Pathways between Fundamental Physics and Phenomenology
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Mathematics
Abstract
The proposed research is part of a quest to understand Nature at its most fundamental level, leading to a single, complete and consistent theory of physics. At small distances the behaviour of matter and forces is governed by quantum mechanics. The subatomic electromagnetic, weak and strong forces have been well understood since the formulation of the Standard Model over 40 years ago. These forces and the particles they act upon are described by quantum field theory and it is crucial for mathematical consistency that the Standard Model incorporates a large amount of symmetry. The Standard Model has enjoyed spectacular experimental success, culminating in the 2012 discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the last particle predicted by the Standard Model that remained to be found.
Our current description of gravity is Einstein's very successful theory of General Relativity, which describes the motion of planets, stars and galaxies as well as the Universe as a whole. However General Relativity is not consistent with quantum mechanics and so cannot be combined with the Standard Model to provide a consistent theory of all the four forces. The Standard Model also fails to explain the hierarchy of mass scales in fundamental physics, the proliferation of particle types and the nature of the dark matter in the Universe, which is known to be present in large quantities but has not yet been detected.
It is widely believed that supersymmetry, which is a symmetry that exchanges fermions (such as the electron) with bosons (such as the photon), will play an important role in formulating a unified theory of the four forces. Supersymmetry predicts the existence of additional subatomic particles which have yet to be observed, and the search for these was an important motivation behind
the construction of the LHC. Indeed one of them could be dark matter, and hence play an important role structure formation in the universe. Other theories of physics beyond the Standard Model postulate that `elementary' particles are in fact extended, composite objects, or that there are more dimensions of space.
Strings are microscopic objects that are extended along one dimension and can vibrate, rather like strings on a violin. Although the underlying theory of strings and branes is not fully understood, their effects at low energies are completely described by supergravity theories and by studying these it has been realised that objects, called branes, and symmetries, called dualities, are important parts of the complete theory. Branes can be thought of as generalisations of strings to objects that are extended along more than one dimension. Remarkably, one finds that strings and branes can lead to consistent quantum theories in four dimensions that contain gravity as well as the Standard Model, while also offering prospects for novel physics beyond the Standard Model. Part of the proposed research aims to find and understand this underlying theory of string and branes.
Although quantum field theories have had spectacular theoretical and experimental success leading to the most accurately known confirmation between theory and experiment, there were, until the advent of supersymmetry, almost no quantities which have been computed exactly. Another part of our research is to further develop new techniques that have lead to the exact calculation of quite a number of important quantities in certain supersymmetric quantum field theories. This has lead to the hope that one can completely compute all quantities in such theories. We will also explore the possible consequences of strings and branes for physics beyond the Standard Model, and understanding what other new physics is being revealed by the LHC,astrophysical experiments and cosmology.
Our current description of gravity is Einstein's very successful theory of General Relativity, which describes the motion of planets, stars and galaxies as well as the Universe as a whole. However General Relativity is not consistent with quantum mechanics and so cannot be combined with the Standard Model to provide a consistent theory of all the four forces. The Standard Model also fails to explain the hierarchy of mass scales in fundamental physics, the proliferation of particle types and the nature of the dark matter in the Universe, which is known to be present in large quantities but has not yet been detected.
It is widely believed that supersymmetry, which is a symmetry that exchanges fermions (such as the electron) with bosons (such as the photon), will play an important role in formulating a unified theory of the four forces. Supersymmetry predicts the existence of additional subatomic particles which have yet to be observed, and the search for these was an important motivation behind
the construction of the LHC. Indeed one of them could be dark matter, and hence play an important role structure formation in the universe. Other theories of physics beyond the Standard Model postulate that `elementary' particles are in fact extended, composite objects, or that there are more dimensions of space.
Strings are microscopic objects that are extended along one dimension and can vibrate, rather like strings on a violin. Although the underlying theory of strings and branes is not fully understood, their effects at low energies are completely described by supergravity theories and by studying these it has been realised that objects, called branes, and symmetries, called dualities, are important parts of the complete theory. Branes can be thought of as generalisations of strings to objects that are extended along more than one dimension. Remarkably, one finds that strings and branes can lead to consistent quantum theories in four dimensions that contain gravity as well as the Standard Model, while also offering prospects for novel physics beyond the Standard Model. Part of the proposed research aims to find and understand this underlying theory of string and branes.
Although quantum field theories have had spectacular theoretical and experimental success leading to the most accurately known confirmation between theory and experiment, there were, until the advent of supersymmetry, almost no quantities which have been computed exactly. Another part of our research is to further develop new techniques that have lead to the exact calculation of quite a number of important quantities in certain supersymmetric quantum field theories. This has lead to the hope that one can completely compute all quantities in such theories. We will also explore the possible consequences of strings and branes for physics beyond the Standard Model, and understanding what other new physics is being revealed by the LHC,astrophysical experiments and cosmology.
