Funded PhD Studentship: Sp(2N) Gauge Theories and the Composite Higgs Picture - Assessing the viability of this framework

Swansea Science Doctoral Training Centre Scholarship 2017/2018

Swansea University is a UK top 30 institution for research excellence (Research Excellence Framework 2014), and has been named Welsh University of the Year 2017 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Project supervisors:

Supervisor 1: Prof. Biagio Lucini
Supervisor 2: Prof. Maurizio Piai
Project description:

The discovery of the Higgs boson is an important milestone in particle physics: the observation of this particle has validated a model proposed by Peter Higgs explaining how some elementary carriers of forces acquire mass. The Higgs mechanism gives rise to electroweak symmetry breaking, i.e. the asymmetry between electromagnetism and the weak interaction, notwithstanding the fact that the equations describing the corresponding elementary fields are symmetric.

While the Higgs mechanism successfully explains electroweak symmetry breaking, it leaves crucial fundamental questions unanswered. Among them is the problem of the mass hierarchy, which suggests that the Standard Model is not fundamental, but rather an effective theory only correct up to a finite energy scale. Understanding the underlying fundamental theory is one of the biggest challenges of modern physics. In this context, an appealing scenario is provided by Higgs compositeness. According to this framework, the Higgs boson is a bound state of a novel interaction at strong coupling. Keeping into account the well-established experimental bounds, a good candidate for the new strong interaction is based on a Lie group of the Sp(2N) type coupled to fermionic matter.

The objectives of the project are to compute, within Sp(2N) models, the vacuum structure of the theory at large coupling, its bound states, and its low-energy behaviour, with the aim of assessing the viability of this framework towards a fundamental theory for electroweak symmetry breaking. In addition, more theoretical questions such as the large N limit of the spectrum in the pure gauge theory will be addressed.

Robust studies of Sp(2N) models require numerical calculations on supercomputers. Following a consolidated set of techniques, these calculations will be based on Monte Carlo studies of the theory discretized on a spacetime lattice, which will then be extrapolated to the continuum limit.

Eligibility:

Candidates must have a first, upper second class honours or a Masters degree (with Merit), in a relevant discipline.

Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK/EU students only.