The ATLAS group of the Laboratoire de Physique de Clermont Auvergne (LPCA) in Clermont-Ferrand, France, is looking for candidates for a doctoral thesis focusing on searches for new exotic particles with displaced signatures at the LHC, coupled with instrumental work on the ATLAS phase -2 upgrade. The thesis would be supervised by Dr Louie Corpe. The LPCA ATLAS team currently consists of around 15 people working on topics ranging from exotic physics to studies of the Higgs self coupling. The team is also involved in the operation and development of particle detectors. Dr Corpe is currently convener of the ATLAS Exotics physics group.

Exotic long-lived particles (LLPs) appear in many well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. They could explain the nature of dark matter (DM), solve the hierarchy problem, and explain neutrino masses. However, LLPs may have been missed by the traditional Large Hadron Collider (LHC) search program due to their energy deposition characteristics, which are often rejected by standard reconstruction techniques. LLP signatures could be hiding in a 'blind spot' of the LHC! The search for these unusual signatures could lead to a revolutionary discovery. The subject of this thesis will be the search for LLPs using ATLAS data from LHC Run 3. The student will focus on the search for an LLP producing displaced activity in the ATLAS calorimeters, either decaying into a top quark or produced in association with a top quark. The student will play a major role in the development of analysis software, background estimation, statistical analysis, and analysis preservation, as part of an international team of researchers.

The student will work with the LPCA team to help develop the ATLAS detector upgrade: the High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD). This new type of detector will have an unprecedented time resolution of around 40 picoseconds. The HGTD is one of the main instrumental activities of the LPCA's ATLAS group and is due to be installed in the ATLAS experimental cavern in 2027. The student will be involved in developing a certification system for the assembled modules to check their performance after assembly but before installation. This will involve close collaboration with the developers of the HGTD data acquisition system and a regular presence at CERN.

The position will start on the 1st of October 2024, with a net salary of roughly 1,400 euros/month (see Campus France FAQ: https://www.campusfrance.org/en/FAQ-Doctorate-France-questions) lasting for 3 years.

For more information or to apply, please contact: lcorpe@cern.ch

Please arrange for two reference letters to be sent to the same address.