HIP NEWS February 2nd 2015
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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS / HIP JOINT COLLOQUIA / SEMINARS
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Tuesday 3 February 2015 at 10.15 in A315
Sven Heinemeyer (Santander)
Higgs and Supersymmetry
Abstract: The particle discovered in the Higgs boson searches at the LHC in 2012 can be interpreted as the lightest Higgs boson of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in perfect agreement with predictions {\em before} the discovery. We briefly review the relevant phenomenology of the Higgs sector of the MSSM and the implication of the Higgs discovery for the model. We discuss possibilities for searches for the manifestation of Supersymmetry in the Higgs sector, including deviations from the Standard Model predictions as well as the search for additional Higgs bosons.
Wednesday 4 February 2015 at 10.15 in A315
Katherine Freese (Nordita, Stockholm)
The dark side of the Universe
Abstract: What is the Universe made of? This question is the longest outstanding problem in all of modern physics, and it is the most important research topic in cosmology and particle physics today. The reason for the excitement is clear: the bulk of the mass in the Universe consists of a new kind of dark matter particle, and most of us believe its discovery is imminent. I’ll start by discussing the evidence for the existence of dark matter in galaxies, and then show how it fits into a big picture of the Universe containing 5% atoms, 25% dark matter, and 70% dark energy. Probably the best dark matter candidates are WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). There are three approaches to experimental searches for WIMPS: at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva; in underground laboratory experiments; and with astrophysical searches for dark matter annihilation products. Currently there are claimed detections in multiple experiments — but they cannot possibly all be right. Excitement is building but the answer is still unclear. At the end of the talk I’ll turn to dark energy and its effect on the fate of the Universe.
Thursday 5 February 2015 at 10.15 in A315
James Pinfold (Edmonton)
The MoEDAL Experiment at the LHC – a New Light on the High Energy Frontier
Abstract: In 2010 the MoEDAL experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was unanimously approved by CERN’s Research Board to start data taking in 2015. MoEDAL is a pioneering experiment designed to search for highly ionizing avatars of new physics such as magnetic monopoles or massive (pseudo-)stable charged particles. Its groundbreaking physics program defines over 30 scenarios that yield potentially revolutionary insights into such foundational questions as: are there extra dimensions or new symmetries; what is the mechanism for the generation of mass; does magnetic charge exist; what is the nature of dark matter; and, how did the big-bang develop. MoEDAL’s purpose is to meet such far-reaching challenges at the frontier of the field.
The innovative MoEDAL detector employs unconventional methodologies tuned to the prospect of discovery physics. The largely passive MoEDAL detector, deployed at Point 8 on the LHC ring, has a dual nature. First, it acts like a giant camera, comprised of nuclear track detectors – analyzed offline by ultra fast scanning microscopes – sensitive only to new physics. Second, it is uniquely able to trap the particle messengers of physics beyond the Standard Model for further study. MoEDAL’s radiation environment is monitored by a state-of-the-art real-time TimePix pixel detector array. I shall also briefly discuss a new proposal to include a new active MoEDAL sub-detector to search for millicharged particles.
COSMO-Seminar
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Wednesday 4 February at 14:15 in A315
Pierre Fleury(IAP Paris)
Interpreting cosmological observations in a clumpy universe
Abstract: In the standard cosmological framework, observations are interpreted as if light propagated through a smooth, fluid-filled universe. However, the typical light beams involved in astronomical observations—such as supernovae—are extremely narrow, and thus probe the Universe at scales where the fluid description should no longer be valid. In this talk, I will explain how the clumpiness of the distribution of matter can affect light propagation through the cosmos, and thus the interpretation of our observations.
New tax cards valid as of 1 February 2015
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Old employees: No need to submit your tax card to the employer if your tax information has not changed.
New employees: Submit your tax card to the employer
Please check Flamma https://flamma.helsinki.fi/en/notifications/new-tax-cards-valid-as-of-1-february-2015
Visitors
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P. Fleury 3.2. – 7.2. (KE,SN)
K. Freese 4.2. (KH)
J. Yokoyama 10.2. – 13.2. (KE,SN)
