6,334 research outputs found
The Utility of Naturalness, and how its Application to Quantum Electrodynamics envisages the Standard Model and Higgs Boson
With the Higgs boson discovery and no new physics found at the LHC,
confidence in Naturalness as a guiding principle for particle physics is under
increased pressure. We wait to see if it proves its mettle in the LHC upgrades
ahead, and beyond. In the meantime, in a series of "realistic intellectual
leaps" I present a justification {\it a posteriori} of the Naturalness
criterion by suggesting that uncompromising application of the principle to
quantum electrodynamics leads toward the Standard Model and Higgs boson without
additional experimental input. Potential lessons for today and future theory
building are commented upon.Comment: 7 pages, no figure
The role of supersymmetry phenomenology in particle physics
Supersymmetry phenomenology is an important component of particle physics
today. I provide a definition of supersymmetry phenomenology, outline the scope
of its activity, and argue its legitimacy. This essay derives from a
presentation given at the 2000 SLAC Summer Institute.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe
Effective Field Theories and the Role of Consistency in Theory Choice
Promoting a theory with a finite number of terms into an effective field
theory with an infinite number of terms worsens simplicity, predictability,
falsifiability, and other attributes often favored in theory choice. However,
the importance of these attributes pales in comparison with consistency, both
observational and mathematical consistency, which propels the effective theory
to be superior to its simpler truncated version of finite terms, whether that
theory be renormalizable (e.g., Standard Model of particle physics) or
nonrenormalizable (e.g., gravity). Some implications for the Large Hadron
Collider and beyond are discussed, including comments on how directly
acknowledging the preeminence of consistency can affect future theory work.Comment: 17 pages, Lecture delivered at physics and philosophy conference "The
Epistemology of the Large Hadron Collider", Wuppertal University, January
201
- …