Searching for Physics Beyond the Standard Model

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award funds the research activities of Professor Peter W. Graham at Stanford University. The Standard Model of Particle Physics has been tremendously successful, yet leaves many questions unanswered. Data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has begun to reveal the physics of the TeV scale but there is much still to be discovered, including the nature of dark matter and the resolution of the hierarchy problem. Professor Graham will calculate the consequences of recent LHC results for well-motivated theories of physics beyond the Standard Model, such as supersymmetry. It is anticipated that this project will lead to the discovery of new types of experimental signals that can be probed at the LHC, including different types of displaced vertices and fractionally charged particles. Additionally, Professor Graham will design a new type of dark-matter detector. While a large number of experiments are searching for Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter, it is very difficult to search for the equally well-motivated axion dark matter, and indeed most of the allowed parameter space for axion dark matter remains unreachable by current experiments. Professor Graham will propose new signals of axions and axion-like particles, including a time-oscillating nuclear electric dipole moment (EDM), and will design a detector based on nuclear magnetic resonance technology to search for this oscillating EDM. This project will also have significant broader impacts. Professor Graham will be actively involved in science education, including designing curricula and courses for undergraduate and graduate students. He will also have significant involvement with K-12 physics education. Professor Graham has developed strong connections with several local public elementary schools and will work actively on promoting awareness and understanding of modern topics in physics research. This includes directly educating the students and teachers, running labs in the classroom, and giving tours of modern physics laboratories. Professor Graham will also work actively with graduate students and postdocs on research, training them to become theoretical particle physicists. He will also continue to make connections with other subfields of physics, including astrophysics, atomic physics, and condensed-matter physics, bringing closer collaboration amongst these different fields.