Topics in Theoretical Physics

College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

Research in theoretical elementary particle physics will focus on the phenomenology of noncommutative spacetime, the physics of extra spatial dimensions, including higher-dimensional theories of particle masses, and six-quark cluster models of the deuteron. The first two topics deal with the possibility that the structure of spacetime itself may be altered at distance scales just beneath those currently accessible in experiments. This leads to novel particle physics signatures and provides a new framework for understanding the mysterious pattern of elementary particle masses. The third topic deals with a model for the short-distance structure of the deuteron (the nucleus of an isotope of hydrogen) that may lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of the strong nuclear force.