New Physics meets the Strong Force

标准模型（SM）是给科学中最深刻的理论成就之一起的（无可否认是乏味的）名字。这是一个极为成功的描述，不仅描述了基本粒子，而且描述了控制它们相互作用的力。尽管SM取得了成功，但它是不完整的，给我们留下了深刻的开放性问题。其中一个难题就是暗物质的性质。这种神秘的物质充满了我们的宇宙，比形成恒星和行星的物质要丰富得多。迄今为止，人们只能通过它的引力特征来理解它，它与标准物质的关系是未知的。第二个问题来自于一个公认的事实，即每个粒子都有一个相应的反粒子，物质和反物质一旦接触，就会在光的爆炸中湮灭。鉴于这种显著的对应关系，我们不知道物质是如何支配反物质的，从而导致星系、恒星和行星的形成。本提案将结合先进的理论思想与高性能计算来研究这两个基本问题。该项目通过探索暗物质、物质/反物质不平衡和标准模型中被称为强力的特定部分之间的联系，使其与该领域其他正在进行的研究不同。强力将夸克和胶子等基本粒子捆绑成质子和中子，这些相互作用的能量产生了几乎所有日常物质的质量。它还能将质子和中子结合成原子核，从而产生所有已知的元素。但是，使强作用力如此丰富的特性也使它成为理论物理学家面临的一个难以置信的挑战。最著名的方法是将强大的理论工具与世界级超级计算机驱动的数值计算相结合。该计划的第一个方面将使用这些方法来了解强相互作用的暗物质粒子如何相互作用，并研究实验意义。第二部分将阐明在对撞机实验中产生的重粒子是如何衰变为被探测到的轻粒子的，并探索这种衰变违反物质和反物质对称性的显著事实。目前尚不清楚新物理学是否起了作用，但如果是的话，这很可能与导致物质在早期宇宙中占主导地位的机制有关。

The Standard Model (SM) is the (admittedly dull) name given to one of most profound theoretical achievements of science. It is an overwhelmingly successful description, not just of fundamental particles, but of the forces that govern their interactions. Despite its success, the SM is incomplete and leaves us with deep open questions. One such puzzle is the nature of dark matter. This mysterious material fills our universe, in greater abundance than the well-understood material forming stars and planets. To date it is only understood through its gravitational signature and its relation to standard material is unknown. A second question follows from the well-established fact that every particle has a corresponding anti-particle and that, upon contact, matter and anti-matter annihilate in an explosion of light. Given this remarkable correspondence, it is unknown how matter came to dominate anti-matter, leading to the formation of galaxies, stars and planets.This proposal will combine advanced theoretical ideas with high-performance computing to investigate these two fundamental issues. The project distinguishes itself from other on-going research in this area by exploring the connections between dark matter, matter/anti-matter imbalance and a specific part of the Standard Model known as the strong force. The strong force binds fundamental particles called quarks and gluons into protons and neutrons, and the energy of these interactions generates nearly all of the mass of everyday matter. It also binds protons and neutrons together into nuclei, giving rise to all known elements.But the same properties that make the strong-force so rich also make it an incredible challenge for theoretical physicists. The best known methods involve combining powerful theoretical tools with numerical calculations driven by world-class supercomputers. The first aspect of the proposed project will use these methods to understand how strongly-interacting dark matter particles might interact with each other, and investigate the experimental implications. The second part will shed light on exactly how heavy particles produced in collider experiments decay into the lighter particles that are detected and explore the remarkable fact that such decays violate symmetries relating matter and anti-matter. It is currently unknown if new physics is playing a role but, if it is, this could well be related to the mechanism that led to matter dominance in the early universe.