Beyond the Standard Model physics
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| Beyond the Standard Model physics | |
|---|---|
| Name | Beyond the Standard Model physics |
| Field | Particle physics |
| Notable people | Peter Higgs, Sheldon Glashow, Steven Weinberg, Abdus Salam, Murray Gell-Mann, Frank Wilczek, David Gross, Gerard 't Hooft, Martinus Veltman, Edward Witten, Juan Maldacena, Nima Arkani-Hamed, Lisa Randall, Edward Farhi, Howard Georgi, Savas Dimopoulos, Lisa Randall, John Preskill, Helen Quinn, Steven Weinberg, Alan Guth, Andrei Linde, Georges Aad, Fabiola Gianotti, Peter W. Higgs |
| Related | Standard Model, Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory |
Beyond the Standard Model physics is the study of theoretical frameworks and empirical programs that extend or replace the Standard Model to address its known limitations. It interrelates proposals from researchers, institutions, and collaborations with targeted experimental programs at facilities such as CERN, Fermilab, DESY, KEK, and observational projects tied to Planck, WMAP, and Euclid. The field draws on concepts developed by theorists and groups including Peter Higgs, Sheldon Glashow, Steven Weinberg, Edward Witten, Nima Arkani-Hamed, and collaborations such as ATLAS experiment, CMS experiment, IceCube Neutrino Observatory, and XENONnT.
Introduction
Beyond-Standard-Model research arose from empirical puzzles after successes credited to Sheldon Glashow, Steven Weinberg, and Abdus Salam for electroweak unification and the experimental confirmation associated with institutions like CERN and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The discovery of a Higgs-like particle announced by ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment at a CERN press conference led by Fabiola Gianotti and others highlighted remaining issues such as neutrino masses measured by Super-Kamiokande and SNO, dark matter inferred from work by Vera Rubin and observations like Planck (spacecraft), and matter–antimatter asymmetry motivating concepts from Andrei Sakharov and cosmologists like Alan Guth.
Theoretical Motivations
Motivations include the hierarchy problem emphasized by researchers such as G. 't Hooft and Leonard Susskind, naturalness debates involving Gerard 't Hooft and Howard Georgi, and unification aims pursued by grand unified proposals of Howard Georgi and Sheldon Glashow. Dark matter motivations draw on astrophysical evidence from Vera Rubin, Sandra Faber, and surveys like Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Neutrino mass requires extensions inspired by Pontecorvo and seesaw mechanisms credited to Murray Gell-Mann and Peter Minkowski. Baryogenesis links to ideas from Andrei Sakharov, Alexander Polyakov, and electroweak baryogenesis scenarios studied by Michael Turner. Quantum gravity and ultraviolet completion motivate approaches such as string theory developed by Edward Witten, holography introduced by Juan Maldacena, and loop quantum gravity researched at institutions like Perimeter Institute and by proponents such as Carlo Rovelli.
Candidate Theories and Extensions
Popular candidates include supersymmetry proposed by Howard Georgi and Savas Dimopoulos and elaborated by Steven Weinberg; grand unified theories from Howard Georgi and Sheldon Glashow such as SU(5), SO(10), and E6; extra-dimensional models by Lisa Randall and Nima Arkani-Hamed like the Randall–Sundrum model and ADD model; composite Higgs frameworks advocated by David B. Kaplan and Roberto Contino; and axion models of Peccei–Quinn origin tied to Frank Wilczek and Roberto Peccei. Quantum gravity approaches include string theory and M-theory associated with Edward Witten, and alternative scenarios like asymptotic safety explored by Steven Weinberg and J. F. Donoghue. Hidden sector, dark photon, and sterile neutrino proposals involve experimental programs at Fermilab, J-PARC, and KEK.
Experimental Searches and Constraints
Searches occur at colliders like Large Hadron Collider with ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment and at intensity-frontier facilities including Fermilab's Muon g-2 experiment and NA62 experiment at CERN. Direct detection experiments such as XENON1T, LUX-ZEPLIN, and PandaX probe weakly interacting massive particles advocated by Kathryn Zurek and others. Indirect detection uses observatories like Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, AMS-02, IceCube Neutrino Observatory, and H.E.S.S. to constrain annihilation and decay signatures. Neutrino properties are constrained by Super-Kamiokande, SNO, NOvA, and DUNE planning at Fermilab. Precision tests involve LEP, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and atomic-physics efforts connected to groups at NIST and Harvard University.
Phenomenology and Signatures
Phenomenological signatures include missing transverse energy channels studied by ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment; long-lived particle searches motivated by Gustavo Branco and others; displaced vertices, emerging jets explored by theorists like Nima Arkani-Hamed; rare decays measured by LHCb and Belle II connected to flavor anomalies discussed by Gino Isidori; electric dipole moments measured in experiments linked to Ramsey-Musolf and groups at TRIUMF; and cosmological imprints accessible through Planck (spacecraft) and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (now Vera C. Rubin Observatory).
Implications for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Extensions address dark matter candidates associated with Gianfranco Bertone and Sean Carroll's discussions, inflationary dynamics from Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and neutrino cosmology constrained by Planck (spacecraft) and WMAP. Baryogenesis mechanisms connect to electroweak scenarios and leptogenesis proposed by Murray Gell-Mann. Cosmic-ray anomalies involve studies by AMS-02 and PAMELA, while primordial gravitational wave searches link to missions like LISA and experiments at LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
Open Questions and Future Directions
Key open questions include the nature of dark matter prioritized by collaborations such as XENONnT and LUX-ZEPLIN; the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking beyond the Higgs boson discovery announced by ATLAS experiment and CMS experiment; the solution to the hierarchy problem debated by communities around CERN and Perimeter Institute; and a consistent theory of quantum gravity pursued in programs at Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University by researchers like Edward Witten. Future directions emphasize next-generation facilities including the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, proposed colliders such as the Future Circular Collider, International Linear Collider, and underground detectors exemplified by DUNE. Interdisciplinary coordination among institutions like CERN, Fermilab, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and observatories such as Vera C. Rubin Observatory will shape progress.