Maastricht researchers become full members of CERN’s LHCb experiment
What began as a small group of enthusiastic researchers from the Maastricht Science Programme has grown into a research team that, as of February, became a full member of the LHCb physics experiment at the CERN particle accelerator.
This membership grants Maastricht University a seat on LHCb’s Collaboration Board, bringing greater visibility and influence. “We now have a voice in all major decision-making,” says Jacco de Vries, team leader of the Maastricht LHCb group. “Of course, this also comes with more responsibilities, especially as we look ahead to the experiment’s upcoming upgrade.”
Rapid growth
The university’s physics research began around 2017, focusing on gravitational waves and particle physics. Progress accelerated with the arrival of the ETpathfinder, the establishment of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), and the research institute Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics (GWFP). Maastricht University joined the Nikhef consortium (Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics), which gave its researchers initial access to LHCb. “Even now that we are independent members of the experiment, our collaboration with Nikhef remains as strong as ever,” de Vries emphasises.
Over recent years, GWFP’s influence at CERN in Geneva has grown, thanks in part to successful funding applications and support from FSE. The group has contributed to groundbreaking research into the building blocks and fundamental forces of the universe and played an active role in operating the LHCb detector, developing theory, and creating software. Notably, they have built bridges to the Department of Advanced Computing Sciences (DACS), with applications in AI, high-throughput computing, and quantum algorithms.
Recognition as an LHCb member highlights Maastricht University’s expanding role in international particle physics and opens new opportunities for students and researchers to contribute to one of the world’s largest scientific experiments. The future looks bright for Maastricht’s contribution to fundamental physics.
Read more about the success of the Maastricht particle physicists
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