Matter, anti-matter and exotic states search with the ALICE experiment at CERN

Basic knowledge of C and/or C++ languages is required.
For both master and bachelor thesis projects.

The main subject of the theses proposed on these topics is the analysis of the data collected by the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) experiment installed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva and the Monte Carlo studies useful for a better understanding of the physics results.
ALICE is a high energy physics experiment which aims to study the properties of the matter produced in the ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions produced at the LHC. This state of matter, called Quark Gluon Plasma and characterized by high temperatures and high-baryon density matter, simulates the big bang at the beginning of the universe.
The environment created is uniquely suitable for the production of light (anti-)nuclei and (anti-)hypernuclei which are Alice event nuclei with strangeness content (namely a Λ hyperon). Besides the nuclei containing one hyperon, more exotic forms of deeply bound states with strangeness have been proposed as states of matter, either consisting of baryons or quarks. The search for exotic hadronic matter such as hybrid mesons or heavy glueballs has attracted recently much attention in the international physics community.
For all the thesis proposals a basic knowledge of C and/or C++ languages is required. There will also be the possibility to spend part of the time devoted to the thesis work at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN, Geneva) working in close contact with the major expert of the field in the world.
The thesis topics proposed in this research field are:

  • Study of the production of nuclei and anti-nuclei in lead-lead and proton-proton collisions at the TeV energy regime (bachelor or master thesis).
  • Monte Carlo simulations for the optimization of the criteria used in the analysis of the real data (bachelor thesis).
  • Development of analysis tools in C++ to reduce the size of the data used in the data analysis (bachelor thesis).
  • Study of the production of exotic bound states in lead-lead and proton-lead collisions at the TeV energy regime (master thesis).

Nuclei ALICE

For further information please contact: michelangelo.agnello@polito.it; stefania.bufalino@polito.it