New Models and Methods for Particle Physics: from Monte Carlo Simulations to Quantum Computing

by Lena Funcke (University of Bonn)

Thursday 18 Jan 2024, 10:00 → 11:00 Europe/Berlin

Wegelerstraße 10/2.019 (PI) - Seminar Room BCTP I (PI)

The Standard Model of particle physics provides an exceptionally successful description of the most fundamental laws of the Universe. However, it leaves open essential questions, such as: Why do neutrinos have masses? Why is there more matter than antimatter in the Universe? And why does the strong force, which glues quarks into protons and neutrons, not distinguish between matter and antimatter (called the “strong CP problem”)?

In this talk, we discuss new interdisciplinary avenues to address these challenges. Starting from conventional Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we explore novel methods from deep learning, tensor networks, and quantum computing to tackle problems of the Standard Model. We consider a new model beyond the Standard Model, which proposes a joint solution for neutrino masses and the strong CP problem. Finally, we discuss the implications of our methods and models for experiments like ALICE, IceCube, and Euclid.