Research in Elementary Particle Theory and Physics Theorynet Program

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

In the near future the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will come on line providing an unprecedented opportunity for particle theorists to probe the nature of fundamental interactions in the Tera-electronvolt region. The PIs present a detailed program for the analysis of event signatures at the LHC that would provide the key to the discovery of new physics. Analysis of such new physics in the framework of grand unified theories (GUTS), string theories, and theories based on D branes are proposed, including issues related to quark-charged lepton- neutrino textures and proton stability. Updated signatures for detection of possible TeV-scale black holes will be explored. The effects of possible TeV-scale string excitations in multi-gluon scattering amplitudes underlying multi-jet production processes will be investigated. It is also proposed to test models of CP violation in sparticle (Supersymmetric partners of Standard model particles) production and decays (in the CMS and the ATLAS detectors) at the LHC and from the data on B decays from LHCb. Additionally, physics of extra U(1)'s which may be the remnants of GUTs and strings below the symmetry breaking scale will be investigated. In the field of particle astrophysics, a major neutrino telescope (IceCube) will be operating at full acceptance in several years, and a number of high energy gamma ray facilities are online now or will be so in the very near future. The research proposed will show how measurements at these installations, as well as at the Pierre Auger Laboratory ground array, can permit simultaneous advances in astrophysics and particle physics, probing TeV scale black holes, quantum decoherence, non-seesaw origin of light neutrino masses and neutrino stability. The proposed research projects of this proposal will contribute in an important way to the discovery of new physics beyond the Standard Model. Such a discovery will have important implications for the development of high energy theory, string theory and particle-astrophysics in the coming decades. One of the PIs, Tomasz Taylor,is the coordinator of the Boston Theorynet outreach program. This program aims at explaining to general audiences what theoretical physicists do to students in high school classrooms and to teachers in individual meetings with theorists. Its main component is the direct interaction between physicists, high school students and teachers, through question and answer sessions and presentations during regular class hour visits and after class.