Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Loop Corrections from the Theory of Motives

Project description

Bridging physics and mathematics to accurately predict particle interactions

Understanding how particles interact at the most fundamental level is crucial for making accurate predictions in high-energy physics experiments, such as those conducted at the Large Hadron Collider. Scattering amplitudes – the mathematical quantities that encode these interactions – are key to this process. However, it is challenging to calculate them, especially when including quantum corrections. Over the past decade, a new approach using the theory of motives (a modern branch of mathematics) has advanced this field. The ERC-funded LoCoMotive project aims to further explore this connection, uncovering how geometry shapes particle interactions while developing innovative computational techniques. LoCoMotive’s multidisciplinary research seeks to advance quantum field theory and provide essential predictions for current and future collider experiments.

Objective

The interactions between the elementary particles are encoded into a set of mathematical quantities called scattering amplitudes. Consequently, they are key to making predictions for physical observables that match the precision achieved by current and future high-energy experiments. Due to our ignore of the mathematics involved, computing loop quantum corrections to scattering amplitudes is still a major challenge today, and calls for innovative and groundbreaking new techniques.

Over the last decade, a new field of research that studies scattering amplitudes through the lens of a certain branch of modern mathematics, the so-called theory of motives, has led to breakthroughs in how we compute loop quantum corrections. LoCoMotive will bring the connection between scattering amplitudes and modern mathematics to the next level. It will investigate in detail what the theory of motives teaches us about the structure of scattering amplitudes. Its final aim is to achieve a global change of perspective on the mathematical underpinnings of the laws of nature and develop novel computational techniques for scattering amplitudes that are currently beyond reach of conventional state-of-the-art technology. Inspired by cutting-edge research in seemingly-disconnected areas in mathematics and physics, LoCoMotive will
1) perform the computations needed to reveal how concepts from geometry govern the fundamental interactions.
2) play a decisive role in providing the theoretical predictions needed for the LHC and future collider experiments.
3) act as a catalyser for new research in mathematics.

To sum up, LoCoMotive is a timely proposal with a unique multi-disciplinary character, whose results will bridge a gap between formal theory and concrete phenomenological results. It will have a major impact on formal aspects of quantum field theory and possibly even pure mathematics, and provide highly-needed theoretical predictions for the LHC experiments.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

(opens in new window) ERC-2021-COG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN
Net EU contribution
€ 1 999 878,00
Address
REGINA PACIS WEG 3
53113 Bonn
Germany
Region
Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 1 999 878,00

Beneficiaries (1)