The discovery of the Higgs boson during the LHC Run 1 completes the experimental validation of the Standard Model (SM) of high-energy particle physics. Its particle spectrum is fully established, and definite predictions are available for all interactions. At the quantum level, the SM relates the masses of the heaviest particles the W and Z gauge bosons, the Higgs boson, and the top quark. The Z boson mass is precisely known since LEP1, and the measurement precision of the top quark mass has vastly improved at the TeVatron and LHC. In 2014, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations produced a precise measurement of the Higgs boson mass, based on the full 7 and 8 TeV datasets; in 2016, ATLAS completed a first measurement of mW, using 7 TeV data only, that matches the precision of the best previous results. The present proposal aims at further improvement in the measurements of mW, mZ and the weak mixing angle with ATLAS, exploiting all data available at 8 and 13 TeV. Leptonic final states play a particular role, and improving the measurement of electrons and muons is our main focus on the experimental side. A set of dedicated measurements is foreseen to bring our understanding of strong interaction effects to the required level. Finally, a global analysis of the electroweak parameters is proposed, accounting for correlations of QCD uncertainties across the different measurements, extending traditional electroweak fits. The involved scientists and institutes have recognized expertise and achievements in the fields spanned by this project. The present call provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our collaboration over a timescale matching the needs of our ambition.

The aim of the CUPID-1 project is the development of a complete bolometric detector system capable of investigating neutrinoless double beta decay – 2b0n- with unprecedented sensitivity. The project will be dedicated to the design of a detector tower capable to be operated in a next generation 2b0n experiment at the ton scale and to test one of these towers as a final validation of the technology. The crucial innovative feature of the project is to fully develop and optimize an integrated bolometric system combining thermal and mechanical considerations, optimization of light collection, MC simulations and selection of radiopure materials, including an extensive cryogenic tests campaign, that will allow to reach the background goal below 10-4 counts/(keV kg y). This single tower will be also a competitive 2ß0n experiment at the international level and the most sensitive ever for 100Mo.

The aim of the ClearMind project is to develop a monolithic gamma ray detector (0.5 MeV to few MeV) with a large surface area (= 25 cm2), high efficiency, high spatial accuracy (< 4 mm3 FWHM ) and high timing accuracy ( < 20 ps FWHM, excluding contributions of the collection and amplification of photoelectrons). Our motivation is to improve the performance of Positron Emission Tomography scanners (PET). We propose to develop a position-sensitive detector consisting of a scintillating crystal on which is directly deposited a photo-electric layer of refractive index greater than that of the crystal. This "scintronic" crystal, which combines scintillation and photoelectron generation, optimizes the transmission of scintillation photons and Cherenkov light photons to the photoelectric layer. We expect a factor 4 gain on the probability of optical photon transmission between the crystal and the photoelectric layer, compared to conventional assemblies using optical contact gels. The crystal will be encapsulated with a micro-channel plate multiplier tube (MCP-MT) in order to amplify the signal and optimize the transit time of the photo-electrons towards the plane of detection anodes (densely pixelated) and thus the temporal and spatial resolutions of the detection chain. The originality of our detector consists in: - Improve the efficiency of light collection in a high-density, and high-effective atomic number crystal by depositing a photoelectric layer directly on the scintillating crystal. - Use the Cherenkov light emission for detection. The gain in optical coupling optimizes the measurement of time based Cherenkov photons, inherently very fast. - Use the map of photoelectrons produced at the surface of the crystal to reconstruct the properties of the gamma interactions by means of robust statistical estimators and information processing using machine learning algorithms. The scintillation photons provide the necessary statistics for a measurement of the energy deposited in the crystal, modest but compatible with a use on a PET imager, and a precise measurement of the coordinates of the interaction position of the gamma ray. - The fast acquisition of signal shapes (SAMPIC technology), which facilitates the optimization of the detector. - The effort to reduce the number of electronic channels (and associated constraints) while keeping optimal performance. We propose to develop the ClearMind prototypes in two phases. Phase 1 consists in producing a "thin" detector, ~ 10 mm, instrumented on one side. The objective is a proof of principle of the technology, the characterization of the performances of this prototype, and its confrontation with a Monte Carlo model, using the GATE simulation tool. This should allow us to set up all the technologies and to concretely understand their stakes. Deadline 18 months. Phase 2 involves the production of a ~ 20 mm thick detector, instrumented on both sides. The objective will then be to produce a detector module of optimized efficiency, spatial and temporal resolutions, close to what would be used in future PET machines. Deadline 30 months. The GATE Monte Carlo simulation will then allow us to assess the potential of the technology to design an enhanced cerebral Time-Of-Flight PET imager, (and alternatively whole body TOF-PET). Our efforts with the manufacturers involved in the development of the prototypes resulted in quotations and delivery times compatible with the schedule and the budget presented in this project.

