Nikos Varelas: Research  

2_c.gif   Ph.D. Experimental Particle Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 1994

2_c.gif    B.S. Physics, University of Athens, Athens, Greece, 1985

Biographical Sketch

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My area of research is experimental Particle Physics or High Energy Physics (HEP).   I conduct my research at the DØ experiment (aerial view & zoom view) at the Tevatron proton-antiproton Collider (also here) at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab - aerial view) in Batavia, Illinois, USA and at the CMS experiment (also USCMSLPC) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.  I am also  a member of the Coordinated Theoretical-Experimental Project on QCD  (CTEQ) Collaboration.   I have previously worked on the fixed-target, direct-photon experiment E706 at Fermilab, and on the axion-search experiment E141 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in Menlo Park, California, USA.

The DØ experiment consists of a collaboration (photo 1 and 2) of about 650 scientists from Universities and Laboratories around the world.  The experiment was commissioned in 1992, and completed a very successful first run (Run I) in 1996.  An important milestone of DØ's Run I was the co-discovery (along with the CDF experiment) of the top quark (more here) in March 1995 (more here and Ten Year Anniversary of the top-quark discovery).   After a major upgrade of both the Fermilab accelerator complex and the DØ detector (design pictures and photo), the experiment started its 2nd run (Run II) in 2001 that continues until 2009.  The upgraded DØ detector is an extremely powerful instrument for precision studies of the Standard Model (more here and here) and searches for the Higgs boson (more here) and signatures of new physics.

My physics interests for Run II focus on precision tests of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) with W and Z bosons (more about W & Z bosons here) and Higgs boson searches (preliminary results and publications and here).  I served as Co-Convenor of the Higgs Physics Group (2003-2004).  In Run I, my physics interests included QCD color coherence effects (publications) and studies of production and properties of jets (publications).  I served as Co-Convener of the QCD Physics Group in Run I (1995-1997). 

My technical contributions to DØ center on the Trigger System.  The UIC group was responsible for the development of the Level-2 Calorimeter Trigger for Run II.  The group was also involved in the development and commissioning of the Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger upgrade for the 2nd part of Run II.  I served as Trigger Coordinator for the DØ experiment (2004-2006), Co-Project Manager of the Trigger Upgrade for the 1st part of Run II (2000-2001), and Chair of the Trigger Board (2002-2003).

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment consists of a collaboration of  about 3000 scientists from 39 countries.   The CMS Detector was commissioned in  Fall 2008.  My physics interests focus on Higgs boson searches and QCD studies.  I served as Co-Convener of the Jets & Missing ET physics object group (2007) and I am currently serving as Co-Convener of the QCD Physics Analysis Group.  Preliminary results from the QCD Group can be found here.  

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LHC Beam(s) Pass from CMS - Nov. 2009

LHC First Beam Event: 10.09.08

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International Linear Collider

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CTEQ

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UIC High Energy Web Page

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My Publication List and Citations from SPIRES  

"UIC @ CMS", CMS TIMES, Nov 27, 2006.
"When a Z Boson Has Company", Fermilab Today, Jan 19, 2006.
"Search for the Smallest Constituents of Matter", UIC TODAY Newspaper, Apr 4-5, 2002.

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Selected Presentations:

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