Probing New Physics at the Large Hadron Collider and Gravitational Wave Interferometers

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This award funds the research activities of Professor Peisi Huang at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Large Hadron Collider is a vast underground machine that scatters beams of protons against each other to study the fundamental constituents of matter, known as elementary particles. Given huge amounts of data from the Large Hadron Collider and generations of colliders before it, we currently have a fairly robust understanding of the elementary particles and the forces between them --- knowledge encapsulated within the so-called Standard Model of particle physics. However, there is overwhelming evidence that there is new physics beyond the Standard Model. Professor Huang's research aims to utilize the current and future experimental probes to advance our understanding of this new physics. As such, Professor Huang's research advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in one of its most fundamental directions: the discovery and understanding of new physical laws. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. The proposed research will provide training opportunities for a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students. Professor Huang will also aim to increase participation in STEM by making a special effort to involve women, other underrepresented minorities, and first-generation college students. More technically, the proposed research will involve theoretical calculations and utilize data from ongoing experimental programs, including the Large Hadron Collider and Gravitational Interferometers, to advance understanding of fundamental physics beyond the current paradigm. First, Dr. Huang will investigate how to maximize the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider, with a focus on Higgs physics. Second, Dr. Huang will leverage gravitational wave observatories to probe new physics beyond the Standard Model, focusing on establishing a connection between gravitational wave physics and flavor physics. Third, Dr. Huang will build new physics models to address the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe.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.