In and beyond the standard model of particle physics. The standard model of particle physics was developed twenty years ago, and it has been remarkably successful at describing the experiments carried out since then. Now, however there is evidence that there is physics beyond the standard model, and new and planned experiments will make the details of this new physics clearer in the lifetime of this grant. We will study a wide variety of systems, from the foundations of quantum mechanics to ....In and beyond the standard model of particle physics. The standard model of particle physics was developed twenty years ago, and it has been remarkably successful at describing the experiments carried out since then. Now, however there is evidence that there is physics beyond the standard model, and new and planned experiments will make the details of this new physics clearer in the lifetime of this grant. We will study a wide variety of systems, from the foundations of quantum mechanics to extra dimensions of space-time and much between and will find guides to the nature of the new physics.
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Discovering New Particle Physics with Dark Matter and Astrophysical Neutrinos. This project will place Australia at the forefront of pure basic research, and will forge connections with key international institutions. What is the Universe made of? How did it evolve? We address fundamental questions about our Universe, drawing on recent and forthcoming experimental data. We will contribute to Australia's skill base via the training of the best and brightest postgraduate students. These studen ....Discovering New Particle Physics with Dark Matter and Astrophysical Neutrinos. This project will place Australia at the forefront of pure basic research, and will forge connections with key international institutions. What is the Universe made of? How did it evolve? We address fundamental questions about our Universe, drawing on recent and forthcoming experimental data. We will contribute to Australia's skill base via the training of the best and brightest postgraduate students. These students will be equipped with the skills to act as original thinkers on general problems in the wider community. Fundamental questions about the nature of our Universe engage the intellectual curiosity of the general public and inspire the next generation of scientists.Read moreRead less
Branes and unification. This project will explore theories which hypothesis that our universe is a 3-dimensional mem-(brane) residing in higher dimensional space. We will construct completely realistic theories and find ways to test them experimentally. This project is at the forefront of international developments in our understanding of the universe - an area that has grown in importance following the construction of the Large Hadron Collider at the European Giant accelerator laboraroty. The p ....Branes and unification. This project will explore theories which hypothesis that our universe is a 3-dimensional mem-(brane) residing in higher dimensional space. We will construct completely realistic theories and find ways to test them experimentally. This project is at the forefront of international developments in our understanding of the universe - an area that has grown in importance following the construction of the Large Hadron Collider at the European Giant accelerator laboraroty. The project will expose postgraduate students to exciting developments in this fascinating field pf physics.Read moreRead less
Particle physics and cosmology of neutrinos. Neutrinos are a particularly interesting class of elementary particle. The Standard Model of particle physics sees neutrinos as having exactly zero mass. However, recent experimental data have all but demonstrated that massless neutrinos are inconsistent with observations. If neutrinos have mass, then quantum mechanics allows them to oscillate between the different neutrino types as they propagate through space. Nonzero neutrino masses and the associa ....Particle physics and cosmology of neutrinos. Neutrinos are a particularly interesting class of elementary particle. The Standard Model of particle physics sees neutrinos as having exactly zero mass. However, recent experimental data have all but demonstrated that massless neutrinos are inconsistent with observations. If neutrinos have mass, then quantum mechanics allows them to oscillate between the different neutrino types as they propagate through space. Nonzero neutrino masses and the associated oscillations lead to important new physics in the elementary particle domain and in cosmology. This project will explore the implications of neutrino oscillations in diverse areas in particle physics and cosmology.Read moreRead less
An Australian Program in Precision Flavour Physics. Particle physics is a breakthrough scientific endeavour, addressing fundamental questions about the nature of the laws that govern the Universe we live in. Through engaging in appropriately chosen collaborative experiments at the cutting edge of the field, Australian science can make leading contributions to a deepening understanding that flows from discoveries in this area. Excellent training of young Australian researchers, enhancement of pub ....An Australian Program in Precision Flavour Physics. Particle physics is a breakthrough scientific endeavour, addressing fundamental questions about the nature of the laws that govern the Universe we live in. Through engaging in appropriately chosen collaborative experiments at the cutting edge of the field, Australian science can make leading contributions to a deepening understanding that flows from discoveries in this area. Excellent training of young Australian researchers, enhancement of public interest in science, and fostering of international cooperation and networking are all outcomes which this project will provide.Read moreRead less
