Research in Elementary Particle Theory

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

This award funds the research activities of Professors Pran Nath, Brent D. Nelson, and Tomasz R. Taylor at Northeastern University. Thus far, data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been highly successful and has led to the discovery of the Higgs boso, which was the last missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics. However, future data expected from the LHC will explore the nature of physics beyond the Standard Model. As part of their research, Professors Nath, Nelson, and Taylor will conduct studies aimed at finding clues of such new physics in upcoming data from the LHC and well as in astrophysical data. In their work, Professors Nath, Nelson, and Taylor will use models based on a symmetry known as "supersymmetry" which relates particles of different spins to each other, and on string theory, an approach to physics at very high energies which purports to unify all forces of nature, including gravity. This area of research serves the national interest as it advances our knowledge of the fundamental laws of nature at the frontiers of current knowledge. In addition, there is a strong educational component to this research. Several Ph.D. thesis students will be involved in these research projects. Likewise, Professors Nath, Nelson, and Taylor will disseminate their research through publications, conference and workshop presentations, and popular lectures. In addition, an important element of the proposal is "TheoryNet". This is an outreach program consisting of direct interactions between Boston-Area theorists and high-school students, through lecture presentations and demonstrations. More technically, Professors Nath, Nelson, and Taylor will conduct studies of dark matter in unified models based on supergravity and strings which contain possible dark-matter candidates, including those in a hidden sector. They will also conduct further theoretical work related to unified models based on strings and F-theory and they will conduct further investigations into the structure of string amplitudes. They will also investigate areas where particle theory overlaps with cosmology, specifically in the study of inflation and dark energy, and search for a unified framework for both. Finally, they will develop strategies to search for new physics in precision analyses which have the potential to probe physics at scales far beyond the reach of current or future accelerators. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.