Digging deeper into effective field theory

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13533
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 15010:Theoretical studies related to particle-, nuclear-, cosmic ray and astro-physics
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Melia Thomas 東京大学, カブリ数物連携宇宙研究機構, 特任助教 (30814909)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: Effective field theory

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project conclusively and systematically solved the problem of constructing operator bases in effective field theories. Namely, it provided a concrete recipe to construct the operator basis of a relativistic effective field theory, given its symmetries. It has filled a significant gap in the literature, and has application in theoretical aspects of the search for new physics at the Large Hadron Collider, and at future colliders, such as the International Linear Collider that is currently in Pre-Lab stage. The project also provided an unanticipated new viewpoint on effective field theory itself, introducing the language of harmonics and power spectra to the paradigm. Unanticipated mathematical links to Monte Carlo integration techniques, and to dark matter direct detection were also uncovered. The research was disseminated in publications in high-impact, peer reviewed international journals, and through invited talks at international and domestic conferences.

Free Research Field

Theoretical particle physics

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、有効理論の系統的な構築手法を提供するものであり、加速器実験における新物理探査や暗黒物質の直接探査等、多数の高エネルギー物理学における将来研究に寄与する。また同時に、高エネルギー物理において既に確立し広く使用されるパラダイムに新しい視点（ハーモニック解析）を導入するものでもある。本研究の社会的意義に関しては、宇宙に関する根本的な問題に関して更なる深い理解を与えるとともに、新しい加速器実験等の大型プロジェクトの科学的意義の議論に重要なインプットを与えるものでもある。