Planned Impact
The proposed research will benefit most directly those working on theoretical physics, in particular on supersymmetry, string
theory, particle physics phenomenology, astro-particle physics and cosmology: more generally, those seeking to find a single consistent theory of physics. There are hundreds of researchers working on these topics in dozens of universities within the UK, and many more worldwide. The work involves some of the most advanced mathematics, and hence is also relevant to mathematicians, in particular those working on group theory, number theory and geometry. This research is also directly relevant to those working in other areas of physics, such as experimental searches for new particles at the LHC, astro-particle experiments, the formulation of cosmological models of inflation, dark matter and galaxy creation,and theories of novel states of matter such as superconductors.
Past work on theoretical physics has, in the fullness of time, been of considerable use to society, either as a direct result of
the new physics found, or as a consequence of the new mathematics and technical developments that were developed. These have led to direct inputs into industry. Certainly our work is in this tradition.
Beyond academia the UK benefits from the training of young researchers in the ability to solve hard and complex problems. Indeed cutting-edge theoretical physics attracts young intellectual talent from both within and outside the UK. In the current internationally competitive economic environment it is critical for the UK's economy for it to train and attract people with the highest levels of analytical and quantitative skills. It is common for our PhD students, and sometimes also for our post-docs, to apply their skills and training that they have learnt to industry such as the financial, technology and bio-medical sectors. The later case in particular represents a significant influx of highly skilled individuals into the UK work force as most of our Post-docs receive their PhD's outside the UK. Thus there is a clear and important impact of fundamental research on the UK economy through its ability to attract highly skilled and analytical scientists from across the globe. It is fair to say that a crucial feature of the modern UK's economic and social wealth is its international reputation as a world leader for independent thinking in both the academic and industrial sectors.
In addition to these economic factors, the general public has strong interest in the fundamental questions about our Universe. This has been stimulated by the research at the LHC and, in particular, the discovery of the Higgs boson. The general public therefore benefits continuing investigation into Nature at its smallest scales, as proposed here.
In summary, the UK can be proud of having one of the world's most prestigious scientific traditions, which has long been a cornerstone of the UK's intellectual health, economic wealth and culture. Our proposed research will continue this tradition.
theory, particle physics phenomenology, astro-particle physics and cosmology: more generally, those seeking to find a single consistent theory of physics. There are hundreds of researchers working on these topics in dozens of universities within the UK, and many more worldwide. The work involves some of the most advanced mathematics, and hence is also relevant to mathematicians, in particular those working on group theory, number theory and geometry. This research is also directly relevant to those working in other areas of physics, such as experimental searches for new particles at the LHC, astro-particle experiments, the formulation of cosmological models of inflation, dark matter and galaxy creation,and theories of novel states of matter such as superconductors.
Past work on theoretical physics has, in the fullness of time, been of considerable use to society, either as a direct result of
the new physics found, or as a consequence of the new mathematics and technical developments that were developed. These have led to direct inputs into industry. Certainly our work is in this tradition.
Beyond academia the UK benefits from the training of young researchers in the ability to solve hard and complex problems. Indeed cutting-edge theoretical physics attracts young intellectual talent from both within and outside the UK. In the current internationally competitive economic environment it is critical for the UK's economy for it to train and attract people with the highest levels of analytical and quantitative skills. It is common for our PhD students, and sometimes also for our post-docs, to apply their skills and training that they have learnt to industry such as the financial, technology and bio-medical sectors. The later case in particular represents a significant influx of highly skilled individuals into the UK work force as most of our Post-docs receive their PhD's outside the UK. Thus there is a clear and important impact of fundamental research on the UK economy through its ability to attract highly skilled and analytical scientists from across the globe. It is fair to say that a crucial feature of the modern UK's economic and social wealth is its international reputation as a world leader for independent thinking in both the academic and industrial sectors.
In addition to these economic factors, the general public has strong interest in the fundamental questions about our Universe. This has been stimulated by the research at the LHC and, in particular, the discovery of the Higgs boson. The general public therefore benefits continuing investigation into Nature at its smallest scales, as proposed here.
In summary, the UK can be proud of having one of the world's most prestigious scientific traditions, which has long been a cornerstone of the UK's intellectual health, economic wealth and culture. Our proposed research will continue this tradition.
