The Higgs Boson as a Probe of Physics Beyond the Standard Model

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The discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012 generated international headlines. A new fundamental particle had been discovered, and the theory that explains the vast majority of phenomena that we see around us, the Standard Model (SM), had been completed. Yet, there are still puzzles that the SM leaves unsolved. One of these puzzles, the hierarchy problem, is that within the SM, the mass of the Higgs boson requires a dramatic cancellation of independent parameters, but this problem can be solved if there are new phenomena and particles to be discovered at the LHC.***Many more Higgs bosons will be produced at the LHC, and I will work with the other Higgs experts in the Carleton University theoretical and experimental particle physics groups to explore novel techniques to study the properties of the recently discovered boson. Detailed characterization of this particle has the potential to uncover new phenomena not described by the Standard Model. One particularly interesting way the Higgs decays is to four leptons (electrons, and its heavier cousin the muon), and I plan to build on my previous work exploring this decay to show how it can be used as a probe of many interesting theories, some of which can solve the hierarchy problem.***The LHC and its detector are incredibly complex machines where millions of proton-proton collision events occur every second. Therefore, when looking for new physics, it is very important to have a sense of what to look for. In addition to studying the Higgs, I will develop theoretical models, including some that involve modifications of the properties of the Higgs, that produce exotic new signatures at the LHC that are not currently being searched for. Furthermore, I will work with students to study different ways that these models can be explored by experiments. These models will be inspired by solving the hierarchy problem, the dark matter puzzle, and other open questions about nature that the SM does not address. My previous research on emerging jets led to a new avenue of research at the LHC experiments, and a continuation of this program will help ensure that if a groundbreaking discovery awaits us in the LHC data, it will not be missed.***Finally, if there is a discovery, I will develop methods to characterize it with new measurements at the LHC. In addition, I will also build models to describe the new physics and put it in the context of the SM as well as well-motivated theories that go beyond the SM. Any discovery will lead to a new insight into the workings of our universe, but it will also lead to many mysteries, and I will work towards developing techniques that allow us to gain a deeper understanding of nature.**