The Physics Forecast 🌥️

Why It Matters

A confirmed Higgs-like diphoton signal and rising jet activity reinforce ongoing precision studies of the Higgs and standard-model processes, while the High-Luminosity LHC upgrade will dramatically expand datasets and sensitivity to rare or beyond-standard-model phenomena.

Summary

CERN logged a heavy run of proton–proton collisions at 13.6 TeV, producing pronounced forward hadronic showers and significant calorimeter activity. Detectors recorded two high-energy photons with a combined mass near 124 GeV, consistent with a Higgs-boson candidate, alongside additional calorimeter deposits likely attributable to neutral-pion decays or detector noise. Operators reported robust jet activity and warned of a forthcoming increase in event rates as the accelerator is upgraded for the High-Luminosity LHC. The team expects a substantial surge in data volume in the near term.

Original Description

At CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, high-energy beams collide in our giant detectors, generating vast amounts of data. This data is visualized through event displays.

To create these displays, experiment teams use software to transform data into graphical objects, which are then rendered in a specialised application.

Ever wondered what these displays reveal? Dilia from @ATLASExperiment decodes the physics forecast.

Disclaimer: This is a playful take on real event displays from the #LHC.

Learn more: https://home.cern/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-muons/