RUI: Discovering New Sources of CP Violation in Flavor Phenomenology

This award funds the research activities of Professor Bhubanjyoti Bhattacharya at Lawrence Technological University. The observable universe holds vastly more matter than antimatter, yet the Standard Model of particle physics offers no compelling reason for that imbalance. Since matter and antimatter are related by Charge-Parity (CP) Symmetry, new physics that violates CP Symmetry is necessary to resolve this puzzle. Through the creation of new theoretical frameworks, Professor Bhattacharya’s research will advance our knowledge of the attributes of heavy quarks, leptons, and other particles within the Standard Model and unravel the properties and interactions of hypothetical particles. Professor Bhattacharya’s research strategy joins theoretical model building with careful computation on precision data. As a result, research in this area advances the national interest by promoting the progress of science in understanding the fundamental properties of nature. This project is also envisioned to have significant broader impacts. Undergraduate students at Lawrence Technological University, under Professor Bhattacharya’s supervision, will compare data with theory, identify deviations from the Standard Model, and find new paths to approach the long-standing matter-antimatter asymmetry puzzle. These projects will thus deliver a research-based education to undergraduate students as well as generate increased interest in and greater understanding of particle physics among the general public. The projects will also contribute to the development of the future American workforce while significantly advancing the foundations of American science. More technically, Professor Bhattacharya and his students will study the properties of heavy mesons, such as the B meson, using isospin and flavor SU(3) symmetry to pinpoint novel observables and make predictions for future measurements. They will study the interactions of heavy quarks and leptons with hypothetical particles such as leptoquarks. The planned research will also systematically characterize the effects of symmetry breaking and identify which new physics scenarios best match any observed deviations. 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.