RUI: Lorentz and CPT Violation in Particles and in Gravity

该奖项资助加州理工州立大学Matthew Mewes教授的研究活动。洛伦兹不变性是一种数学原理，它意味着物理定律不依赖于测试它们的实验的速度或方向。洛伦兹不变性是我们对自然的两个最基本的描述--粒子物理的标准模型和广义相对论--的一个特征。标准模型在非常小的距离尺度上提供了亚原子粒子和物理的完整特征，而广义相对论解释了重力，并在大尺度上相关。物理学家认为，这两种理论可以结合成一个包罗万象的统一理论。然而，几十年的研究未能产生一个明确的统一理论。Mewes教授的研究集中在一种解决这个问题的方法上，该方法涉及到Lorentz不变性本身的可能崩溃。这种崩溃可能源于统一理论，而任何洛伦兹不变性违犯的检测都将提供有价值的线索，有助于揭示统一理论。这项研究的目标是扩展现有的潜在洛伦兹不变性违反的理论描述，并识别它们所产生的实验特征。这项研究通过促进科学最基本的方向之一--发现和理解新的物理定律--来促进国家利益。此外，这项工作的一部分将对本科生开放，并将为加州大学保利分校的物理专业学生提供研究机会。加州大学保利分校是一所以本科为主的院校。参与这项研究的学生将获得宝贵的接触理论物理的机会。更严格地说，Mewes教授的目标是填补被称为标准模型扩展的理论框架中的几个空白。标准模型扩展提供了粒子和重力中洛伦兹不变性破坏的一般描述。其中一个目标是研究重力的影响。标准模型扩展的重力部分包括许多不同类型的洛伦兹违规行为，其中许多尚未得到充分描述。这项工作将扩展现有的形式主义，并检查引力波和牛顿引力的影响。这项研究还将研究粒子违规的影响，特别是相互作用和中微子。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award funds the research activities of Professor Matthew Mewes at California Polytechnic State University.Lorentz invariance is the mathematical principle which implies that the laws of physics do not depend on the speed or orientation of the experiment through which they are tested. Lorentz invariance is a feature of our two most fundamental descriptions of Nature, the Standard Model of particle physics and General Relativity. The Standard Model provides a complete characterization of subatomic particles and physics on very small distance scales, while General Relativity explains gravity and is relevant on large scales. Physicists believe that these two theories can be combined into a single all-encompassing unified theory. However, decades of research have failed to produce a definitive unified theory. The research of Professor Mewes focuses on an approach to this problem that involves a possible breakdown of Lorentz invariance itself. This breakdown might arise from a unifying theory, and any detection of Lorentz-invariance violation would provide valuable clues that could help uncover the unifying theory. The goal of this research project is to extend the existing theoretical description of potential Lorentz-invariance violations and to identify their resulting experimental signatures. This research advances the national interest by promoting science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of new physical laws. Moreover, parts of this work will be accessible to undergraduates and will provide research opportunities for physics majors at Cal Poly, a primarily undergraduate institution. Students involved in this research will gain valuable exposure to theoretical physics.More technically, Professor Mewes aims to fill several gaps in the theoretical framework known as the Standard-Model-Extension. The Standard-Model Extension provides a general description of Lorentz-invariance violation in particles and in gravity. One goal is to study the effects in gravity. The gravity sector of the Standard-Model Extension includes many different types of Lorentz violations, many of which have yet to be fully characterized. This work will extend the existing formalism and examine the effects in gravitational waves and Newtonian gravity. This research will also study the effects of violations in particles, with particular focus on interactions and on neutrinos.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.