CMU Particle Physics Overview
Can roughly think of the work in particle physics as broken down into four-quadrants
1st axis is theory vs experiment
Will start with Theory
- Other axis is energy scale or (distance scale) probed.
- "Medium Energy Scale" probes extremely small distance scales Quantum Chromo Dynamic or "strong force". Think we have the right theory, incredibly hard to make predictions from it and this is what Colin works on.
- "High Energy Scale" probes even smaller distances. Know we don't have the right theory. CMU group is a leader in a technique of principled/systematic approach of understanding how physics at different scales relate to each other.
Applicable ~everywhere Dark Matter / Black holes / physics of the Higgs boson.
Moving to experiment.
- Again study physics of small scales: strong interactions (Curtis) and interaction of neutrino w/nucleus (Diana)
- And study the physics smallest scales we can probe directly (LHC) or indirectly through (Belle-2)
- This science is data heavy: use of ML/AI calibrations with stats. data science departments
- Requires dedicated detectors: build and commission at CMU- Other axis is energy scale or (distance scale) probed.
Physics driven by big questions. Leadership roles in big experiments.