{"id":23219,"date":"2026-04-07T09:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/igfae.usc.es\/igfae\/?p=23219"},"modified":"2026-04-07T10:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:32:19","slug":"joins-cms-cern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igfae.usc.es\/igfae\/en\/joins-cms-cern\/","title":{"rendered":"IGFAE joins the CMS experiment at CERN"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Instituto Galego de F\u00edsica de Altas Enerx\u00edas (IGFAE), a joint center of USC and the Xunta de Galicia, has just officially joined the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment at CERN<\/a>, one of the main collaborations within the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CMS, together with the ATLAS experiment, was responsible for observing the Higgs boson in 2012, one of the milestones in particle physics in recent decades.<\/p>\n

The CMS spokesperson, Anadi Canepa, communicated the decision to the director of IGFAE, Carlos A. Salgado, after it was approved by the experiment\u2019s collaboration board in recent weeks. In this way, a process that began in spring 2025 is concluded, which included a visit by several CMS representatives to Santiago de Compostela in November, among them Anadi Canepa, to closely learn about the new IGFAE facilities and its scientific and technical capabilities.<\/p>\n

The IGFAE team in CMS will be led by researcher Xabier Cid Vidal, also an associate professor at USC. \u201cThe incorporation of IGFAE into CMS represents a landmark for Galicia, since it is one of the largest scientific collaborations in the world”, Cid Vidal highlights. \u201cIt is a general-purpose experiment, which has its data-taking guaranteed until the 2040s, which ensures the presence of IGFAE at the LHC for future generations of physicists,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\"Xabier

Xabier Cid will lead the IGFAE\u2019s work at the CMS, which has the largest solenoid ever built. Image credits (V\u00edctor D\u00edaz D\u00edaz \/ Samuel Hertzog \u2013 CERN).<\/p><\/div>\n

The incorporation into CMS will also allow strengthening of the IGFAE team, opening new and promising opportunities for graduates of the Institute, but also for attracting external talent working in CMS from other institutions.<\/p>\n

In the scientific field, IGFAE will contribute to CMS in the search for the so-called \u201clong-lived particles\u201d (LLPs) and the detection of particles from dark sectors, as well as in contributions to strange-flavour physics. It will also bring its theoretical experience in phenomenology studies and analysis strategies.<\/p>\n