Precision Physics in Finite and Infinite Volume
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Sch of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics has had great success in its many predictions, but in certain cases there appears to be
tension with experimental measurements. These discrepancies could be hints of physics hitherto unknown, so it is of great
importance to discover all flaws in the model. In this two-year project I will do timely and ambitious low-energy SM calculations
needed for precision tests that in the future can guide in the search for a new model.
This project is divided in two areas. The first focusses on flavour physics where quark interactions lead to
charge-parity violation, a phenomenon connected to the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe. I will
here study kaon decays in a finite-volume spacetime, including electromagnetic corrections. The major focus point will be how to
analytically convert finite-volume lattice results for these kaon decays to physical predictions. A key intermediate step will be the
understanding of pion-pion scattering including electromagnetic corrections, which on its own also is of interest for extraction of
scattering parameters from the lattice.
The second focus area concerns the muon magnetic moment for which a possible discrepancy with experiments has been
discovered. The main focus here will be on analytical calculations to reduce the error on the SM prediction. In one sub-project we will
derive the leading structure-dependent finite-volume effects for the hadronic vacuum polarisation allowing for future improved
precision tests from lattice QCD+QED of the quantity in question. In the other sub-project we will derive short-distance constraints on
the electroweak contribution to the muon magnetic moment with the help of the operator product expansion. These short-distance
constraints will reduce the current uncertainty on the electroweak contribution.
tension with experimental measurements. These discrepancies could be hints of physics hitherto unknown, so it is of great
importance to discover all flaws in the model. In this two-year project I will do timely and ambitious low-energy SM calculations
needed for precision tests that in the future can guide in the search for a new model.
This project is divided in two areas. The first focusses on flavour physics where quark interactions lead to
charge-parity violation, a phenomenon connected to the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe. I will
here study kaon decays in a finite-volume spacetime, including electromagnetic corrections. The major focus point will be how to
analytically convert finite-volume lattice results for these kaon decays to physical predictions. A key intermediate step will be the
understanding of pion-pion scattering including electromagnetic corrections, which on its own also is of interest for extraction of
scattering parameters from the lattice.
The second focus area concerns the muon magnetic moment for which a possible discrepancy with experiments has been
discovered. The main focus here will be on analytical calculations to reduce the error on the SM prediction. In one sub-project we will
derive the leading structure-dependent finite-volume effects for the hadronic vacuum polarisation allowing for future improved
precision tests from lattice QCD+QED of the quantity in question. In the other sub-project we will derive short-distance constraints on
the electroweak contribution to the muon magnetic moment with the help of the operator product expansion. These short-distance
constraints will reduce the current uncertainty on the electroweak contribution.
