GGI lectures
Lecture 1
Grand challenges of particle physics
A few current puzzles
Lecture 2
New physics searches with quantum technologies
Ultralight dark matter
See “The Search for Ultralight Bosonic Dark Matter” book, Chapter 1.4
Useful Links for Lecture 2
This article reviews recent developments in tests of fundamental physics using atoms and molecules, including the subjects of parity violation, searches for permanent electric dipole moments, tests of the CPT theorem and Lorentz symmetry, searches for spatiotemporal variation of fundamental constants, tests of quantum electrodynamics, tests of general relativity and the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, dark energy, and extra forces, and tests of the spin-statistics theorem. Key results are presented in the context of potential new physics and in the broader context of similar investigations in other fields. Ongoing and future experiments of the next decade are discussed.
Focus on Quantum Sensors for New-Physics Discoveries, Quantum Science and Technology
Editors Marianna Safronova and Dmitry Budker
This focus issue includes and Editorial and over 20 papers of different topics.
Extraordinary progress in quantum sensors and technologies opens new avenues for exploring the Universe and testing the assumptions forming the basis of modern physics. This QST Focus Issue is a next-decade roadmap on developing a wide range of quantum sensors and new technologies towards discoveries of new physics. The Focus issue covers the next generation of various technologies, including atomic and nuclear clocks, atomic and diamond-based magnetometers, atom and laser interferometers, control of trapped atoms, ions, and molecules, optomechanical systems, and many others. New modalities for using such sensors are also discussed.
Lectures on atomic technologies
Lecture on neutral atoms
Laser cooling and trapping of neutral atoms
Quantum computing with neutral atoms
Lecture on trapped ions
Quantum information processing with trapped ions
School project
How to solve open problems in fundamental physics?
Where to start with the project?
Use community input already collected by US “Snowmass” Community Planning Exercise. The Particle Physics Community Planning Exercise (a.k.a. “Snowmass”) is organized by the Division of Particles and Fields (DPF) of the American Physical Society. Snowmass is a scientific study. It provides an opportunity for the entire particle physics community to come together to identify and document a scientific vision for the future of particle physics in the U.S. and its international partners. Snowmass will define the most important questions for the field of particle physics and identify promising opportunities to address them.
Snowmass process resulted in summary documents outlining future direction of particle physics in US that includes ideas for solving problems that we discussed during the lecture as well as summary talks at Snowmass workshops. I include links to selected documents and talks from which you can start to gather ideas below.
Snowmass is organized by topics (i.e. “Frontiers” ) . Look up Snowmass link to see frontier description.
Useful links for the project
Physics Highlights from the Frontiers, YouTube video, Snowmass Seattle meeting plenary session. This video is a good place to start to look for ideas – it has a summary of ideas for next decade of US particle physics and starts with the discussion of grand challenges.
Cosmic Frontier Large Projects Report, is a brief summary of problems and solutions for dark energy, inflation , and QCD phase transition questions that include plan for large-scale future experiments. You can use it as an example of “How to solve an open problem in particle physics” summary. This report is available via Seattle Snowmass workshop indico page.
Snowmass Theory Frontier Conference at KITP is another excellent source, all talk are on YouTube and include brief summaries from all Frontiers. Here are link to brief dark matter summary talks:
- Dark Matter Models and Motivation, Tim Tait (UCI), YouTube video, Snowmass Theory Frontier Conference at KITP.
- Axions and ultralight dark matter, Masha Baryakhtar (UW), YouTube video, Snowmass Theory Frontier Conference at KITP.
- The Snowmass 2021 Energy Frontier Report. This report, as part of the 2021 Snowmass Process, summarizes the current status of collider physics at the Energy Frontier, the broad and exciting future prospects identified for the Energy Frontier, the challenges and needs of future experiments, and indicates high priority research areas.
- Snowmass Cosmic Frontier Report. This report summarizes the current status of Cosmic Frontier physics and the broad and exciting future prospects identified for the Cosmic Frontier as part of the 2021 Snowmass Process. Topics include dark matter, dark energy, inflation, some neutrino topics, and others.
- Snowmass Neutrino Frontier Report. This report summarizes the current status of neutrino physics and the broad and exciting future prospects identified for the Neutrino Frontier as part of the 2021 Snowmass Process.
- Snowmass Theory Frontier Report. This report summarizes the recent progress and promising future directions in theoretical high-energy physics identified within the Theory Frontier of the 2021 Snowmass Process.
- Report of the Frontier For Rare Processes and Precision Measurements. This is the Snowmass 2021 Rare and Precision Frontier Report. The Rare Processes and Precision Measurements Frontier, referred to as the “Rare and Precision Frontier”, or RPF, encompasses searches for extremely rare processes or tiny deviations from the Standard Model (SM) that can be studied with intense sources and high-precision detectors. Our community studies have identified several unique research opportunities that may pin down the scales associated with New Physics interactions and constrain the couplings of possible new degrees of freedom. Searches for rare flavor transition processes and precision measurements are indispensable probes of flavor and fundamental symmetries, and provide insights into physics that manifests itself at higher energy or through weaker interactions than those directly accessible at high-energy colliders. EDM experiments are part of this report, see next link for more details.
- Fundamental Physics in Small Experiments. Part of Rare and Precision Frontier. This report presents a broad set of small-scale research projects that could provide key new precision measurements in the areas of electric dipole moments, magnetic dipole moments, fermion flavor violation, tests of spacetime symmetries, and tests with gravity. The growing impact of these high-precision studies in high energy physics and the complementary input they provide compared to large-scale efforts warrants strong support over the next decades. In particular, EDM searches are expected to improve sensitivities by four or more orders of magnitude in the next decade or two.
Lecture 3
Production of ultralight dark matter
Motivation for ultralight dark matter
Coupling of ultralight dark matter and standard model, resulting detection signals and table top experiments
Dark matter and variation of fundamental constants
See “The Search for Ultralight Bosonic Dark Matter” book, Chapters 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 10.2
Useful links for Lecture 3
Report of the Topical Group on Wave Dark Matter for Snowmass 2021
Axions are well-motivated dark matter candidates with simple cosmological production mechanisms. They were originally introduced to solve the strong CP problem, but also arise in a wide range of extensions to the Standard Model. This Snowmass white paper summarizes axion phenomenology and outlines next-generation laboratory experiments proposed to detect axion dark matter. There are vibrant synergies with astrophysical searches and advances in instrumentation including quantum-enabled readout, high-Q resonators and cavities and large high-field magnets. This white paper outlines a clear roadmap to discovery, and shows that the US is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the search for axion dark matter in the coming decade.
Talk about axion production mechanisms
Axiogenesis paper PRL link arXiv link
New Horizons: Scalar and Vector Ultralight Dark Matter
The last decade has seen unprecedented effort in dark matter model building at all mass scales coupled with the design of numerous new detection strategies. Transformative advances in quantum technologies have led to a plethora of new high-precision quantum sensors and dark matter detection strategies for ultralight (<10eV) bosonic dark matter that can be described by an oscillating classical, largely coherent field. This white paper focuses on searches for wavelike scalar and vector dark matter candidates.
Lecture 4
How atomic clocks work
Searches for ultralight dark matter with atomic, molecular and nuclear clocks
Lecture 5
Searches for new physics with space experiments
Detecting axions and APLs
Searches for electric dipole moment and CPT violation
Gravitational wave detection with atomic quantum sensors