Dr Laura Kormos
Lecturer
Room: B32 Physics Building
Tel: +44 (0)1524 593352
Fax: +44 (0)1524 844037
Email: l.kormos@lancaster.ac.uk
Research
Experimental Particle Physics
From 1996 to 2003, I worked on the OPAL experiment at CERN. During this time, I measured two of the branching ratios of the tau lepton, and tested the Standard Model assumption of SU2 gauge symmetry by comparing the three fully-leptonic branching ratios. (The Standard Model passed the test.)
Neutrino Physics:
From 2003-2005, I worked on the SNO (Sudbury Neutrino Observatory) experiment. SNO was at an exciting change-over between Phase 2 and Phase 3 of operation. During Phase 2, neutrinos were detected by the light they produced in the heavy-water Cherenkov detector. In Phase 3, 40 Helium 3 proportional counters were deployed into the detector. This adds the capacity for neutrinos to be detected not only by the light they produce in the heavy water, but also by the signal they produce (indirectly) in the proportional counters. I was involved in the commissioning analysis of the new data, and in the calibration of the detector.
Currently, I'm working on the T2K (Tokai to Kamioka) experiment, which is situated in Japan and scheduled to start running in 2009-2010. The SNO and Super-Kamiokande experiments demonstrated that neutrinos "oscillate", or change flavour (types) as they traverse the distance between the sun and the Earth. The components of the corresponding mixing matrix that parameterises these oscillations are at present not well measured. At the T2K experiment, muon neutrinos will be produced in Tokai, and will subsequently be detected 295 km away, at Kamioka, using the Super-Kamiokande detector. In this way, muon neutrino oscillations to other flavours can be measured, which will allow one of the unknown components of the mixing matrix to be determined, and another component to be measured to higher precision than it is at present.
However, these measurements depend upon a "near detector" which characterises the neutrino beam soon after it is produced. This near detector, the ND280 which will be situated 280 m downstream from the neutrino production, is being built in part by U.K. institutions. The U.K. is responsible for the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECal). I am a work package manager for the ECal hardware and am involved in coordinating the ECal construction between the U.K. institutions.
The T2K group at Lancaster University is constructing a key module, the Downstream ECal, which consists of layers of plastic scintillator bars interspersed with layers of lead alloy enclosed in a carbon-fibre skin. It will be fully instrumented and partially calibrated here. Our T2K-Lanc group consists of 2 RAs, 2 technicians, 1 PhD student, and 5 staff members at present, and is growing.
Teaching
I teach an introductory course on Nuclei and Particles, P235. The notes can be viewed here: Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5
I also co-teach an introductory course in Java programming, P281, and a Java projects course.
Administrative
I am currently Deputy Admissions Tutor, and am a member of the Institute of Physics (IoP) High Energy Particle Physics (HEPP) Committee, where I am responsible for overseeing the half-day meetings.
Other Interests:
I'm one of two "Environmental Champions" in the department, doing my best to save the planet!
My partner and I enjoy jogging (gently!), hiking, backpacking in the Canadian wilderness, live theatre, and I usually am involved in ballet lessons although I haven't had time yet in Lancaster. Last summer we cycled the C2C long-distance cross-country cycle route from Workington to Newcastle.