Current PhD Thesis Fellows


#Robert Hankache

I was born in Lebanon where I first did engineering studies. But since physics always fascinated me, I decided to continue in this path. I have a strong enthusiasm to learn about the fundamental world and how it works, that is why I decided to continue my studies in particle physics. Since universities in Lebanon have no such specialty, I came to Paris where I did the NPAC masters 2 in “Pierre et Marie Curie” university. And currently, I am pursuing my PhD studies in the LPNHE lab.

In particle physics, the most verified model we have is called the Standard Model (SM). This model allows us to understand deeply how the very tiny world works. It describes the most fundamental particles and interactions. The last major success for this model was the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Thus, it is very important to measure precisely the characteristics of this model. But since we know that this model is not the complete story, we should also search for signals beyond the Standard Model (BSM).

I am working in the ATLAS experiment, one of the main experiments of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The LHC is a proton-proton collider. The main type of interaction between protons is called the strong interaction. My studies focuses on probing this interaction. To do so, we use complex reconstructed objects called jets. My studies will be divided into 3 main parts:

  • Calibrate the detector to have the most precise measurement of the energies of jets.
  • Perform precise measurement of the parameters of the strong interaction, like the strong coupling constant, and compare the results to the theoretical prediction of the Standard Model.
  • Search for signals coming from particles beyond the Standard Model.

    • Contact: robert.hankache[at]lpnhe.in2p3.fr