Search for Axion-Like Particles at the NA62 experiment

• Thesis title in Czech: Search for Axion-Like Particles at the NA62 experiment
• Thesis title in English: Search for Axion-Like Particles at the NA62 experiment
• Key words: SM, QCD, Axion, ALP, NA62
• English key words: SM, QCD, Axion, ALP, NA62
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2017/2018
• Thesis type: diploma thesis
• Thesis language: angličtina
• Department: Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics (32-UCJF)
• Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Karol Kampf, Ph.D.
• Author: Mgr. Jan Jerhot - assigned and confirmed by the Study Dept.
• Date of registration: 11.09.2018
• Date of assignment: 11.09.2018
• Confirmed by Study dept. on: 12.10.2018
• Date and time of defence: 11.06.2019 09:00
• Date of electronic submission: 13.05.2019
• Date of submission of printed version: 13.05.2019
• Date of proceeded defence: 11.06.2019
• Opponents: prof. RNDr. Jiří Hořejší, DrSc.
• Advisors: RNDr. Michal Zamkovský, Ph.D.

Guidelines

The diploma thesis should contain both, the recherche part and the dedicated analysis of the experimental data from the NA62 experiment at CERN. Content of the thesis should be:
The Strong-CP problem and its solution using the Peccei-Quinn mechanism. Axions and generalization to Axion-Like-Particles. ALP models and ALP couplings to SM, ALPs in cosmology. Current limits on ALP invariant masses and couplings. Search for ALPs on beam dump experiments and data analysis for runs 2016-2018 at the NA62 experiment.

References

NA62 Collaboration, CERN NA62 notes, http://na62.web.cern.ch/NA62/Documents/ReferenceDocuments.html

ROOT - http://root.cern.ch

R. D. Peccei and H. R. Quinn, Constraints Imposed by CP Conservation in the Presence of Instantons,
Phys. Rev. D16 (1977) 1791.

R. D. Peccei and H. R. Quinn, CP Conservation in the Presence of Instantons, Phys. Rev. Lett. 38 (1977) 1440.

NA62 Collaboration (P. Petrov (Louvain U., CP3) for the collaboration), Prospects for exotics and LFV at NA62, J.Phys.Conf.Ser. 800 (2017) no.1, 012039

Preliminary scope of work in English

The Peccei-Quinn theory postulated in 1977 remains the most compelling solution to the Strong-CP problem. Moreover axions, particles postulated by this theory, are well-motivated dark matter candidates. Besides the PQ symmetry occurs very naturally in SUSY theories, where axion superpartners are also predicted to be the lightest SUSY particles and hence possible dark matter candidates as well.
NA62 experiment at CERN is a fixed target experiment that in the special data taking conditions (beam dump mode) has an unprecedented sensitivity in the axion-like particle parameter space. Analysis of the data samples taken during the years 2016-2018 should improve the current limits.