Proposal for IPPP Consolidated Grant (2023-2026)
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Particle physics research informs us about the nature of matter on microscopic scales. As we step down the length scales below the length scale of the atom, 10^(-10) meters, and past the length scale of the atomic nucleus, 10^(-15) meters, we enter the realm of particle physics. In this realm, there are three well-identified interactions. First, the strong interactions are responsible for the binding of quarks and gluons to produce protons, neutrons, and other particles collectively called hadrons. Second, the electroweak interactions, responsible for the radiation of photons (light) from matter and the radiation of the weak force carriers, the W and Z bosons, were discovered at CERN in 1983. Third, the interactions of the Higgs bosons. The Higgs boson was discovered at CERN in 2012. The interactions of all of these ingredients are controlled by a mathematical structure known as the Standard Model (SM) gauge theory of electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions. This theory has so far withstood all the challenges posed by various accelerators, of which the latest and most energetic is the LHC. The SM is confirmed - with the unification of electromagnetism and weak interactions proved and tested to one part per mille. Strong interaction effects have been tested to the per cent level.
Since 2015, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been accelerating and colliding protons at much higher energies than ever before, close to the design energy of 14 TeV. This higher energy probes much shorter distance scales than ever before. The high energy reach of the LHC will also allow the detailed study of the Higgs boson and exploration of TeV scale physics. However, the LHC experiments are significantly more complex than any previous particle physics experiment. Identifying the nature of physics at the TeV scale will require intense collaborative efforts between experimentalists and theorists. On the theoretical side, high-precision calculations of SM processes are needed to distinguish possible signals of new physics from SM backgrounds. Possible hints of new physics need to be compared with different models of physics beyond the SM to disentangle TeV-scale physics' underlying structure. The IPPP has already established close connections with the UK and international experimental groups and is perfectly placed to help maximise the UK contribution to understanding the LHC data. There is also a strong effort in planning and designing the next generation of particle physics experiments. The IPPP will continue its role in assessing the physics potential and the design of future accelerators.
The Standard Model received remarkable confirmation in recent years with the discovery of the Higgs, a monumental leap forwards in understanding that happens maybe once a century. That discovery completed the Standard Model and offered the first look at electroweak symmetry breaking. And yet many deep questions have so far remained tantalisingly untouched. These questions range from the profoundly conceptual to the observational, and they are the most promising opportunities for progress. Indeed so far, no deviation from the Standard Model has been observed, and it seems that many of the more straightforward solutions to these questions are not realised as we thought they might be. Therefore, all possible avenues and ideas must be explored, with a multi-faceted approach that confronts theoretical expectations with the whole gamut of available evidence from astrophysical to (in)direct detection to the collider. Consequently, the IPPP will increase its research endeavours in the science questions that can be answered with non-collider experiments. This includes the search for light dark matter, axions, the study of stochastic gravitational waves spectra and non-perturbative phenomena.
Since 2015, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been accelerating and colliding protons at much higher energies than ever before, close to the design energy of 14 TeV. This higher energy probes much shorter distance scales than ever before. The high energy reach of the LHC will also allow the detailed study of the Higgs boson and exploration of TeV scale physics. However, the LHC experiments are significantly more complex than any previous particle physics experiment. Identifying the nature of physics at the TeV scale will require intense collaborative efforts between experimentalists and theorists. On the theoretical side, high-precision calculations of SM processes are needed to distinguish possible signals of new physics from SM backgrounds. Possible hints of new physics need to be compared with different models of physics beyond the SM to disentangle TeV-scale physics' underlying structure. The IPPP has already established close connections with the UK and international experimental groups and is perfectly placed to help maximise the UK contribution to understanding the LHC data. There is also a strong effort in planning and designing the next generation of particle physics experiments. The IPPP will continue its role in assessing the physics potential and the design of future accelerators.
The Standard Model received remarkable confirmation in recent years with the discovery of the Higgs, a monumental leap forwards in understanding that happens maybe once a century. That discovery completed the Standard Model and offered the first look at electroweak symmetry breaking. And yet many deep questions have so far remained tantalisingly untouched. These questions range from the profoundly conceptual to the observational, and they are the most promising opportunities for progress. Indeed so far, no deviation from the Standard Model has been observed, and it seems that many of the more straightforward solutions to these questions are not realised as we thought they might be. Therefore, all possible avenues and ideas must be explored, with a multi-faceted approach that confronts theoretical expectations with the whole gamut of available evidence from astrophysical to (in)direct detection to the collider. Consequently, the IPPP will increase its research endeavours in the science questions that can be answered with non-collider experiments. This includes the search for light dark matter, axions, the study of stochastic gravitational waves spectra and non-perturbative phenomena.
