St John's Physicists Celebrate Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics 2025
ATLAS is one of the largest and most complex scientific instruments ever built. As a general-purpose particle detector measuring over 40 metres in length and around 25 metres in height, it was designed to investigate the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces governing our universe. Its cutting-edge systems track particles produced in particle collisions at unprecedented energies, enabling discoveries like the Higgs boson and searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model.
The Breakthrough Prize specifically highlights the ATLAS Collaboration’s significant contributions to particle physics, including detailed measurements of Higgs boson properties, studies of rare processes and matter-antimatter asymmetry, and the exploration of nature under the most extreme conditions.
‘The Breakthrough Prize is a testament to the dedication and ingenuity of the ATLAS Collaboration and our colleagues across the LHC experiments,’ said ATLAS Spokesperson Stéphane Willocq. ‘This prize recognises the collective vision and monumental effort of thousands of ATLAS collaborators worldwide.’
Researchers at the University of Oxford have been at the forefront of ATLAS research since 1992; the significant contributions of Oxford Physicists are explained in detail on the Department's website, here.
Two Fellows at St John's, Professor Georg Viehhauser and Professor Tony Weidberg, were responsible for the construction of critical components of the ATLAS detector and are deeply involved in preparing ATLAS for its next chapter.
Along with other University of Oxford Physicists, Professors Viehhauser and Weidberg are leading the development of the upgraded silicon tracker being assembled for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, which will increase collision rates tenfold when it begins operation in 2030. These developments will help 'further push out understanding of the universe's fundamental building blocks', states Willocq.
Congratulations Professors Viehhauser and Weidberg, and to all involved with the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN!