Top as Key to LHC Physics: Overview of our Research Activities

Top Quark Physics with ATLAS Silicon Detectors for LHC and sLHC


Top quark pair production in pp collisions.

The top quark was discovered and first studied at the Fermilab Tevatron. During the first data-taking run of the LHC (2009-2012), the group participated in a new era of top quark physics:

  • Top quark decays were one of the most important calibration signal during the commissioning of the LHC experiments.
  • The large number of top quarks produced at the LHC allow for precision measurements of the top quark production rate.
  • The large top quark mass makes the top sector a prime area for the search for "new physics" at the LHC.


ATLAS silicon pixel detector.

At the heart of the ATLAS experiment, novel silicon detectors provide the precision tracking and vertexing necessary for top quark physics. The group was working on

  • Commissioning and operation of the new ATLAS silicon pixel detector.
  • Research and development towards new and improved silicon strip detectors for the high-luminosity upgrade of the LHC (HL-LHC), currently planned for 2022.