group to train and work with. Computational methods alone will not suffice for full BMP optimisation, so I will conduct a beam experiment at PSI in Switzerland, to test prototypes and validate and provide input to the calculations. London is also the perfect place to practise physics outreach in English.
This research will produce a clear and optimised BMP plan for COMET, allowing it to maximise its discovery potential, and the novel methods employed will contribute to the scientific community.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics leptons
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics particle accelerator
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences comets
- natural sciences computer and information sciences computational science
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.