RTG 1504/1: Mass, Spectrum, Symmetry: Particle Physics in the Era of the Large Hadron Collider


The standard model of elementary particle physics summarizes our theoretical understanding of the nature of elementary particles and has been formidably confirmed by experiment in the last decades. It is nevertheless clear that the standard model only provides us with an effective quantum theory for the presently accessible energy range which in particular does not include the gravitational force. The start of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in May 2008 marks the onset of a new era from which we expect new fundamental discoveries likely to take us beyond the standard model. The LHC will explore the mass generation mechanism of the standard model, but will also search for supersymmetric particles, for dark matter candidates in the universe and even for the existence of extra dimensions of space, which have so far been the subject of speculative, theoretical research.
The challenges emerging from the LHC require a strong integration and communication of the different experimental and theoretical working areas of elementary particle physics. Precisely this is the key goal of the research training group (Graduiertenkolleg) applied for. It aims at unifying the broad experimental and theoretical expertise in Berlin, Dresden and Zeuthen and to place the common character of elementary particle physics back into the center of the training of doctoral students. The common link of the involved experimental groups are in particular their participation in the ATLAS experiment at LHC and the search for new physics there. The link of the theoretical groups involved is quantum field theory, which is treated perturbatively, nonperturbatively, numerically and in its generalisations in the context of string theory. In addition to the broad spectrum of the involved research groups, which is unique for the eastern part of Germany, the research training group applied for is characterised by a large number of 7 participating junior researchers.
The curriculum aims at excellent doctoral students, who will be trained in lectures and seminars at Humboldt University and Technical University of Dresden as well as in weekly intensive courses on topics in elementary particles taking place twice a year. Further features of the research training group are a secondary advisor concept, a midterm report as well as a fast track to PhD opportunity for excellent Master students.

Principal investigators
Plefka, Jan Prof. Dr. (Details) (Theoretical Physics / Quantum Field Theory beyond the Standard Model and String Theory)

Financer
DFG: Graduiertenkollegs

Duration of project
Start date: 04/2009
End date: 12/2013

Research Areas
Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields

Last updated on 2022-08-09 at 09:07