South East Particle Physics Allicance (SEPTA)
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
Abstract
This application proposes a wide-ranging programme of research at the forefront of Theoretical Particle Physics, to be carried out by the South-East Particle Theory Alliance (SEPTA), joining The University of Sussex with Royal Holloway, University of London.
Research is carried out in three scientific areas: Collider and Low-Energy Phenomenology (CLEP), Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (PAC), and Fixed Points in Quantum Field Theory (QFT). In all three areas, our work aims at pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and links to major outstanding challenges in fundamental sciences.
Collider and Low Energy Phenomenology:
Particle collisions at the energy frontier, presented by the Large Hadron Collider, allow to produce or rule out conjectured new particles thousands of times heavier than the proton. At intensity frontier, extremely precise measurements of particle interactions allow us to probe for even heavier particles in an indirect fashion. Here we explore and combine both directions to unravel the structure of the world at smaller distances than ever, asking questions such as: what makes the known particles so much lighter than the Planck mass of quantum gravity? Is there a unified theory of matter and forces? And how can we best use present and future experiments to shine light on them? A significant part of our effort is to develop and apply new cutting-edge techniques to make precise theoretical predictions for experiments, in order to maximize the potential of experiments such as the CERN large hadron collider to make new discoveries.
Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology:
One of the most active areas of research in the past decade has been at the interface between particle physics and cosmology. In order to understand the history of the Universe we must understand physical laws in the first moments of the Big Bang, when temperatures and particle energies were huge. Conversely, by detailed observations of the universe today we can trace back the conditions and make deductions about physical laws at high energies. Our research will tackle big questions about the universe such as: Why is there more matter than antimatter? What is the nature of dark matter? Can we use gravitational waves to look at the first picoseconds of the universe? And how does this connect to the above mentioned collider and low-energy phenomenological questions?
Quantum Field Theory:
The discovery that Standard Model-like theories can be fundamental and predictive up to highest energies without being asymptotically free has opened a door into uncharted territory. This area of research will explore the possibilities of constructing such theories with and without gravity, and explore their phenomenological consequences. Related to this, we will study conceptual questions such as the coupling of quantum gravity to matter and the self-interactions of gravitons (graviton vertices), requirements imposed by unitarity, and the landscape of consistent quantum gravity theories.
Research is carried out in three scientific areas: Collider and Low-Energy Phenomenology (CLEP), Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (PAC), and Fixed Points in Quantum Field Theory (QFT). In all three areas, our work aims at pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge and links to major outstanding challenges in fundamental sciences.
Collider and Low Energy Phenomenology:
Particle collisions at the energy frontier, presented by the Large Hadron Collider, allow to produce or rule out conjectured new particles thousands of times heavier than the proton. At intensity frontier, extremely precise measurements of particle interactions allow us to probe for even heavier particles in an indirect fashion. Here we explore and combine both directions to unravel the structure of the world at smaller distances than ever, asking questions such as: what makes the known particles so much lighter than the Planck mass of quantum gravity? Is there a unified theory of matter and forces? And how can we best use present and future experiments to shine light on them? A significant part of our effort is to develop and apply new cutting-edge techniques to make precise theoretical predictions for experiments, in order to maximize the potential of experiments such as the CERN large hadron collider to make new discoveries.
Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology:
One of the most active areas of research in the past decade has been at the interface between particle physics and cosmology. In order to understand the history of the Universe we must understand physical laws in the first moments of the Big Bang, when temperatures and particle energies were huge. Conversely, by detailed observations of the universe today we can trace back the conditions and make deductions about physical laws at high energies. Our research will tackle big questions about the universe such as: Why is there more matter than antimatter? What is the nature of dark matter? Can we use gravitational waves to look at the first picoseconds of the universe? And how does this connect to the above mentioned collider and low-energy phenomenological questions?
Quantum Field Theory:
The discovery that Standard Model-like theories can be fundamental and predictive up to highest energies without being asymptotically free has opened a door into uncharted territory. This area of research will explore the possibilities of constructing such theories with and without gravity, and explore their phenomenological consequences. Related to this, we will study conceptual questions such as the coupling of quantum gravity to matter and the self-interactions of gravitons (graviton vertices), requirements imposed by unitarity, and the landscape of consistent quantum gravity theories.