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Constraining New Physics with Colliders and Neutrinos

In this work, we examine how neutrino and collider experiments can each and together put constraints on new physics more stringently than ever. Constraints arise in three ways. First, possible new theoretical frameworks are reviewed and analyzed for the compatibility with collider experiments. We study alternate theories such as the superconnection formalism and non-commutative geometry (NCG) and show how these can be put to test, if any collider excess were to show up. In this case, we use the previous diboson and diphoton statistical excess as examples to do the analysis. Second, we parametrize low energy new physics in the neutrino sector in terms of non-standard interactions (NSI), which are constrained by past and proposed future neutrino experiments. As an example, we show the capability of resolving such NSI with the OscSNS, a detector proposed for Oak Ridge National Lab and derive interesting new constraints on NSI at very low energy (≲ 50 MeV). Apart from this, in order to better understand the NSI matter effect in long baseline experiments such as the future DUNE experiment, we derive a new compact formula to describe the effect analytically, which provides a clear physical picture of our understanding of the NSI matter effect compared to numerical computations. Last, we discuss the possibility of combining neutrino and collider data to get a better understanding of where the new physics is hidden. In particular, we study a model that produces sizable NSI to show how they can be constrained by past collider data, which covers a distinct region of the model parameter space from the DUNE experiment. In combining the two, we show that neutrino experiments are complementary to collider searches in ruling out models such as the ones that utilize a light mediator particle. More general procedures in constructing such models relevant to neutrino experiments are also described. / Ph. D. / As we know, all matter in our daily life is made of particles called atoms and molecules, which are in turn formed by subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. If one further divides the former two with certain technology, such as using a proton collider to smash one into another, it goes to the regime of elementary particles. It is shown experimentally that all matter we know is made of elementary particles that cannot be further divided. They include quarks and leptons. Together with the force carrier particles (also called gauge bosons) and the Higgs scalar, they form the Standard Model of particle physics. In this work, we study the properties of elementary particles and the way they interact with each other that are different from the Standard Model predictions. We conduct the research study in the following two aspects: collider phenomena and neutrino phenomena. These two aspects cover the high energy regime of particle scattering process and low energy regime of neutrino propagation, which are two important sectors of great interest recently. As a result of the analysis, we discuss possible ways that the new physics is hidden yet can be detected with next generation experiments.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/77923
Date06 June 2017
CreatorsSun, Chen
ContributorsPhysics, Takeuchi, Tatsu, Sharpe, Eric R., Piilonen, Leo E., Minic, Djordje
PublisherVirginia Tech
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDissertation
FormatETD, application/pdf
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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