High-throughput GPU computing for New Physics searches with electrons in LHCb (GAHTIe)

In recent years, the LHCb experiment has found tantalizing hints of new quantum effects in very rare processes where so-called B-particles decay to muons or electrons. Although combinations of several measurements seem to indicate a consistent picture (recently referred to as the ‘flavour anomalies’), no clear single observation of a so-called “New Physics” phenomenon has been made.

What are we trying to achieve and how? 

This project aims to perform such measurements by introducing a new computing scheme, allowing the improved detection of electrons and neutral (uncharged) particles. The recently upgraded LHCb detector will provide the necessary data. Given current expectations and the proposed computing scheme, this project has the unique potential to make a ground-breaking discovery of new fundamental particles. A key component of the upgraded LHCb detector is the processing of an unprecedented data rate of 4 TB/s in software on a heterogeneous farm of general-purpose graphics processors (GPGPUs) and CPU servers. This research proposes to extend the GPGPU-based data filter with advanced capabilities for electron reconstruction and classification.

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