Meghan is a senior in Mather House studying Physics. During the summer of 2024, Meghan completed an internship at The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Where did you go?
This past summer, I conducted research at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.
What did you do during internship?
Under Professor Masahiro Morii, I worked on the Inner Tracker (ITk) upgrade for the ATLAS experiment. At CERN, I primarily worked on the ATLAS experiment’s Inner Tracker (ITk) upgrade. ITk is a silicon-based tracking detector that will measure the charge, direction of motion, and momentum of electrically charged particles from the proton-proton collisions produced by the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The ITk hardware is in its production phase, but the bulk of the software to integrate with the detector has not yet been developed. In the current ATLAS detector architecture, finite state machines interface between the shift workers who staff the ATLAS Control Room and the detector systems they monitor. Each hardware component features in the FSM tree structure, with different states and statuses corresponding to the data-taking cycle. I developed the finite state machine for ITk. I automated state transitions, implementing protective states for specific hardware elements to maintain detector safety. My work is now used to control the detector components in the small-scale ITk system test at CERN and is expected to be a component of the control system that operates the full detector when it is installed inside ATLAS.
Additionally, I worked on a measurement of the production rate of two top quarks and a Z boson. Top quarks have an almost 1:1 coupling with the Higgs field, which can be used to probe beyond the standard model physics effects. I wrote software that calculated optimal cuts for the signal region in the analysis.
What was your biggest takeaway from the experience?
I discovered my interest in scientific instrumentation and controls. At CERN I was able to ask questions constantly and I found that the path from electrical signal to data structures fascinated me. I gained a deep understanding of the interplay between the different physical systems while developing the FSM for the ITk Strips system.
Collaboration was a highlight of working at CERN. I met scientists from all over the world working on the ATLAS experiment and learned about various research connected to CERN. I enjoyed the collaborative nature of the work, and look to continue working with other scientists throughout my career.
Educational resources at CERN were abundant. I attended lectures on electronics, quantum field theory, and the standard model of particle physics during the Summer School Lecture Program. I was also able to take training to operate different types of machinery. I truly enjoyed being part of a community where I was constantly learning.
How did you find this research assistantship opportunity, and how did you fund your experience?
One of the professors I took a course with works at CERN each summer. I asked him if I could work with him, and he accepted. I looked on the MCS website for funding sources and found the Weissman International Internship Program. The Weissman family fully funded my summer experience, and I am deeply grateful to them for their generous support.
