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Elementary Particle PhysicsTheoretical - http://feynman.physics.lsa.umich.eduExperimental - http://hep.physics.lsa.umich.edu/Theoretical. . . the study of the basic nature of matter and the fundamental forces of nature. Specialties include: gauge field theory, Higgs physics, electroweak theory and quantum chromodynamics, supersymmetry, and heavy quark physics.The Standard Model of particle physics is a well-tested and very successful description of the basic constituents of matter, quarks and leptons, and their interactions via the strong, electromagnetic, and weak forces. It is still being explored and understood. There is convincing evidence that it will be extended and given stronger foundations from theoretical work based on forthcoming experimental developments. Particle physics has also been merging with cosmology and providing explanations for fundamental questions about the universe. Our group participates in all of these activities. In addition, string theories that may provide a quantum theory unifying gravity and the other forces and particles are a strong research area for us. Experimental. . . the study of the basic nature of matter and the fundamental forces of nature. Department activities include a wide range of experiments in both accelerator and non-accelerator based particle physics; with hadron and lepton colliders, neutrino interactions, spin physics, and particle astrophysics.Experimental particle physics has been an active area of research at the University of Michigan since its inception as a physics field 50 years ago. Experiments involving Michigan physicists address a broad spectrum of current questions at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL, or Fermilab) in the United States; at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) and the DESY Laboratory in Europe, and at the IHEP Institute in Russia. At Fermilab, Michigan physicists are members of the CDF and D0 collaborations working with the Tevatron Collider. Others are active in the Mini-BooNE neutrino experiment (seeking evidence of mixing between electron- and muon-neutrinos) and in the CKM collaboration, which will study CP violation in the kaon system. At CERN, Michigan played a significant role in the L3 collaboration at LEP. With the termination of LEP in 2000, another group of Michigan physicists is active in the ATLAS collaboration on the LHC at CERN, building major detector components in Ann Arbor. Another Michigan group is playing a major role in an experiment with polarized proton elastic scattering to take place at the Protvino accelerator in Russia. Other activities involve participation in studies for a Next Linear Collider (proposed next generation electron-positron collider), as well as non-accelerator particle physics experiments. These include, in addition to cosmic ray and astro-particle physics studies (see Astrophysics Experiment), participation in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) being built to detect gravitational radiation from collapsing binary stars. |
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Randall Laboratory
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