From LHC to grand unification
Operation of the LHC at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has brought particle physics to an unprecedented teraelectronvolt energy frontier. In this LHC era, study of a number of topics is very important both for precisely testing the Standard Model (SM) itself and discovering new physics beyond the SM. The 'Unification in the LHC era' (UNILHC) project focused on identifying the physics beyond the SM of strong, weak and electromagnetic forces. It ultimately sought to provide a fully unified description of the fundamental states of matter and their interactions. Basic research topics included probing mass origin at the LHC, searching for supersymmetry, studying flavour physics and exploring new space dimensions. Researchers also addressed cosmological and astrophysical challenges for physics beyond the SM, string theory and string phenomenology, and quantum gravity. Significant progress was achieved in all main research directions. In particular, researchers found new ways to address the mass hierarchy problem, investigated dark matter candidates and found new discrete symmetries in SM extensions. Results were also obtained for Fermion masses and neutrino oscillations from non-abelian discrete symmetries. Furthermore, work resulted in new inflationary models and density perturbations as well as effective field theories of string compactifications. The network was structured to develop research and complementary skills of the young researchers, ensure their mobility and widen their career prospects. Beyond the publication of 1 400 papers, project members disseminated project results at more than 500 international scientific events, including conferences, workshops and network schools.
Keywords
Large Hadron Collider, particle physics, Standard Model, electromagnetic force, mass origin, string theory, quantum gravity, dark matter
