Seminar by Georg Weiglein (DESY): “Exploring the Higgs potential and the evolution of the early universe”

Title: Exploring the Higgs potential and the evolution of the early universe

Speaker: Georg Weiglein (DESY)

Venue&Time: Orange Room | 15:00

Abstract: The Higgs potential is of central importance for addressing fundamental open questions in our understanding of the dynamics of electroweak symmetry breaking, its connection to the electroweak phase transition in the early universe and for possible explanations for the observed imbalance between matter and anti-matter in the universe. However, up to now neither the shape of the Higgs potential that is realised in nature is known nor the underlying physics that actually gives rise to the Higgs potential. The present experimental results from the LHC related to the Higgs potential are confronted with precise theory predictions, and future prospects for the exploration of the HIggs potential are highlighted. The theoretical uncertainties in predicting the thermal evolution of the early universe and possible gravitational wave signals arising from the electroweak phase transition are discussed.