GRK 1694:  Elementary Particle Physics at Highest Energy and Precision

• Subject Area: Particles, Nuclei and Fields
• Term: from 2011 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 169555413

This proposal describes the continuation of a Graduate Research Training Group (RTG) in experi-mental and theoretical elementary particle physics which exists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technolo-gy, KIT, since 2011. The research areas of the RTG mirror the most recent developments in particle physics. The KIT groups are deeply involved in these developments: the CMS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provides access to the energy frontier, and the experiments Belle in Tsukuba and KATRIN in Karlsruhe aim at unprecedented precision. New territory will be explored in the energy and the precision areas: at the LHC we will further explore the recently discovered Higgs boson and will search for new particles such as supersymmetric partners of ordinary matter, Belle allows to study rare B-decays, and KATRIN aims at an absolute measurement of the neutrino mass scale. Further important goals of our work are improved analysis methods and the development of improved detectors for LHC and future accelerators. Theoretical work in our group focuses on new methods for higher order corrections in quantum field theory and their application to phenomenological problems, namely better predictions of observables within the Standard Model and beyond. In addition, a diverse range of scattering processes at the LHC is being investigated, like improved predictions for Higgs physics or calculations for new particle searches, e.g. in in the context of supersymmetric models. Another area of investigation is the unification of forces in grand unified theories. Involvement in this research program offers unique opportunities for the education of young scientists. The interdisciplinary nature of the RTG is evident in the close interplay between theory and experiment and also in the fruitful interaction of applied and basic science topics. Our scientific activities are international at a fundamental level, with research embedded in international collaborations, our involvement in an EU network, and an international guest scientist program. The goal of the RTG is the support of PhD students in the areas mentioned above. Students will be led to topical research via a well structured and regularly offered teaching program and we aim at providing them with an optimal work environment. International networking is intrinsic to research in particle physics and an integral part of the RTG. The RTG closely collaborates with the DFG-funded Graduate School KSETA, which, however, covers a much broader range of topics including research in engineering.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Dieter Zeppenfeld
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Wim de Boer (†); Professor Dr. Guido Drexlin; Professor Dr. Michael Feindt; Professor Dr. Ulrich Husemann; Professor Dr. Kirill Melnikov; Professorin Dr. Milada Margarete Mühlleitner; Professor Dr. Thomas Müller; Professor Dr. Ulrich Nierste; Professor Dr. Günter Quast; Professor Dr. Matthias Steinhauser