Particle colliders are used to study the smallest components of matter. In this project, we will spend a couple of sessions studying the general structure and purpose of colliders. Then you will pick one aspect of colliders (e.g., detectors, beam steering, data analysis) to do a deeper dive. If you have coding experience, you will do a small simulation of that part of the collider. The final product will be a review-style article about the aspect of colliders you have picked.

Particle colliders

In this project you will take a physical system and simulate it using python code. We will work together to find an appropriate system, which can range from the gravitational forces holding galaxies together to complex circuits. Then, you will break the system down into a model that can be implemented in code. Some background in physics would be helpful, but we can adjust what phenomenon we look at to match where you are. Coding background not required. The final product will be your simulation code and a short paper explaining how it works.

Coding in physics

The goal of this project will be a comprehensive review of the current evidence for the existence of dark matter. You will perform a literature review. If you have coding experience, you will additionally create simple simulations that model the data and show why dark matter can explain them. The final product will be a journal-style review paper explaining the current state of dark matter evidence.