Model building

Model building refers to efforts to construct and explore theoretically and phenomenologically consistent scenarios for physics beyond the standard model capable of addressing some of the basic deficiencies of the standard model. Sometimes the starting point for such a model can be a so called ultra-violate complete theory such as grand unification. In other cases the starting point can be a strongly-coupled theory, such as compositeness, which cannot be described using perturbation theory.

Phenomenology at colliders

Searches for physics beyond the standard model is one of the main activities at particle physics experiments such as ATLAS and CMS at LHC. We study the prospects of finding signals for physics beyond the standard model as well as how experimental results constrain such models. There are many opportunities for projects here, and sometimes they can be done together with an experimental supervisor.

Phase transitions and Gravitational waves

Models for physics beyond the standard model can also have implications for the early evolution of the universe. Of special interest is the electroweak phase transition in which the Higgs field got its vacuum expectation value and all elementary particles got there mass. In certain cases this phase transition may have been so violent as to give rise to gravitational waves which could be detected also today as a cosmological remnant. Here we want to improve our understanding of the dynamics of phase transitions in models with additional scalar fields as well as study the phenomenological implications of specific scenarios for physics beyond the standard model by combining the searches at collider experiments and future gravitational-wave detectors.

Prerequisites

In addition to the mandatory and elective courses for the theoretical physics program specified in the course plan you also need knowledge corresponding to the Theoretical Particle Physics, FYTN18 and Quantum Field Theory, FYTN19 courses. In some case you may also need knowledge corresponding to other courses such as Cosmology and Astroparticle physics, FYTN11.