The ATLAS experiment will explore the "energy frontier" by measuring proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This accelerator might be energetic enough to produce interactions unlike any observed in previous experiments - data sorely needed to help us understand mysteries such as the origin of mass and the nature of dark matter. However, ATLAS must be precise enough to recognize those new interactions. I will describe some of the experimental challenges in searching for the unexpected with ATLAS, and explain how one particle, the top quark, can help prepare us to confront them.
Coffee and cookies before the presentation at 3:15 pm, and refreshments after the presentation will both be served in Room 128.