The OASIS project aims at optimizing the science production of the Advanced GAmma-ray Tracking Array (AGATA) gamma-ray spectrometer. Presently installed at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) at Caen, France, AGATA has passed the demonstrator phase of its early implementation (15 high-purity germanium detectors) and now contains 32 such detectors with infrastructure to accommodate 45 detectors covering 1pi of solid angle. AGATA is a new generation gamma-ray spectrometer designed to overcome the inherent limitation of the previous generation of Compton suppressed HPGe detector arrays. By replacing the Anti-Compton shields, which occupy a significant amount of solid angle, with HPGe detectors solid angle converage, and hence efficiency, can be increased. However, for this approach to produce high quality gamma-ray spectra an alternative Compton suppression technique has to be developed. This is gamma-ray tracking: The energy and position of individual gamma-ray interaction points inside the HPGe is determined using highly segmented detectors combined with digital electronics and pulse-shape analysis. These interaction points are then tested for the hypotheses that they belong to a fully absorbed gamma ray. For the gamma-ray tracking to work the gamma-ray interaction points have to be located to within 5 mm inside the detectors. A very important additional increase in performance comes from the very high effective angular granulation of AGATA given by knowing the interaction positions giving very good Doppler Correction capabilities, something very important in modern experimental nuclear structure research. Because of the high performance of AGATA it is considered a very important detector for the future and present nuclear structure research facilities in Europe, such as FAIR, HIE-ISOLDE, SPES, and SPIRAL2. Since the first physics campaign with AGATA started has showed its high performance in experimental situation where the sensitivity is dominated by the Doppler broadening of the gamma-ray peaks, for high-count rate situations, and when it is beneficial to have a very compact gamma-ray spectrometer - AGATA has proven the be a technical success in many ways. During the work analyzing experimental data the AGATA collaboration, and the gamma-ray tracking community, has however seen that the performance of AGATA in terms of Compton suppression from the gamma-ray tracking is not what simulations suggests it should be. It is believed in the gamma-ray tracking community that cause for this is related to problems with the pulse-shape analysis. Although the nominal position resolution from the pulse-shape analysis is within the required limits several indications points to that the pulse-shape analysis does not perform as good as is needed. The OASIS project aims at carefully investigating the reasons for this using computer simulations to try to reproduce and understand the deficiencies seen in experimental data. One particular problem that will be addressed within the OASIS project is that of correctly determining the number of actual interaction that a gamma-ray has had with the AGATA.Several novel ideas are to be investigated. Finally, many aspects of analyzing -ray spectroscopy data have to be reviewed when using AGATA. This mainly comes from the fact that there is more detailed information to look at offering new possibilities. What was previously simple calibration procedures using source data, such as efficiency calibrations, now has complex dependencies on the experimental situation and choices made for the gamma-ray tracking algorithms. Other methods, e.g. to determine angular correlations and distributions, also need to be developed specifically for gamma-ray tracking. A part of OASIS is dedicated to this work, making sure that the gamma-ray tracking community will have thoroughly tested and quantified procedures.

The ENUBET (Enhanced NeUtrino BEams from kaon Tagging) project aims at building a monitored neutrino beam to reduce the uncertainty on the neutrino flux and cross section below 1%. Given the high rate of events expected, detector time resolution is a critical parameter for clean reconstruction of the events and strong reduction of the mixing of different events due to pile-up. Furthermore, sub-ns sampling in the far detector would allow one-to-one correlation between positrons tagged in the beamline and neutrinos tagged in the far detector, transforming ENUBET in the first “tagged neutrino beam”. We propose a 3-year R&D project to develop novel detector instrumentation based on the PICOSEC-Micromegas concept and demonstrate the impact of such detectors to New Physics searches by utilizing them to flavor and time tag neutrino beams. Possible exploitation of the PICOSEC-Micromegas technology will be investigated for both the ENUBET tagger and the neutrino detectors.This includes: - PICOSEC Micromegas detector embedded in an electromagnetic calorimeter (EMC), capable for accurate timing (~10 ps) of electron and gamma showers - PICOSEC Micromegas replacing the slow photon veto of ENUBET and acting also as a timing layer (T0-layers) at the ENUBET tagger for single MIP detection with timing better than 50 ps. - instrumentation of the hadron dump for muon monitor: this would allow for the first time in the history of neutrino beams to perform muon monitoring from pion decay at single particle level - Micromegas photodetector for time tagging at the neutrino detector. The PICOSEC-Micromegas concept consists in a “two-stage” Micromegas detector coupled with a Cherenkov radiator (MgF2), equipped with an appropriate photocathode. The drift gap is reduced to 200 μm while the applied electric field in this region (>10 kV/cm) is strong enough to produce electron multiplication. This configuration provides a large bandwidth for Cherenkov light production-detection in the extreme UV. Relativistic particles traversing the radiator produce Cherenkov photons which are simultaneously converted into electrons in the photocathode. Results obtained with small, single-anode prototypes yield a time resolution of 24 ps for relativistic muons and 44 ps for single UV photons. Those results have demonstrated that the desired timing performance can be achieved with our concept. However, there are several issues to be addressed, mostly concerning the scalability to large area detectors, including the development of the corresponding electronics, and of efficient and robust photocathodes for applications in high particle flux environments. In order to demonstrate in particle beams the required performance for each scenario, we will develop small (~10x10 cm2), modular prototypes. The main technical challenges to overcome is the choice of an efficient and robust photocathode and the production of Micromegas boards with segmented anode and planarity better than 10 μm, maintaining a small radiation length. In parallel, we will develop the necessary electronics to test and evaluate the prototypes. Front-end boards will be developed based on the optimization of a prototype, already tested successfully with a single anode prototype. The waveform digitization and precise time-tagging will be performed by electronics boards based on the SAMPIC circuit. The importance of precise timing in experiments operating at high luminosity colliding particle beams is already widely recognized, whilst 4D object reconstruction will be necessary in the future Particle Physics experiments in accelerators like the EIC and the FFC. The proposal aims at addressing critical points for the development of a sizable detector that can offer the necessary timing information. The project enhances the benefits of the PICOSEC Micromegas for PID as MIP detector bu talso as a timing layer embedded in a calorimeter.