Search for Physics Beyond Standard Model at LHC

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

The standard model of particle physics has been very successful in predicting how weak, electromagnetic and strong interactions behave up to energies so far accessible at present accelerators (1 TeV at the Tevatron at Fermilab in Chicago). However many fundamental questions are not addressed in the standard model and the standard model does not incorporate the fact that the neutrino, the lightest particle of spin 1/2, has a small mass. Two candidates for explaining some of the puzzles that exist are extending the standard model by doubling the number of particles via using a Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, which adds a particle of integer spin to every particle of 1/2 integer spin. Thus associated with the electron, which has spin 1/2, would be a scalar particle (0 spin) called the selectron. (This particle has not yet been found). Another approach is to assume our world is a lower dimensional surface (or membrane) in a higher dimensional space. This proposal by two groups, one at the Bartol Research Institute led by Qaisir Shafi and one at the Center for Theoretical Physics at the British University in Cairo, Dr. S. Khalil is to enable four Scientists from each institution to visit the other institution each year in order to foster their collaborative research on Large Hadron Collider related physics. As further "glue" for the collaboration the proposal is for a Post-doc to be hired at the Center for Theoretical Physics to work full time on the proposed project. The two teams will investigate both types of extensions of the standard model. This investigation is very important because next year at CERN in Geneva Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will start operation and will hopefully find new phenomena that will suggest what the extensions of the Standard Model should be. Other ways of accessing the highest energies come from astrophysical observation of the cosmic background radiation, and by understanding the cosmological implications of extensions of the standard model. More specifically, this group of scientists intends to investigate supersymmetric extensions of the SM and their potential signatures at colliders, in Astrophysical observations and cosmological implications. In particular they intend to study the question of whether Supersymmetry can significantly modify the CP asymmetry in B-decays compared to the SM picture. They also plan to perform a complete analysis for the minimal extension of the SM gauge symmetry that can accommodate the phenomenon of neutrino flavor oscillations, which has been confirmed by many experiments. The broader implications of this are many. The exchange of students will be an excellent cross-cultural experience for the students. Scientists trained in different cultures often have different ways of approaching solving a problem. The training of a young post-doc in Egypt who will interact strongly with the American scientists involved will enhance the training of this person and strengthen High Energy Physics research in Egypt. The partnership between the Physicists at Bartol and the Center for theoretical physics has been very fruitful in the past and its continuation would be very fruitful for advances in the field. This project is being supported by the U.S. Egypt Joint Board for Science and Technology which is funding both the U.S. and Egyptian sides of the collaboration.