Bullet Cluster: Colliding clusters of galaxies show the separation of ordinary matter (in pink) from dark matter (in blue).

Photo: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/M.Markevitch, Optical and lensing map: NASA/STScI, Magellan/U.Arizona/D.Clowe, Lensing map: ESO WFI

Mission statement

Scope

To model and constrain particle physics interactions that are not represented within the Standard Model (SM) Lagrangian, as well as conduct and interpret precision studies of SM processes that are sensitive to BSM physics.

How

Take advantage of the complementarity between different detection techniques and regimes, in particular those relevant to dark matter, inflation, and the evolution of the universe. Increase connections and facilitate the exchange of information between theoretical studies, model building, instrumentation, and data analysis work in order to fully utilize adjacent expertise to provide a broader scientific context to searches for new physics.

The Beyond Standard Model Working Group brings together both theorists and experimentalists working on diverse topics within particle and astroparticle physics, including dark matter searches and phenomenology, supersymmetry searches, and neutrino phenomenology. Within the field of dark matter, theorists at the OKC work on phenomenological interpretations of possible dark matter signals and theoretical predictions from models. Involvement in dark matter direct detection experiments includes XENON and a nucleic acid detector. Indirect detection, looking for the annihilation or decay products of WIMPs, includes searches performed with gamma-ray observations by the FERMI-LAT satellite, the HESS Cherenkov telescope, and soon CTA, and with the neutrino telescope IceCube. Experimentalists working with ATLAS at the Large Hadron Collider are searching for evidence of dark matter produced in the detector, and for other new particles and particle properties that are not predicted in the current Standard Model. Theorists working in neutrino phenomenology are studying the many ways in which neutrinos may reveal physics beyond the Standard Model, which is driving experimental efforts including by IceCube to measure or constrain these neutrino properties.

Meetings

Slack channel: #okc-bsm

Upcoming meetings of the BSM Working Group