Around 180 budding physicists will be competing to design a detector capable of finding invisible particles at a special physics masterclass being held at Bristol University this week [Thursday 3 and Friday 4 April].

Sixth-form students and teachers from 14 schools in the region will be taking part in the event, giving them a chance to hear about some of the latest developments in particle physics, including the world’s largest scientific experiment, the Large Hadron Collider. 

Hosted by the University’s Department of Physics, the day will consist of a mixture of talks and practical sessions, including an activity entitled ‘The Detector Game’ in which students will be asked to design a proposal to build a detector to look for new particles.

The students will also have the opportunity to quiz, via video-conference, Bristol University physicists who are currently working at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, who are getting ready to switch on the Large Hadron Collider.

The practical sessions will also allow students to try their hand at identifying what is happening in particle collisions recorded at CERN. The day will end with a quiz and prize-giving event.

Dr Clare Lynch, Research Assistant in the University’s Department of Physics, said: “We shall be highlighting some of Bristol University’s research in particle physics, and hope to give our visitors a sense of the excitement of investigating matter at the most fundamental level. This is a particularly exciting time for particle physics, as the Large Hadron Collider will begin colliding particles in a few months.”

More information on the physics masterclass event is available from the Department of Physics website.