Novel approaches to New Physics in the Flavor Sector

This award funds the research activities of Professor Alakabha Datta at the University of Mississippi. An important part of particle physics research is to test our understanding of the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions through very high precision experiments. It is expected that this will help us explore the limits of our present theories and uncover at what point they break down and have to be replaced by newer theories. In his research, Professor Datta will use new ways to test our present understanding of fundamental physics and --- by analyzing data from various ongoing experimental facilities --- interpret them in terms of our present theories, within the so-called Standard Model, and also in terms of newer physical laws. These newly discovered laws may be used to develop new technologies and as such this research advances the national interest by furthering our understanding of nature at its most fundamental level and offering new solutions to the nation's long term technological needs. This project will also have significant, broader impacts. It will provide education and training to a graduate student. In particular, the graduate student will learn new research techniques and also learn to effectively communicate their research results via written publications and oral presentations. Professor Datta and his student will also give lectures on their research results at various research institutions and in public forums. Finally, Professor Datta will develop special courses on the new developments in the field based on his research. At a technical level, Professor Datta and his group will explore novel ways to search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics at various precision flavor experiments. This work will guide the various experimental facilities toward new targeted searches to test the Standard Model and to look for novel effects. This will involve new Monte Carlo simulations and Machine Learning techniques that can be used to directly connect theory to the real data obtained in the experiments. In particular, the research will focus on discovering evidence of dark sectors that may be responsible for the missing mass in our Universe and other anomalies. It is likely future experiments will find clear evidence for new phenomena, and Professor Datta’s research will help in the interpretation and description of these new effects. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.