Precision Monte-Carlo event generators and LHC measurements

• Applicant: Dr. Frank Siegert
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: from 2014 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 250675285

Particle physics, and in particular the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), have recently been in the focus of attention from physicists and the general public. The discovery of a Higgs boson at its Experiments ATLAS and CMS in the year 2012 and thus the potential completion of the Standard Model as successful theory of matter and interactions answers fundamental questions about the nature of the universe. This discovery concluded the long lasting search for the Higgs boson and initiated the measurement of its properties. In the meantime, the second phase of data-taking at the LHC has come to a close and the Higgs mechanism was confirmed in detailed measurements. So far, no hints for physics beyond the Standard Model have been discovered in the measurements. Despite this phenomenal success with which the Standard Model has been confirmed in many measurements it is a central task of experimental particle physics to verify or falsify this theory with ever more precise measurements and thus guide the development of new theories. This is complicated by the fact that realistic new theories can only induce minor deviations from Standard Model predictions. One thus not only needs accurate measurements but also very precise calculations of the "background" processes in the Standard Model. The handling of such calculations and an understanding for their range of validity and inherent uncertainties are complex tasks. To quickly use such calculations in the context of measurements it is essential to have members of the experimental collaborations who are well acquainted with the current theoretical developments. The members of my Emmy Noether Group have been leading contributors to this program for the past four years. To start follow-up projects which arose from these works, and to ensure the supervision of the finishing PhD projects, I am proposing new projects for funding in a sixth-year extension.

• DFG Programme: Independent Junior Research Groups