Dr. Andrew Ivanov

Kansas State University

Physics beyond Higgs: Search for Extra Vector-Like Matter at the Large Hadron Collider

102 Cardwell Hall

September 22, 2014

4:30 p.m.

All visible matter in the Universe undergo weak interactions, which are responsible for the neutron beta decay, and which provide the `burning` energy for the Sun. It is quite puzzling that these interactions are asymmetric. Namely, the weak interactions, as seen in a mirror, cannot occur in Nature. In physics terms, we say that the weak interactions violate the parity.

It is believed that at the very early stages in the Universe, all forces of Nature were unified, and the symmetry was preserved. Hypothetical particles that interact symmetrically in the weak interactions are called "vector-like". These vector-like particles appear in Grand Unified Theories, and can be possibly produced at the Large Hadron Collider. It is suspected that they might have some relation to the Higgs boson, and can provide an alternative to super-symmetry explanation why the Higgs boson mass is what it is. They can also reconcile some experimental observations departing from theoretical predictions of the standard model of particle physics.

I will present the latest highlights and the physics program on searches for vector-like matter at the LHC.