Searching for Physics Beyond the Standard Model

粒子物理学的最终目标是找到“统一”的基本理论，以一种简单而优雅的方式描述宇宙中所有的粒子，以及它们相互作用的力。标准模型(SM)的发展迈出了第一步，它基本上解释了迄今为止所有的实验数据。然而，由于许多原因，我们认为SM不可能是整个故事的全部--SM之外一定有物理学。寻找这种新的物理(NP)是当今粒子物理学的关键问题。在我职业生涯的大部分时间里，我一直在参与这项工作，我提出的研究计划继续沿着这些方向进行：参与寻找新物理。欧洲核子研究中心(CERN)(瑞士日内瓦)粒子物理实验室的大型强子对撞机(LHC)有四个实验正在寻找NP的迹象。虽然没有看到NP的直接信号，即没有检测到新的非SM粒子，但其中一个实验LHCb观察到并证实了NP的几个间接暗示。也就是说，对可观测到的测量与SM的预测不一致，这表明对过程有实际的Np贡献。这些间接信号指向b夸克的两种不同的衰变，其中可能存在Np。在另一个观测到的介子反常磁矩中也有一个长期存在的反常现象。最后，宇宙27%的能量由暗物质(DM)组成，即只在引力作用下相互作用的新粒子。由于SM不包含任何DM候选者，DM的存在已经是NP的证明。底线是，目前，我们有几个实验结果表明在SM之外寻找物理。*在寻找NP时，(I)我们想确认实验数据确实为NP提供了明确的证据，(Ii)如果存在，我们想要识别NP。为此，有必要对实验结果提出NP解释，并提出区分相互竞争的解释的方法。寻找新的搜索NP信号的方法也很重要。我的研究涉及到所有这些方法。现在，粒子物理的研究纯粹是出于好奇心，我们只是想了解宇宙是如何运作的。了解什么是NP将在这方面有所帮助，但不会直接为社会带来改善。另一方面，从历史上看，在建造用于搜索核弹的对撞机和探测器方面，一直有许多技术进步。其中最著名的是20世纪80年代在欧洲核子研究中心发明的万维网，它导致了互联网的出现。*还有高素质人才的培训(HQP)。粒子物理学的研究开发了一套解决问题的技能，可以应用于许多其他领域。例如，我知道HQP现在在教学、计算机科学、金融、地理、林业、海洋学和医学成像领域工作。

The ultimate goal of particle physics is to find the fundamental theory of “unification” that describes all the particles of the universe, and the forces with which they interact, in a simple and elegant way. A first step was made with the development of the Standard Model (SM), which explains essentially all experimental data to date. However, for many reasons, we believe that the SM cannot be the whole story -- there must be physics beyond the SM. The search for this new physics (NP) is the crucial problem in particle physics today. I have been involved in this endeavour for most of my career, and my proposed research program continues along these lines: to participate in the search for new physics.******The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the particle-physics laboratory CERN (Geneva, Switzerland) has four experiments that are looking for signs of NP. While no direct signals of NP have been seen, i.e., no new, non-SM particles have been detected, one of the experiments, LHCb, has observed and confirmed several indirect hints of NP. That is, there are measurements of observables that disagree with the predictions of the SM, suggesting that there are virtual NP contributions to the processes.******These indirect signals point to two different decays of the b quark in which NP might be present. There is also a longstanding anomaly in another observable, the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Finally, 27% of the energy of the universe is made up of dark matter (DM), i.e., new particles that interact only gravitationally. As the SM does not contain any DM candidates, the existence of DM is already proof of NP. The bottom line is that, at present, we have several experimental results suggesting where to look for the physics beyond the SM.******In searching for NP, (i) we want to confirm that the experimental data does indeed provide clear evidence for NP, and (ii) if present, we want to identify the NP. To this end, it is necessary to propose NP explanations of the experimental results and suggest ways of differentiating competing explanations. It is also important to find new ways of searching for signals of NP. My research involves all of these approaches.******Now, research in particle physics is purely curiosity-driven we simply want to understand how the universe works. Knowing what the NP is will help in this regard, but will not lead directly to improvements for society. On the other hand, historically there have always been numerous technological advances related to the building of the colliders and detectors used to search for NP. The most famous of these is the World Wide Web, which was invented at CERN in the 1980s, and has led to the internet.******There is also the training of highly-qualified personnel (HQP). Research in particle physics develops a set of problem-solving skills that can be applied in many other areas. For example, I know of HQP who are now working in teaching, computer science, finance, geography, forestry, oceanography, and medical imaging.