https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05518-z
Regular Article
Real particle physics analysis by UK secondary school students using the ATLAS Open Data: an illustration through a collection of original student research
1
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PJ, Oxford, UK
2
Particle Physics Department, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, OX11 0QX, Harwell, Didcot, UK
3
Institute for Research in Schools, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen’s Gate, SW7 5HD, London, UK
a
eimear.conroy@physics.ox.ac.uk
Received:
20
May
2024
Accepted:
29
July
2024
Published online:
2
September
2024
Since the 2020 release of 
of integrated luminosity of proton–proton collision data to the public by the ATLAS experiment, significant potential for its use for youth engagement in physics and citizen science has been present. In particular, this article aims to address whether, if provided adequate training and resources, high school students are capable of leveraging the ATLAS Open Data to semi-autonomously develop their own original research projects. To this end, a repository of interactive Python Jupyter notebook training materials was developed, incrementally increasing in difficulty; in the initial instalments no prior knowledge of particle physics or Python coding is assumed, while in the latter stages students emulate the steps of a real Higgs boson search using ATLAS data. This programme was implemented in secondary schools throughout the UK during the 2022/23 academic year and is presented in this article through a collection of research projects developed by a selection of participating students.
Alan Barr, Ynyr Harris, Julie Kirk, Emmanuel Olaiya and Richard Phillips have contributed equally to this work.
© The Author(s) 2024
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