Matteo Cremonesi reappointment Letter

Matteo is above the bar for a faculty reappointment. He is a leading expert in direct dark matter searches at the LHC. Since joining CMU, Matteo has broadened his research scope to explore other compelling physics areas with detector signatures closely related to those of direct dark matter searches. His work has been recognized with both funding and highly sought-after leadership roles within the CMS collaboration. Additionally, he has strategically refocused his efforts on detector commissioning and algorithm development for the High-Granularity Calorimeter, aligning with the existing strengths and expertise of the group. Matteo has planted a lot of seeds, and even if only a subset of them flourish, he will become an outstanding faculty member.

While dark matter may be produced at the LHC, it cannot be directly measured; any Dark matter particles would pass through the detectors without depositing any energy. However, their presence can be indirectly inferred from momentum imbalance, a strong indication that a non-interacting particle is carrying away momentum. This "missing momentum" signature is central to the physics program at CMS, utilized in everything from detailed measurements of known particles to searches for exotic potential signatures of physics beyond our current theories. Matteo is one of the collaboration's leading experts in measuring and calibrating missing momentum. He is currently convening the group within CMS that oversees the use of missing momentum in all analyses.

So far, Matteo has focused on applying his expertise in missing momentum to direct dark matter searches. These searches target specific hypotheses regarding how dark matter may interact with known particles. While these searches are well-motivated and highly constrain certainmodels of new physics, they are narrowly focused and of limited value outside particularly hypothetical scenarios.

Recently, Matteo has begun applying the tools and techniques he developed for dedicated dark matter searches to a broader physics program. This will allow him to leverage his expertise in exciting areas beyond the dark matter community. Personally, I am excited about working with Matteo on applying his knowledge to the di-Higgs search, a compelling signature broad implications in particle physics and cosmology. His expertise offers a new line of attack on this important problem.

Matteo's exceptional expertise, innovative research approaches, and demonstrated leadership within the CMS collaboration make him a valuable asset to our department and the broader physics community. I support his reappointment and am confident that his continued contributions will significantly advance the field.

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Matteo is above the bar for a faculty reappointment. He is a leading expert in direct searches for dark matter at the LHC. Since joining CMU, Matteo has broadened his scope to target other compelling physics areas which have detector signatures closely-rated to those of the direct dark matter searches. His work has been recognized with funding and with highly sought-after leadership roles within the experiment. He has also refocused his work on detector commissioning and algorithm development toward the High-Granularity calorimeter; a smart move given the existing strengths and expertise of the group. Matteo has planted a lot of seeds, if even a sub-set of them come into bloom he will be an superb faculty member.

Dark matter can be directly produced at the LHC, but it cannot be directly measured. Any Dark matter particles would pass through our detector without depositing any energy. Their presence can however be inferred from a momentum imbalance: a good indication that some non-interacting particle is carrying away momentum. This "missing momentum" signature is a central part of the physics program at CMS; its used everywhere, from detailed measurements of known particles to searches for exotic potential signatures of physics beyond our current theory. Matteo is one of the collaboration's experts in measuring and calibrating missing momentum. He is currently convening the group in CMS that oversees the use of misssing momentum in all analyses.

So far, Matteo has been focused on applying his expertise in missing momentum to direct searches for dark matter. These searches target specific ideas for how the Dark matter may interact with the known particles. These searches are well-motivated, but narrowly focused. They highly constrain certain models of new physics, but are of limited value outside a particularly hypothetical scenarios.

Recently, Matteo has started applying the tools and techniques used in these dedicated dark matter searches to a much broader physics program. This will allow him to leverage his expertise in exicting areas beyond the dark matter community. Personally, I am very excited to work with Matteo on applying his knowledge to search di-Higgs search. This physics has broad implications and his expertise provides a new line of attack on this important problem.