Recent Highlights in Particle Physics (MVSem)

Mandatory Advanced Seminar (6CP)

Time: Fridays 14:00

Room: 3.107 in KIP (glass box)

First Meeting: April 25th, 2025

Prof. Dr. Skyler Degenkolb

degenkolb@physi.uni-heidelberg.de                                                            

apl. Prof Dr. Monica Dunford 

monica.dunford@kip.uni-heidelberg.de

Priv. Doz. Dr. Felix Sefkow

felix.sefkow@desy.de                                                            

Content

The goal of the seminar is to discuss some of the recent results at the forefront of particle physics. The topics range from important precision measurements at the LHC, over searches for dark matter to lepton and quark flavour physics. In addition we will discuss future experiments which are currently in the planning phase. The emphasis will be on experimental aspects.

Prerequisite for this seminar is the Particle Physics Master Course or a Bachelor Thesis in particle physics. The seminar consists of the oral presentation of a research topic and a write-up of the talk. (see Master Modulhanbuch) Presentations early in the semester are particularly appreciated.

Registration

The registration will take place via the Heico system. 

Topics

Fundametal Parameters and Electroweak Sector

1. Higgs couplings to heavy quarks - establishing the Higgs mechanism for fermions

2. Higgs mass and width: fundamental parameters from the LHC
3. Di-higgs measurements and strong first order phase transitions
4. Measurement of the W mass: Precision from the LHC
5. Gravtational Waves and Electroweak symmetry breaking
6. Higgs at LHC and projections 
7. Top at the LHC and projections
8. The power of low energy precsion measurements
9. Quantum sensors for particle physics
10. Permanent electric dipole moments
11. Particle physics with neutrons

Dark Matter and Cosmic Messagers

1. Dark Matter at colliders
2. Dark Matter at non-colliders
3. Direct search for Dark Matter with the Xenon 1T detector
4. Cosmic messengers
5. Neutrino Highlights

Lepton and Quarks

1. Breaking the lepton universality paradigm with b-quark semileptonic decays
2. Search for Lepton Flavour Violation with the MEG and the Mu3e experiments
3. Evidence for Sterile Neutrinos

Future Experiments

1. Probing indirectly new physics with 1013 kaons at NA62
2. The Physics Potential of the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment Dune
3. The search for hidden particles at the intensity frontier with the SHiP experiment
4. e+e- collider physics and prospects
5. Muon collider phyics and challenges
6. Hadron collider challenges and opportunities

Practice groups

• Group Standardgruppe (Monica Dunford, Felix Sefkow, Skyler Degenkolb)
  7 participants
  - Siehe Anmerkung, Fri 14:00 - 16:00