The astroparticle road to new physics
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Imagine living your life in a 5-person household where you don't know the names or faces of your 4 housemates. This is the situation astronomers and particle physicists find themselves in right now with the matter in our own Milky Way Galaxy. Dark matter makes up over 80% of the Milky Way, and the Universe as a whole, but we still don't know what it actually is.
Many theories predict that this mystery is in some way associated with the Higgs boson, the origin of mass, and the existence of an as-yet-undiscovered symmetry about to be unveiled at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). My research aims to uncover the identity of dark matter, and the broader particle theory responsible for it.
Using cutting-edge statistical techniques only developed in the last few years, my research program will combine the results of searches for dark matter and new symmetries from a huge number of different experiments. These range from the LHC to smaller particle colliders, gamma-ray telescopes, cosmic antimatter probes, ultra-clean experiments in the world's deepest mines, and a neutrino telescope embedded in the Antarctic ice at the South Pole. The result will be the first truly comprehensive analysis of theories for dark matter and new physics, painting a much clearer picture of what dark matter is, and what it isn't. Excitingly, this research program may identify many more new, related particles than just dark matter, and give predictions for others to be discovered in the near future. The statistical and computational tools that I develop for this research program will also serve the broader particle and astrophysics communities during and beyond my fellowship, as they will be available as public, open source projects.
Many theories predict that this mystery is in some way associated with the Higgs boson, the origin of mass, and the existence of an as-yet-undiscovered symmetry about to be unveiled at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). My research aims to uncover the identity of dark matter, and the broader particle theory responsible for it.
Using cutting-edge statistical techniques only developed in the last few years, my research program will combine the results of searches for dark matter and new symmetries from a huge number of different experiments. These range from the LHC to smaller particle colliders, gamma-ray telescopes, cosmic antimatter probes, ultra-clean experiments in the world's deepest mines, and a neutrino telescope embedded in the Antarctic ice at the South Pole. The result will be the first truly comprehensive analysis of theories for dark matter and new physics, painting a much clearer picture of what dark matter is, and what it isn't. Excitingly, this research program may identify many more new, related particles than just dark matter, and give predictions for others to be discovered in the near future. The statistical and computational tools that I develop for this research program will also serve the broader particle and astrophysics communities during and beyond my fellowship, as they will be available as public, open source projects.
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- HARVARD UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- University of Zurich (Collaboration)
- Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire de Clermont-Ferrand (Collaboration)
- University of Oslo (Collaboration)
- University of Utah (Collaboration)
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (Collaboration)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (Collaboration)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Collaboration)
- National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) (Collaboration)
- Stockholm University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- University of Amsterdam (Collaboration)
- Fermilab - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of Adelaide (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY (Collaboration)
- Monash University (Collaboration)
- University of Queensland (Fellow)
People |
ORCID iD |
Pat Scott (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Williams A
(2017)
Combined analysis of effective Higgs portal dark matter models
Vincent AC
(2015)
Possible indication of momentum-dependent asymmetric dark matter in the sun.
in Physical review letters
Vincent A
(2016)
Updated constraints on velocity and momentum-dependent asymmetric dark matter
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Vincent A
(2015)
Generalised form factor dark matter in the Sun
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Vincent A
(2014)
Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
The GAMBIT Collaboration
(2017)
Supplementary Data: Global Fits Of Gut-Scale Susy Models With Gambit (Arxiv:1705.07935)
in Zenodo
The GAMBIT Collaboration
(2017)
Supplementary Data: A Global Fit Of The Mssm With Gambit (Arxiv:1705.07917)
in Zenodo
The GAMBIT Collaboration
(2017)
Supplementary Data: Global Fits Of Gut-Scale Susy Models With Gambit (Arxiv:1705.07935)
in Zenodo
The GAMBIT Collaboration
(2017)
Supplementary Data: A Global Fit Of The Mssm With Gambit (Arxiv:1705.07917)
in Zenodo
The GAMBIT Collaboration
(2017)
Supplementary Data: Global Fits Of Gut-Scale Susy Models With Gambit (Arxiv:1705.07935)
in Zenodo
Description | I have performed the most comprehensive evaluations of the three most promising theories for the identity of dark matter: supersymmetry, Higgs-portal dark matter, and axions. |
Exploitation Route | - Used to perform experimental searches for new particles - Used to make new predictions of experimental signatures of new particles - Used to guide the development of new theories for the identity of dark matter and other new particles - Numerical algorithms used to perform optimisation |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Construction Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Electronics Energy Environment Financial Services and Management Consultancy Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Retail Transport |
Description | My predictions for the sensitivity of CTA to dark matter signals have been used by other researchers to assess the ability of the proposed instrument to detect dark matter. My measurements of the chemical composition of the Sun have been used to provide a definitional baseline for studies of a wide range of astronomical objects. My calculations of conductive heat transport by dark matter have provided theoretical input required for testing specific dark matter models. My particle physics global fits have provided the most complete tests to date of the leading theories for new particles. |
First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
Sector | Other |
Description | Imperial College PhD Scholarship (as supervisor of James McKay) |
Amount | £110,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2015 |
End | 07/2018 |
Title | GAMBIT |
Description | The Global and Modular Beyond-the-Standard Model Inference Tool |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Produced many new global analyses of theories for new particles and forces. |
URL | http://gambit.hepforge.org |
Title | nulike |
Description | A computer code to calculate the impact of neutrino telescope data on dark matter theories. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | The new tool allowed the IceCube Collaboration to produce the strongest limits to date on the interactions of dark matter with nuclei. |
URL | http://nulike.hepforge.org |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | Fermilab - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory |
Country | United States |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | Harvard University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire de Clermont-Ferrand |
Department | Physics |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | Monash University |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | National Center for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS) |
Department | Laboratoire d'Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique Théorique (LAPTh) |
Country | France |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | Stockholm University |
Country | Sweden |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Adelaide |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of California, Santa Cruz |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Glasgow |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Oslo |
Country | Norway |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Sydney |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Utah |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | GAMBIT |
Organisation | University of Zurich |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I lead the Collaboration, and take responsibility for organising its core physics and software development work, as well as carrying out large parts of that work. |
Collaborator Contribution | Different partners contribute to different specific areas of the software development and physics analyses, according to their skills and expertise. Representatives of e.g. ATLAS, Fermi, CDMS and other particle/astroparticle experiments take care of the software development work pertaining to their particular experiment and/or sub-field. |
Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: - Astronomy - Statistics - Computer Science - Theoretical Particle Physics - Experimental Particle Physics - Theoretical Astroparticle Physics - Experimental Astroparticle Physics |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Physics World article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I wrote published the magazine article "When supercomputers go over to the dark side", Physics World, pp. 42-46, March 2017, together with colleague Martin White. This has sparked a lot of interest in my research project from colleagues in other areas of physics, and from members of the general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://live.iop-pp01.agh.sleek.net/2017/02/26/when-supercomputers-go-over-to-the-dark-side/ |