Project description
A novel framework to study phenomena beyond the Standard Model
The discovery of a new particle or interactions in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) would step up the hunt for physics beyond the Standard Model. The success of such efforts hinges on high-precision experimental data and theoretical predictions as well as the existence of a robust framework to globally interpret all subtle deviations from the Standard Model predictions that could arise. The EU-funded PBSP project will focus on the development of such a framework. The research will cover several areas of particle physics such as proton structures and effective quantum field theories and include a comprehensive study of beyond the Standard Model phenomenology. The project aims to demonstrate that the interplay between new searches and the non-perturbative structure of colliding protons is essential to fully exploit the LHC physics potential.
Objective
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is leading the exploration of the high-energy frontier. Its high-luminosity phase is just around the corner and the validity of our current theory of elementary particles, the Standard Model (SM), will be probed to an unprecedented level. The hunt for physics beyond the SM will be pursued via direct searches of new particles that are light enough to be produced at the LHC. At the same time new physics could manifest itself indirectly through deviations from SM theoretical predictions, induced by new particles whose masses are well above the scale probed by the LHC. The success of indirect searches requires the highest possible level of precision in three complementary components: experimental data, theoretical predictions and - crucially - a robust framework to globally interpret all subtle deviations from the SM predictions that might arise.
PBSP will provide such a framework by:
1. quantitatively establishing whether high-scale new physics effects can be mimicked by low-scale non-perturbative physics, and therefore inadvertently absorbed into the parametrisation of the proton structure
2. devising a new framework to deliver a global fit of a model-independent parametrisation of high-scale new physics, including several datasets that provide complementary experimental information
3. expanding such a framework to exploit the precise LHC measurements to constrain simultaneously the structure of the proton and new physics degrees of freedom
PBSP involves several areas of particle physics, ranging from fits to the proton’s structure to effective quantum field theories and a comprehensive study of beyond the SM phenomenology. My ERC-funded project will demonstrate that the interplay between indirect new physics searches and the knowledge of the non-perturbative structure of colliding protons is essential to fully exploit the LHC physics potential.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
CB2 1TN Cambridge
United Kingdom