Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Notkestraße 85
22607 Hamburg


University of Hamburg (UHH)
Luruper Chaussee 149
22761 Hamburg

Project start date: 01.10.2022

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the highest energy hadron collider in the world. It has enabled important insights into the nature of elementary particles. Almost all LHC researchers study these hadron collisions. However, my proposal focuses on using the LHC in a novel way: as the world’s highest energy photon collider. Photon collisions occur when the electromagnetic fields surrounding LHC protons interact. This opens a new kinematic regime for laboratory photon collisions, thereby providing a promising route to discovering new phenomena which could solve some of the most fundamental questions in physics.
The proposed Young Investigator Group will perform the first search for dark matter using LHC photon collisions and will pioneer the use of novel forward proton detectors. These detectors help us to identify photon collisions and provide unique information about them. This new approach will enable us to search for dark matter particles in well-motivated, unexplored regions. We will also perform new measurements of photon interactions. By measuring the tau lepton magnetic moment (“g-2”) to world-leading precision we will test fundamental assumptions of the Standard Model. This could lead to a new understanding of the fundamental particles which make up our Universe.

Leader of the Helmholtz Young Investigators Group:

Dr. Lydia Beresford
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Notkestr. 85
22607 Hamburg

Phone: 040 8998-3169
Email: lydia.beresford@desy.de

Partner university:

Prof. Dr. Peter Schleper
Institut Für Experimentalphysik
Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 49
22761 Hamburg, Germany

Email: peter.schleper@physik.uni-hamburg.de
Phone: +49 40 8998 2957