12 More Physics Beyond the Standard Model or the End of Physics Now?
89
would reveal more about new physics beyond the standard model and more
about the inner workings of the Higgs boson. It is not clear which of them
will materialize in the future. Certainly it promises to be an exciting time in
particle physics, with prospects for discovery of new physics and far deeper
understanding of the forces and matter in the universe.
12.2 Non-Accelerator Probes of Physics Beyond
the Standard Model
Accelerators are not the only way to push the frontier of physics beyond what
we know today. There are many physical processes which are not allowed
by the standard model and their discovery will provide a giant leap in our
understanding of physics. Examples are processes such as neutrinoless double
beta decay, proton decay, and neutron–anti-neutron oscillation, as well as new
decay modes of the muon e.g. μ → e + γ decay, etc. Intense efforts are under
way to probe all these processes (except neutron–anti-neutron oscillation) at
the moment. There is a possibility that n − ¯
n oscillation may be searched for
at the European Spallation Source facility at Lund, Sweden, in the near future.
A great deal of effort is now focused on searches for the axion particle, which
provides a solution to the strong CP problem [82], as well as searches for the
dark matter of the universe as noted before. So far, both these attempts have
not been successful.
Then there are exotic possibilities such as searches for the breakdown of
Einstein’s theory of relativity [69], electric charge conservation, violations of
of Pauli’s exclusion principle, etc. Any evidence for these will revolutionize
our thinking about new physics. The reason is that these principles have been
used in our understanding of observed physical phenomena with a great deal
of success and any deviation will signal rethinking of our standard approach.
89
would reveal more about new physics beyond the standard model and more
about the inner workings of the Higgs boson. It is not clear which of them
will materialize in the future. Certainly it promises to be an exciting time in
particle physics, with prospects for discovery of new physics and far deeper
understanding of the forces and matter in the universe.
12.2 Non-Accelerator Probes of Physics Beyond
the Standard Model
Accelerators are not the only way to push the frontier of physics beyond what
we know today. There are many physical processes which are not allowed
by the standard model and their discovery will provide a giant leap in our
understanding of physics. Examples are processes such as neutrinoless double
beta decay, proton decay, and neutron–anti-neutron oscillation, as well as new
decay modes of the muon e.g. μ → e + γ decay, etc. Intense efforts are under
way to probe all these processes (except neutron–anti-neutron oscillation) at
the moment. There is a possibility that n − ¯
n oscillation may be searched for
at the European Spallation Source facility at Lund, Sweden, in the near future.
A great deal of effort is now focused on searches for the axion particle, which
provides a solution to the strong CP problem [82], as well as searches for the
dark matter of the universe as noted before. So far, both these attempts have
not been successful.
Then there are exotic possibilities such as searches for the breakdown of
Einstein’s theory of relativity [69], electric charge conservation, violations of
of Pauli’s exclusion principle, etc. Any evidence for these will revolutionize
our thinking about new physics. The reason is that these principles have been
used in our understanding of observed physical phenomena with a great deal
of success and any deviation will signal rethinking of our standard approach.