Organisations
- King's College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Turin (Collaboration)
- LIGO Scientific Collaboration (Collaboration)
- Virgo Ego Scientific Forum (Collaboration)
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- European Commission (Collaboration)
- University of Bologna (Collaboration)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Collaboration)
Publications
Zhang J
(2021)
First Constraints on Nuclear Coupling of Axionlike Particles from the Binary Neutron Star Gravitational Wave Event GW170817.
in Physical review letters
Yunis R
(2020)
Galactic center constraints on self-interacting sterile neutrinos from fermionic dark matter ("ino") models
in Physics of the Dark Universe
West P
(2020)
Kac-Moody algebras and the cosmological constant
in Physics Letters B
Wang X
(2023)
Proposed Lunar Measurements of r-Process Radioisotopes to Distinguish the Origin of Deep-sea 244 Pu
in The Astrophysical Journal
Wang (???) X
(2021)
r-Process Radioisotopes from Near-Earth Supernovae and Kilonovae
in The Astrophysical Journal
Vaskonen V
(2020)
Lower bound on the primordial black hole merger rate
in Physical Review D
Sarkar S
(2022)
Anomalies, CPT and Leptogenesis
Sarkar S
(2022)
Anomalies, CPT and Leptogenesis
Sakurai K
(2020)
SUSY discovery prospects with MoEDAL
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Sabti N
(2021)
Addendum: Refined bounds on MeV-scale thermal dark sectors from BBN and the CMB
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Sabti N
(2021)
First constraints on small-scale non-Gaussianity from UV galaxy luminosity functions
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Sabti N
(2020)
Refined bounds on MeV-scale thermal dark sectors from BBN and the CMB
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Romero-Rodríguez A
(2022)
Search for a Scalar Induced Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background in the Third LIGO-Virgo Observing Run
in Physical Review Letters
Robles S
(2022)
Improved Treatment of Dark Matter Capture in Compact Stars
Robles S
(2023)
Improved treatment of dark matter capture in compact stars
in SciPost Physics Proceedings
Robles S
(2022)
A deep learning approach to halo merger tree construction
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Robles S
(2023)
Disentangling sub-GeV dark matter from the diffuse supernova neutrino background using Hyper-Kamiokande
in SciPost Physics Proceedings
Robles S
(2022)
A deep learning approach to halo merger tree construction
Rasouli S
(2020)
Late time cosmic acceleration in modified Sáez-Ballester theory
in Physics of the Dark Universe
Perkins H
(2023)
Could a Kilonova Kill: a Threat Assessment
Description | PT symmetric field theory |
Amount | £477,769 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/V002821/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2021 |
End | 06/2024 |
Description | AION |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Leading the theory activities within the collaboration |
Collaborator Contribution | Leading the theory activities within the collaboration |
Impact | See relevant sections of the form. AION is a multi-disciplinary collaboration bringing together experts from the cold atom communities, and particle physics theory and experiment communities. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | ATLAS Experiment (Bobby Acharya) |
Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
Department | CERN LHC ATLAS |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Phenomenology and Experiment |
Collaborator Contribution | Phenomenology and Experiment |
Impact | Discoveries in Particle Physics, as the Higgs Boson |
Start Year | 2008 |
Description | Einstein Telescope (Mairi Sakellariadou) |
Organisation | European Commission |
Department | Einstein Telescope |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Theoretical research |
Collaborator Contribution | Theoretical and experimental research |
Impact | Gravitational wave detector |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | LIGO Scientific Collaboration (Mairi Sakellariadou) |
Organisation | LIGO Scientific Collaboration |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Theoretical research |
Collaborator Contribution | Theoretical and experimental research |
Impact | Gravitational wave detector |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | MIGDAL |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Leading the theory activities within the collaboration. |
Collaborator Contribution | Leading the theory activities within the collaboration. |
Impact | See relevant sections of the form. MIGDAL is a multi-disciplinary collaboration bringing together experts from particle physics theory and experiment, atomic physics, and neutron beam physics |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | MoEDAL Collaboration - LHC - CERN |
Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
Department | CERN - Other |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Physics Coordinator |
Collaborator Contribution | Experimental and theoretical research |
Impact | Monopole detector built |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Quantum spectral curve for ABJM theory |
Organisation | University of Bologna |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Essential intellectual contribution: |
Collaborator Contribution | Essential intellectual contribution |
Impact | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.021601 One more in preparation |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | Quantum spectral curve for ABJM theory |
Organisation | University of Turin |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Essential intellectual contribution: |
Collaborator Contribution | Essential intellectual contribution |
Impact | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.021601 One more in preparation |
Start Year | 2013 |
Description | VIRGO EGO Scientific Forum (Mairi Sakellariadou) |
Organisation | Virgo Ego Scientific Forum |
Country | Global |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Theoretical research |
Collaborator Contribution | Theoretical and experimental research |
Impact | Gravitational wave detector |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Lecture and debates at philosophy conference, Hay-on-Wye |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Video lecture and debate |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Public meeting on Dark Matter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Presentation of the reasons why scientists believe there must be dark matter in the Universe, and discussion of some possible candidates |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Video lecture to African School of Physics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Video lecture to students from many African countries |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Video talks to Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lectures in Spanish on scientific patrimony and art |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |