Electroweak and Strong Interactions at Very High Energies: Precision Tests of the Standard Model and Beyond

该奖项资助了纽约州立大学布法罗分校的Doreen Wackeroth教授的研究活动。粒子物理研究已经进入了一个激动人心的时代：欧洲核子研究中心的大型强子对撞机（LHC）成功地对撞了质子束，使人们能够在最基本的层面上探索物质和控制其性质的物理定律。尽管标准模型（SM）在描述所有实验观察到的物质成分的电磁、弱和强相互作用方面取得了巨大的成功，但人们普遍认为，标准模型仅仅是一个更基本理论的低能量近似，该理论有望在大型强子对撞机上以新的、非SM粒子和相互作用的形式出现。此外，关于SM还有一个有待实验证实的预测：希格斯粒子的存在，它被认为与观测到的电弱对称性破缺现象有关。如果SM希格斯玻色子存在，它将无法逃脱大型强子对撞机的探测。然而，为了从LHC数据中提取有意义的信息，LHC相关过程的理论预测精度必须超过预期的实验精度。因此，这个项目将包括改进目前对这些过程的预测。具体来说，PI将在微扰理论中执行高阶截面的计算，并在蒙特卡罗程序中实现这些改进的计算。预计该项目还将产生更广泛的重大影响。提出的计算具有挑战性，将为研究生提供先进的研究经验和超越粒子物理研究范围的宝贵技能。这些研究活动将与世界各地的科学家合作进行，并将进一步推动美国与国际的联合科学努力。PI还将继续组织包括物理系物理与艺术展览在内的活动，旨在向K-12和本科生以及公众传达基础研究的兴奋。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Doreen Wackeroth at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.Particle physics research has entered an exciting era: The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is successfully colliding proton beams at energies that allow for the exploration of matter and the laws of physics that govern its properties at the most fundamental level. Despite the enormous success of the Standard Model (SM) in describing all experimentally observed electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions of the constituents of matter, it is generally accepted that the SM is merely a low-energy approximation to a more fundamental theory which is expected to reveal itself at the LHC in form of the emergence of new, non-SM particles and interactions. Moreover, there is still one prediction of the SM that awaits experimental confirmation: the existence of a Higgs particle, which is thought to be associated with the observed phenonenon of electroweak symmetry breaking. If the SM Higgs boson exists, it will not escape detection at the LHC. However, in order to extract meaningful information from LHC data, the theoretical predictions for relevant LHC processes must be of a precision that exceeds anticipated experimental precision. This project will therefore consist of improving the current predictions for such processes. Specifically, the PI will perform calculations of cross sections at higher orders in perturbation theory and implement these improved calculations in Monte Carlo programs.This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. The proposed calculations are challenging and will provide the graduate students involved with an advanced research experience and with skills valuable beyond the scope of particle-physics research. These research activities will be pursued in collaboration with scientists worldwide, and will further US-international joint scientific efforts. The PI will also continue to organize activities involving the Physics Department's Physics & Arts Exhibition, which aims to convey the excitement of fundamental research to K-12 and undergraduate students as well as to the general public.