Abstract
The existence of new physics beyond the Standard Model of particles is firmly established by neutrino data and dark matter phenomenology, however the new physics nature and its energy scale remain elusive today. While significant effort has been put on the theoretical and experimental exploration of high-energy scenarios, the possibility that the new physics is relatively light and feebly coupled with the Standard Model is a valid option that received comparatively fewer attention. The coming years will provide a propitious and timely framework to test this possibility, given a wide array of experiments featuring extremely intense particle beams and massive precision detectors. We propose to exploit the full potential of this experimental program, using it to test low-scale new physics scenarios motivated by neutrino data, dark matter or experimental anomalies, focusing on the Fermilab accelerator neutrino program. We will complement this study with a model-independent search of new-physics effects in global neutrino data. Finally, we will provide the community with modern tools to ease the study and statistical inference of general new physics models in fixedtarget experiments, including in the first release the full array of Fermilab accelerator experiments. The project will deliver relevant phenomenological results during its lifetime, looking for and constraining the hypothesis of a lowscale new physics sector, while its legacy will extend beyond this timeframe, by allowing a wider community to perform phenomenological studies in beam-dump experiments, thus increasing the number of independent searches for new physics. In the implementation, the Researcher will train on model building, data analysis and experiment simulation on site at Fermilab, collaborating with world level theoretical and experimental experts. He will then bring this expertise at University of Bologna, joining the newly established group on neutrino and astroparticle phenomenology.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Silvia Pascoli
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "Augusto Righi"
Coordinator:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 288.859,20
Project Duration in months: 36
Start Date:
01/12/2022
End Date:
30/11/2025
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101068791