Past Events
| Event | Date | Summary |
| The Cosmological Constant and Brane Nucleation – Jonathan Feng | Fri. April 20th, 2001 12:30 pm-1:30 pm |
Present observations favor a small but positive cosmological term. Recent theoretical developments suggest the possibility of fundamental brane degrees of freedom. If these branes are coupled to a three-index gauge field, brane nucleation may neutralize a large cosmological constant, much as pair creation neutralizes an electric field. I consider the possibility that the present cosmological term is the end result of a series of such nucleations. Continue reading… The Cosmological Constant and Brane Nucleation – Jonathan Feng |
| The Search for Supersymmetry – Jonathan Feng | Thu. April 19th, 2001 12:30 pm-1:30 pm |
Supersymmetry predicts a partner particle for every known particle. I will present some of the theoretical motivations for expecting the discovery of supersymmetry in the near future at colliders, in precision data, and in dark matter searches, drawing on recently reported anomalies as examples. Finally, I discuss the long-term prospects for supersymmetry. Continue reading… The Search for Supersymmetry – Jonathan Feng |
| Particle Physics Implications for Dark Matter – Jonathan Feng | Tue. April 17th, 2001 12:30 pm-1:30 pm |
Although the cosmological evidence for dark matter is overwhelming and becoming increasingly precise, the nature of dark matter remains a mystery. Particle physics plays an important role, both by suggesting candidates and by imposing powerful constraints. This interplay is especially fruitful in the case of supersymmetry. I will review what we do (and do not) know about supersymmetric dark matter. I will then describe some recent developments and their implications for dark matter searches. Continue reading… Particle Physics Implications for Dark Matter – Jonathan Feng |
| Focus Point Supersymmetry – Jonathan Feng | Mon. April 16th, 2001 12:30 pm-1:30 pm |
All of supersymmetry phenomenology suffers from the tension between naturalness and low energy constraints. Most attempts to relieve this tension have assumed that naturalness requires sub-TeV superpartners and have attempted to satisfy the low energy constraints by arranging for scalar degeneracy, In this talk, I will describe an alternative proposal: focus point supersymmetry. In this framework, an interesting property of renormalization group equations allows all scalar superpartners to have multi-TeV masses without sacrificing naturalness. |