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

Lectures on Higgs Boson Physics in the Standard Model and Beyond

These lectures focus on the structure of various Higgs boson theories. Topics in the first lectures include: mass generation in chiral theories, spontaneous symmetry breaking, neutrino masses, perturbative unitarity, vacuum stability, vacuum alignment, flavor changing neutral current solutions with multiple Higgs doublets, analysis of type I theory with Z2 symmetry, and rephasing symmetries. After an Essay on the Hierarchy Problem, additional topics are covered that more directly relate to naturalness of the electroweak theory. Emphasis is on their connection to Higgs boson physics. Topics in these later lectures include: supersymmetry, supersymmetric Higgs sector in the Runge basis, leading-order radiative corrections of supersymmetric light Higgs boson mass, theories of extra dimensions, and radion mixing with the Higgs boson in warped extra dimensions. And finally, one lecture is devoted to Higgs boson connections to the hidden sector.Comment: 71 pages, Delivered at Cambridge University and University of Liverpool, British Universities Summer School (BUSSTEPP 2008 & 2009