The Origin of Mass at the Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider is an enormous worldwide effort to understand the building blocks of the Universe. This project will help strengthen world-class research capacity in one of the most exciting frontiers of basic research. It will excite more high-achieving students to pursue careers in science increasing the number of talented graduates in Australia. In addition the big fundamental questions addressed in this research are of great fascin ....The Origin of Mass at the Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider is an enormous worldwide effort to understand the building blocks of the Universe. This project will help strengthen world-class research capacity in one of the most exciting frontiers of basic research. It will excite more high-achieving students to pursue careers in science increasing the number of talented graduates in Australia. In addition the big fundamental questions addressed in this research are of great fascination to the general public and will help to further advance the public education of science.Read moreRead less
Origin of the Mass. A hundred metres below ground, under the French-Swiss border, scientists are preparing to travel back in time to study matter as it was in the first fractions of a second after the beginning of the Universe. They are building the world's largest scientific instrument to help reveal how this primordial matter developed into the building blocks that form the great diversity of today. Australian physicists are preparing to extract the few fundamental particles that will explain ....Origin of the Mass. A hundred metres below ground, under the French-Swiss border, scientists are preparing to travel back in time to study matter as it was in the first fractions of a second after the beginning of the Universe. They are building the world's largest scientific instrument to help reveal how this primordial matter developed into the building blocks that form the great diversity of today. Australian physicists are preparing to extract the few fundamental particles that will explain the origin of the mass from the debris of billions of proton collisions. While solving the major issue confronting particle physics today, we will train students who will subsequently apply their skills in fields as diverse as science, medicine, industry and finance.Read moreRead less
Frontiers of Theoretical Particle Physics. This project will involve PhD and other students, who will work at the frontiers of theoretical particle physics, which provides excellent training in model building and problem solving. They will serve the nation as physicists, but also as teachers, in the finance industry, in the public service and in think tanks, as our former students have done. The quest to understand the ultimate structure of matter has been a part of western culture for the las ....Frontiers of Theoretical Particle Physics. This project will involve PhD and other students, who will work at the frontiers of theoretical particle physics, which provides excellent training in model building and problem solving. They will serve the nation as physicists, but also as teachers, in the finance industry, in the public service and in think tanks, as our former students have done. The quest to understand the ultimate structure of matter has been a part of western culture for the last 2000 years or more. Media stories on this subject are popular, and our work will enable authoritative public outreach as the subject develops, and we find that our present understanding is not the complete story.Read moreRead less
The standard model of particle physics and beyond in the era of the Large Hadron Collider. This project will enhance the nation's intellectual culture and international standing through the study of original ideas about the nature of our universe. The advent of the Large Hadron Collider era, courtesy of the giant European accelerator laboratory called CERN, will revolutionise particle physics in the next few years. High achieving students are very excited by the research questions addressed in t ....The standard model of particle physics and beyond in the era of the Large Hadron Collider. This project will enhance the nation's intellectual culture and international standing through the study of original ideas about the nature of our universe. The advent of the Large Hadron Collider era, courtesy of the giant European accelerator laboratory called CERN, will revolutionise particle physics in the next few years. High achieving students are very excited by the research questions addressed in this proposal, so it will add significantly to the pool of highly-trained young Australians. They emerge as general problem solvers and flexible thinkers of high calibre in addition to becoming experts in particular areas. The big fundamental questions to be considered are also of great fascination to the general public.Read moreRead less
Superdeformed nuclei and their decay: challenging nuclear models and probing quantum tunnelling. Nuclear superdeformation, where the atomic nucleus adopts an elongated, ellipsoidal shape and can undergo rapid rotation, offers a fascinating opportunity to study quantum mechanical effects in a system where single-particle and collective regimes overlap. The superdeformed shape itself is a spectacular example of collective motion in a mesoscopic system, while the rapid change to a sperhical shape ....Superdeformed nuclei and their decay: challenging nuclear models and probing quantum tunnelling. Nuclear superdeformation, where the atomic nucleus adopts an elongated, ellipsoidal shape and can undergo rapid rotation, offers a fascinating opportunity to study quantum mechanical effects in a system where single-particle and collective regimes overlap. The superdeformed shape itself is a spectacular example of collective motion in a mesoscopic system, while the rapid change to a sperhical shape is an excellent example of quantum-assisted tunnelling. The results of this project will shed light on this important process and provide a stringent test of our understanding of the nucleus.Read moreRead less