International experts combine theoretical and experimental data to solve key mysteries of physics

  • The international congress "Lattice Gauge Theory Contributions to New Physics Searches", organized by the Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT) UAM/CSIC, brings together prominent scientists from Europe, the United States, and Brazil for five days.
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  • • Its objective is to identify deviations between current predictions and experimental results, explore the origin of these differences, and provide new advances in the understanding of fundamental physics.
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  • • The meeting opens up new perspectives in the search for phenomena beyond the Standard Model and in the understanding of concepts such as the the muon anomalous magnetic moment, flavor physics, and dark matter.

Madrid, June 16, 2023.- The Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT) UAM/CSIC is organizing and hosting this week the international workshop "Lattice Gauge Theory Contributions to New Physics Searches” The event brings together prominent experts in theoretical physics from Europe, the United States, and Brazil, with virtual participation from researchers around the world.

As part of the STRONG-2020 community, the group's objective is to discuss the current status and prospects of lattice gauge theory calculations in relation to ongoing research in precision physics within the Standard Model and candidate theories for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM).

The congress provides a space for in-depth discussion and analysis of the predictions of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, which are largely governed by the dynamics of strong interactions.

The lattice formulation of strong interaction theory is currently the only known method to produce first-principles-based calculations with systematically improvable uncertainties for the dynamics of the strong coupling between quarks and gluons. Therefore, a high-precision comparison between the most recent experimental measurements and lattice-based predictions may reveal significant deviations that could lead to the identification of physical phenomena beyond the Standard Model.


pie de foto: 
IFT

The muon anomalous magnetic moment

The muon  magnetic moment is a fundamental property that provides valuable information for understanding the interactions of the Standard Model and the structure of elementary particles. The muon, which shares similarities with the electron but is approximately 200 times more massive, has been the subject of experimental measurements and theoretical calculations in recent years.

According to the predictions of the Standard Model, the muon's magnetic moment is expected to have a specific value. However, precise measurements carried out in recent experiments, such as the muon's magnetic moment experiment at the Fermilab National Laboratory in the United States, have obtained results that slightly differ from the theoretical predictions of the Standard Model. These predictions are based on a method to calculate the contributions of the strong interaction that combines fundamental properties of the theory with experimental data.

The discrepancy between experimental results and theoretical predictions has sparked great interest in the scientific community as it could be an indication of the existence of new physics beyond the Standard Model. Therefore, one of the highlights of the workshop is the investigation of the origin of the differences between the Standard Model predictions for the muon anomalous magnetic moment.

Researchers aim to analyze the discrepancies between lattice-based calculation results and those obtained through a method that combines basic properties of the theory with experimental data. Consolidating the Standard Model prediction is essential for achieving a strong interpretation of the experimental results being carried out at the Fermilab experiment.

Additionally, the congress provides an opportunity to combine experimental results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and flavor factories such as Belle II or BES-III with theoretical results from lattice calculations. This combination of experimental and theoretical data represents a fundamental tool for testing the quark flavor sector of the Standard Model. A detailed comparison between both sources of information could open new perspectives and represent a promising path for the possible detection of new phenomena in the field of particle physics in the coming years.

In addition to addressing the Standard Model, this meeting also explores advances in the study of models beyond this theory, in which the strong coupling regime plays a determining role. These studies aim to improve the understanding of open problems in fundamental physics, such as the evolution of the primordial universe, the study of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and the search for candidates for dark matter.

 IFT

The Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT) UAM-CSIC was officially created in 2003 as a joint research center belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). It is the only Spanish center dedicated entirely to research in Theoretical Physics. The IFT members develop research in the frontiers of Elementary Particle Physics, Astroparticles and Cosmology, in order to understand the fundamental keys of Nature and the Universe. They are also leading many research projects, both at the national and international level. The IFT is part of the strategic line `Theoretical Physics and Mathematics´ of the Campus of International Excellence (CEI) UAM+CSIC established in 2009. Since 2012, it is credited as Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence. Besides purely scientific activity, in the IFT is also conducted intensive training tasks of young researchers and professionals through the graduate program in Theoretical Physics with mention of excellence from the CEI and the Ministry of Education. In addition, the Institute carries out the important task of transferring knowledge to society through several outreach programs.

 

For more information and interviews, please contact:

Laura Marcos Mateos

laura.marcos@csic.es

912999879