In a talk at the ongoing Rencontres de Moriond conference, the ATLAS collaboration presented the result of its latest test of a key principle of the Standard Model of particle physics known as lepton flavour universality. The precision of the result is the best yet achieved by a single experiment in decays of the W boson and surpasses that of the current experimental average. Most elementary particles can be classed into groups or families with similar properties. For example, the lepton family includes the electron, which forms the negatively charged cloud of particles surrounding the nucleus in every atom, the muon, a heavier particle found in cosmic rays, and the tau-lepton, an even heavier short-lived particle only seen in high-energy particle interactions. As far as physicists know, the only difference between these particles is their mass, as generated through their different strengths of interaction with the fundamental field associated with the Higgs boson. In particular, a rem
Examining the delicate balance of lepton flavors
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A hybrid, asymmetric, linear Higgs factory based on plasma-wakefield and radio-frequency acceleration
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Sir Muir Russell KCB FRSE Sir Muir Russell KCB FRSE was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow from 2003 to 2009. During that period he was Convener of Universities Scotland, a member of the Universities UK Main Board, a Trustee of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, and a member of the UCAS Board. Sir Muir graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1970 with a First in Natural Philosophy (Physics) and took up a career in the civil service, assigned to the Scottish Office. His civil service career included a period in Whitehall as Head of the Home Affairs Secretariat of the Cabinet Office (1990-92). He was appointed Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Office in 1998, following open competition, and was the first Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Executive following the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.