The fat, the twisted and the strangely beautiful (in physics beyond the standard model)
Abstract
The standard model of particle physics has been a very successful effective theory, describing physics below the electroweak scale. Despite its successes, the theory has several shortcomings. Examples for this are the hierarchy problem and electroweak symmetry breaking, the flavor hierarchies, the strong CP problem, etc. The standard model also lacks an explanation of dark matter and dark energy, not to mention gravity itself. Many of the problems just mentioned can be solved by introducing new physics beyond the standard model at a scale much lower than the Planck scale. Many of the well motivated scenarios for new physics have signals that are accessible to upcoming experiments such as the LHC. In this thesis I present some of the possible models of physics beyond the SM and also discuss signals of such models at ongoing and planned experiments. The Fat Higgs is a supersymmetric model of a composite Higgs. Thanks to exact results in supersymmetry, a simple UV completion can be identified. Unification of gauge couplings is possible despite the fact that the theory is strongly coupled below the Planck scale. Twisted Split Fermions is a novel extra dimensional framework for addressing the strong CP problem in conjunction with an explanation for the flavor hierarchies. A well motivated supersymmetric framework of unification may involve large flavor changing transitions form b to s that are related to the maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing. In certain cases, correlations between various observable may be identified. Ambitious U(1)X flavor models may solve many of the flavor issues of the SM. These supersymmetric models allow for proton decay suppressed by the Planck scale, which may be observed in the next generation of nucleon decay experiments. The finite density phase of QCD is calculable at high densities where the coupling is strong. In supersymmetric QCD at finite density, exact result may be obtained at lower densities where the coupling is strong. Despite their differences, the two theories share some qualitative features.
- Publication:
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Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 2005
- Bibcode:
- 2005PhDT.......182H