Department
Physics and Engineering
Location
Bethel University
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
2-25-2026 3:00 PM
End Date
2-25-2026 5:00 PM
Abstract
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider has a mission to use high-energy proton collisions to uncover previously unknown particles and forces that exist at high energies. Particle physics research helps us complete and refine physical models of the universe, and produces many technologies that benefit society. The Bethel CMS group presents a search for a proposed massive particle called a "vector-like B quark". Students were integral for developing the algorithms that select interesting collision events, reconstruct the B quark from its decay products, and apply machine learning to model the known physics "background" that can hide the B quark signal. This search uses all of the data collected by CMS in 2016 - 2018 and is the most sensitive B quark search to date.
Recommended Citation
Hogan, Julie; Howey, Kyle; Luetke, Brennan; Johnson, Kalin; and Shen, Xiaohe, "Search for vector-like B quarks with the CMS Experiment" (2026). Wednesday, February 25, 2026. 9.
https://spark.bethel.edu/dayofscholarship/spring2026/spr2026/9
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Search for vector-like B quarks with the CMS Experiment
Bethel University
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider has a mission to use high-energy proton collisions to uncover previously unknown particles and forces that exist at high energies. Particle physics research helps us complete and refine physical models of the universe, and produces many technologies that benefit society. The Bethel CMS group presents a search for a proposed massive particle called a "vector-like B quark". Students were integral for developing the algorithms that select interesting collision events, reconstruct the B quark from its decay products, and apply machine learning to model the known physics "background" that can hide the B quark signal. This search uses all of the data collected by CMS in 2016 - 2018 and is the most sensitive B quark search to date.