Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology - CP3

The Centre for Particle Physics and Phenomenology (CP3) of the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) invites applications for several research positions aimed at obtaining a Ph.D. in Physics. Both theoretical and experimental theses are envisaged. Research activity in the Centre is equally strong on the theoretical and on the experimental fronts and a strong collaboration between the two is on-going and strongly encouraged. The Centre includes nine faculty members, several post-doctoral fellows and Ph.D. students. Further information on members and research activities can be found on this website.

The current theoretical activities at the Centre include:

• non-perturbative gauge dynamics, non-commutative geometry and quantum gravity;
• theoretical cosmology and early universe models, modified gravity and string cosmology, CMB physics and structure formation;
• phenomenology of the standard model and beyond, mechanisms of spontaneous symmetry breaking and flavor physics, with particular emphasis to LHC physics.

The experimental group of the Centre has contributed significantly to the design and construction of the CMS silicon strip tracker and has been deeply involved in its commissioning in view of the start-up of the experiment expected in summer 2008. The group is also involved in Research and Development programs related to possible extensions of the CMS experiment and to the Super-LHC. The NA62 experiment at the SPS accelerator of CERN has also been recently joined. The current experimental activities include:

• software development for the CMS tracker, trigger and particle flow reconstruction;
• preparation to data analysis within the CMS top quark, exotica and forward physics groups;
• research and development programs in HEP instrumentation.

UCL hosts one of the Tier-2 LHC GRID computing centres that will allow CMS data to be processed and analysed.