The Standard Model (SM) is the modern theory describing electromagnetic, strong and weak interactions as a uniform approach. It is extremely successful and is confirmed in numerous experiments. However, there are many indications that the Standard Model is incomplete, e. g., astrophysical observations point at the existence of "dark matter" and "dark energy", which are completely absent in the SM. The major tools for the search of phenomena beyond the Standard Model are colliders with the highest achievable energy of the colliding particles, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Technological limits do not permit to infinitely increase the energy of beams.
Another promising approach in the search for new interactions is the precise (with very high precision) measurement of some parameters of elementary particles at high luminosity or high intensity installations and the comparison of measurements results with highly precise theoretical calculations. Even a small deviation of the measured value from its expected value according to the Standard Model allows for the incompleteness of the theory and puts limits on possible models for its expansion. The accuracy of some modern experiments allows to "see into" the area of energy not available at the LHC.
As part of the laboratory activity a group of physicists from NSU participate in two precision experiments, to be held at Fermilab, USA (FNAL, National Accelerator Laboratory named after Enrico Fermi) from 2016 and 2020 respectively. Two experiments are devoted to the measurement of very different values, but they use the same accelerator complex and the source of muons. Both experiments are merged into a single muon program in the framework of the Fermilab scientific program.
The potential of both experiments to search for the "new" physics (phenomena that cannot be described within the framework of the Standard Model) is not inferior to the possibilities of experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider.
The laboratory is part of
The NSU interdisciplinary center of elementary particle physics and astrophysics
Head of Laboratory: PhD in Physics and Mathematics, Associate Professor Ivan Logashenko,
IBLogashenko@inp.nsk.su
Section of elementary particle physics
Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics
National Accelerator Laboratory. Enrico Fermi (Fermilab, USA)