B2247 - BEYOND THE STANDARD MODEL

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The students will gain knowledge about selected solutions of open problems of the Standard Model of particle physics, both in their model-building aspects and in their experimental signals. Emphasis will be given on the shortcomings of the solutions discussed and on their interconnections, so that the students will become capable of navigating the frontiers of research in physics beyond the Standard Model in an autonomous and critical manner.

Contenuti

1. Recap of the standard models of particle physics and of cosmology
2. Physics beyond the standard model: why (overview), and at which energy scales (includes electroweak vacuum metastability)
3. Effective field theories
4. Neutrino masses
5. Dark matter
6. Baryon asymmetry of the universe
7. Unification(s)
8. Hierarchy problems of the cosmological constant and the weak scale
9. Strong CP problem
10. Flavour problem(s)

For all problems discussed, the course will insist on why they constitute a problem, and present selected solutions in both their theory and phenomenological interconnections and shortcomings.

Prof. Brivio: 1,3,4,8,9,10.

Prof. Sala: 1,2,5,6,7,8.

Testi/Bibliografia

References to specific articles will be provided during the course. Reading material relevant to the course includes:

• McCullough, “Lectures at NExT Summer Workshop 2020”, https://inspirehep.net/literature/1866873 (EFT&spurions, strong CP, hierarchy problems)

• Coleman, “Aspects of symmetry” (instantons, effective potentials, tunneling)

• Manohar, “Introduction to Effective Field Theories” https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.05863

• Athar et al., “Status and Perspectives of Neutrino Physics”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.07586

• Cirelli Strumia Zupan, “Dark Matter”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.01705

• Bertone Hooper, “History of Dark Matter”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.04909

• Bodeker Buchmuller, “Baryogenesis from the weak scale to the grand unification scale”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.07294

• Croon et al., “GUT Physics in the era of the LHC”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.04977

• Martin, “A supersymmetry primer”, https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-ph/9709356

• Giudice, “The Dawn of the Post-Naturalness Era”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.07663

• Panico Wulzer, “The Composite Nambu-Goldstone Higgs”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1506.01961

• Zupan, “Introduction to flavour physics”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.05062

• Altmannshofer Zupan, “Snowmass White Paper: Flavor Model Building”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07726

• Hook, “TASI lectures on the strong CP problem”, https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.02669

• Tanedo, “’t Hooft and η’ail Instantons and their applications”, https://www.classe.cornell.edu/~pt267/files/documents/A_instanton.pdf

Metodi didattici

Frontal lectures. Mostly at the blackboard and sometime with slides.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Homework plus oral exam

Homework: Exercises will be assigned during the course. The student will work out at least 5 of them at home and, at the latest one week before the oral exam, send their solutions to both Brivio and Sala.
Oral exam: it will start with a discussion of a subset of the homework handed-in, and proceed with questions on the program of the course.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Filippo Sala

Consulta il sito web di Ilaria Brivio