Exotic Hadrons Production in the ALICE-LHC Experiment

• Grant number: 24/14652-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Gameiro Munhoz
• Grantee: Leopoldo Abranches de Carvalho
• Supervisor: Silvia Masciocchi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Gsi Helmholtzzentrum Für Schwerionenforschung, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/01970-5 - Study of the Production of Exotic Hadrons with the ALICE Experiment from the LHC-CERN, BP.DR

Abstract

This doctoral research aims to measure the physical properties of the exotic hadron X(3872) and to analyze its behavior from an experimental perspective. To achieve this goal, we will use data collected during the third run of the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The study will focus on the decay channel J/Psi Pion Pion and analyze both proton-proton and lead-lead collisions. In the first phase of the study, we will examine proton collisions at 13.6 TeV produced in 2022 and 2023. Subsequently, we will analyze lead collisions at 5.36 TeV per nucleon pair, which is sufficient to produce a deconfined state of matter known as Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). Studying the X(3872) is fundamental because it can elucidate properties of the Standard Model, the production mechanisms of complex particles, and the QGP itself. To detect the signal, we will implement machine learning techniques such as Boosted Decision Trees and Neural Networks. One year of this study is expected to take place at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, one of the most prominent centers for heavy ion physics. Conducting research at GSI offers a remarkable opportunity to explore the study of heavy ions and understand the influence of QGP on the production mechanisms of the X(3872) particle. Studying the X(3872), which consists of four quarks, provides powerful insights into the Standard Model, as this type of particle is rare in nature and can be produced in large particle accelerators.