Experimental Elementary Particle Physics
Ritchie Patterson
Professor of Physics
Department Chair
116 Newman Laboratory
Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853
(607) 255-4374
B.A., 1981, Physics, Cornell University. Ph.D., 1990, Physics, University of Chicago. Research Associate, Cornell Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, 1990-93. Assistant Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 1994-99; Associate Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 1999-2005; Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 2005-present. National Young Investigator, 1994-99; Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1994-96. Fellow, American Physical Society. Fellow, American Physical Society, elected 2003. Provost's Award for Distinguished Scholarship, 2005.
Research Areas
Experimental particle physics; physics beyond the standard model; weak interactions
Current Research
At high energies, our model of elementary particle physics breaks down. My research uses data from particle accelerators to seek the new phenomena and particles that solve this problem.
My research centers on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This new accelerator, which will run in 2009-10, will get the first direct glimpse of the physics at the TeV energy scale. Many of the most interesting events will produce energetic electrons, so my student Avishek Chatterjee is working on ensuring that the CMS detector at the LHC records collisions with electrons efficiently. Avishek is also searching for supersymmetry in events with electrons or muons.
In the farther future, the International Linear Collider (ILC), a proposed electron-positron accelerator, has the potential to explore the phenomena seen at the LHC in detail.
Graduate Students
Avishek Chatterjee
Links:
The Particle Adventure page
CESR and CLEO