Introduction
About my website
First off, welcome to my website! I have information about me on the homepage and career information on my CV. This website contains a hodgepodge of information including: useful links for CMS analysts, tutorials for using various particle physics tools, information about fun programming tools, and posts about my current research.
This page provides a brief introduction to my research. For more advanced information, tutorials, and resources please explore any of the links on my website.
The CMS Experiment
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment is particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) located at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). CMS studies the fundamental building blocks of matter by observing proton-proton collisions at the 27 km LHC. In 2017, the CMS experiment observed collisions every 25 ns at center of mass energies of 13 TeV. In other words, CMS deals with high data rates, large amounts of data, and large backgrounds. CMS analysts need to utilize a range of skills to handle these problems—including: building custom electronics, working with machine learning algorithms, and using specialized software.
Beyond Two Generations (B2G)
B2G is a CMS physics analysis group (PAG). B2G searches for resonances decaying to heavy Standard Model particles; these resonances could be the result of extra dimensions, a fourth generation of matter, or Supersymmetry. These resonances often have hadronic final states that contain collimated streams of particles (jets) with unique substructure.
I am involved with training neural networks to identify these jet substructures. In particular, I am interested in diHiggs resonances and vector-like quarks with all hadronic final states.
Muon Endcap Spectrometer
The Muon Endcap Spectrometer tracks muons as they pass through the forward regions of the CMS detector. This spectrometer consists of three different types of gaseous chambers: Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs), and Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs). In 2019, the LHC was shutdown for 2 years of upgrades. During this time, the CSCs will be refurbished and upgraded and additional GEM chambers will be installed. I am participating in these upgrades, by helping with the installation and commissioning of the new GE1/1 GEM chambers.
Previous Work
Higgs to Dimuons
HiggsToMuMu is a working group in the Higgs PAG. HiggsToMuMu is searching for predicted Standard Model process of Higgs decaying to two muons. I assisted in the Run 2 search, our results are summarized in this CMS analysis note.
Endcap Muon Track Finder (EMTF)
The EMTF is a portion of the Level 1 Trigger for CMS. The trackfinder sorts through electronic signals received by the Endcap Muon Spectrometer to reconstruct the paths of muons as they travel through the detector. The EMTF accomplishes this by using a set of custom electronics. I assisted with the upgrade from the CSCTF to the EMTF at the end of Long Shutdown 1.
Search for Anomalous Production of Boosted Z Bosons
For my undergraduate thesis at the University of Florida, I conducted a preliminary search for anomalous production of boosted Z bosons decaying to two muons. If discovered, these Z bosons would be the result of new physics. Currently, this thesis is not publicly available. I will update this website with links once it becomes publicly accessible.