Professor Asutosh Kotwal
Duke University
The Heavyweight W boson - an Upset to the Standard Model of Particle Physics
Location: 1080 Physics Research Building
Faculty Host: Antonio Boveia
Abstract: The Standard Model of particle physics has been a crowning achievement of fundamental physics, culminating in the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. As a quantum theory of the building blocks of matter and forces, it has been one of the most successful theories in science. The recent measurement of the mass of the W boson from Fermilab disagrees with the theory prediction. This upset to the Standard Model may point towards exciting new discoveries in particle physics in the coming years. We will discuss the Standard Model, the crucial role of the W boson, and how it can become the harbinger of new laws of nature.
Bio: Prof. Ashutosh Kotwal's research focuses on the physics of fundamental particles and forces at high energies. The discovery of the Higgs boson has answered the 50-year old puzzle of how fundamental particles acquire mass. However, the properties of the Higgs boson are not understood, and neither is the process by which the Higgs field condenses everywhere in space. Prof. Kotwal is pursuing these questions experimentally using two approaches - precision measurements of fundamental parameters, and direct searches for new particles and forces.
Prof. Kotwal leads the worldwide effort to measure very precisely the mass of the W boson, which is sensitive to the quantum mechanical effects of new particles or forces. In particular it is directly connected to the properties of the Higgs boson. If the properties of the Higgs differ from the current Standard Model theory, the mass of the W boson will also differ from its predicted value.
