New physics from lattice simulations of strongly interacting gauge theories

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Georg Bergner
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 319989789

The recent discovery of the Higgs particle has completed the search for the components of the standard model of particles. The theoretical predictions of this theory have been confirmed with a remarkably good precision. Nevertheless there are well-known limitations of the standard model like the missing explanation for the dark matter found in astronomical observations and conceptual problems related to the unification of the fundamental forces and the large quantum corrections of the Higgs particle. There are several theoretical considerations that aim to circumvent these shortcomings and to arrive at a consistent extension of the standard model. This project considers the question for a consistent extension of the standard model. The main objective will be strongly interacting supersymmetric theories and technicolour theories. These theories must be significantly different from the strong interactions in the standard model, the quantum chromodynamics, and one of the most interesting candidates for the investigations are theories with fermions in the adjoint representation. The investigations will be based on the numerical lattice simulations and will be focussed on the main questions that can only be answered by this non-perturbative method: the spectrum of bound state particles, the phase transitions, and signals for a near conformal behaviour. New numerical methods that have already been successfully applied in quantum chromodynamics will be used. The results will provide important predictions such as possible new undiscovered particles. The investigation of new strongly interacting theories provides also a new perspective on the strong interactions in the standard model. They are the starting point of theoretical approaches for an analytic understanding of quantum chromodynamics. The lattice simulations will show the range of validity of these approaches. The project will also investigate how supersymmetry can be realised in the numerical simulations. It can be the starting point for a number of further investigations: the properties of strongly interacting dark matter or the coupling of standard model particles to exotic bound states of fermions and gluons might be investigated. Further extensions regarding the investigations of the AdS/CFT correspondence might follow from the lattice simulations of the supersymmetric theories.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants