IN2P3 (CNRS), Université Grenoble Alpes

Master Classes

 


Masterclasses for high school students at the LPSC: trying to find the Higgs boson

Each year since 2010, high school students from the Grenoble area come to the LPSC for a day immersion in the world of particle physics. Lectures from active scientists on the topics and methods of ongoing research in particle physics enable the students themselves to perform measurements on real data from particle physics experiments. At the end of each day, like in an international research collaboration, the participants join in a video conference for discussion and combination of their results.

In France, this initiative takes place within the framework of the "Ecole des 2 infinis", an educational program developed by CNRS/IN2P3 (National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics) to promote the exchange between researchers, students and teachers.

Each year, four classes from the Grenoble area participate in the international Masterclasses organized by CERN. The students analyze real data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) located near Geneva (Switzerland) and recorded by the ATLAS detector in order to find the Z boson and also possibly the famous Higgs boson which was discovered at CERN in 2012. At the end of the day, they share their findings with students from other countries via a video conference. Through this unique experience, they can witness how fundamental research in particle physics works today and familiarize themselves with the LHC, the most complex and most powerful instrument ever built to study the elementary particles.

 


 

For more information on the Masterclasses:

For more information on the « École des deux infinis »

Contacts (researchers) :

  • Pierre-Antoine Delsart: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Marie-Hélène Genest : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.