Grant: Subatomic Physics Envelope - Individual

This research program uses computer simulations to study the physics of elementary particles. The method is called lattice field theory and it has become a standard tool for learning about quarks and gluons, which are the building blocks within protons, neutrons, and all other hadrons. Our studies focus on a particular heavy quark, called the bottom quark, because recent experiments in the U.S., Japan, and Europe have discovered several new bottom hadrons. Even more bottom hadrons are anticipated and will be sought in future experiments. The properties of these bottom hadrons can be predicted in advance by using lattice field theory. Lattice field theory can also be applied to other elementary particles, including the Higgs boson. We study aspects of Higgs physics and test ideas for new particles that could augment or replace the standard Higgs theory.