Masterclass on Particle Physics
On October 21, 2016 a six-hour masterclass on particle physics took place for senior students from the course ‘Physics in English’. Representing the network ‘Netzwerk Teilchenwelt’, Mr Liebschner from the Dresden Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics offered valuable insights into the analysis of proton collisions and the identification of particles as they are recorded in the LHC experiment ATLAS at CERN.
The students who have been studying particle physics since the beginning of the school year have thus been given an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge.
The Masterclass started with a general introduction to the world of fundamental particles, to which the students could contribute quite a lot based on their existing knowledge. After a presentation about the structure of the ATLAS detector and the electronic signals that are left by the particles produced in proton-proton collisions, the actual work with the event displays started.
All data were presented in tabular form and as a histogram. These measurements allowed conclusions about the structure of protons and provided insights into the search for the Higgs particle.
We would like to thank ‘Netzwerk Teilchenwelt’ for making this Masterclass possible and especially Mr Liebschner for his interesting and entertaining presentation in our working language English.
P. Zeligmann
Students' opinions:
“I really liked about the masterclass that we were able to apply the theoretical knowledge we gained earlier this year.”
“important information which was presented in a fun way”
“It was quite interesting to see what led to the discovery of the Higgs boson.”
“The masterclass is a nice and rare opportunity to get an insight into the world of particle physics.”
“Let’s do more of that!”
“I would recommend doing this every year. It really helps understanding this topic.”
“knowledge of today’s science and one of Europe’s biggest science projects”
“The study and inquiry of science is a driving force that unites the human race. Programs like the masterclass enforce that.”