Public Abstract

DE-SC0022350: Searches for physics beyond the Standard Model at Belle II

Award Status: Active

Institution: University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc., Louisville, KY
UEI: E1KJM4T54MK6
DUNS: 057588857

Most Recent Award Date: 04/07/2025
Number of Support Periods: 3
PM: Beckford, Brian

Current Budget Period: 05/01/2024 - 10/31/2025
Current Project Period: 11/01/2021 - 10/31/2025
PI: Banerjee, Swagato

Supplement Budget Period: N/A

Public Abstract

Searches for lepton flavor violation and dark matter at the Intensity Frontier Belle II experiment, Dr. Swagato Banerjee, University of LouisvilleMu2e experiment. Dr. David N. Brown, now at Western Kentucky University Abstract This project aims to answer fundamental questions relating to unsolved mysteries of particle physics by searching for charged lepton flavor violation and dark matter at the Belle II and Mu2e experiments. Observation of either would completely change our understanding of Nature and thus these searches are recognized by the particle physics community as high priority discovery probes for new physics. Belle II has begun data-taking at the world’s highest luminosity accelerator, the SuperKEKB, in Japan, and provides an excellent laboratory to study τ lepton physics. Together with a postdoctoral fellow, graduate and undergraduate students, Dr. Banerjee plans to continue making significant contributions towards the operations and performance of the KL0 and muon detector, and improve the physics modeling of τ decays by upgrading the TAUOLA Monte Carlo generator. The group plans to work on data mining and its statistical interpretation to search for lepton flavor violation in τ decays, and evidence of dark matter coupled with τ leptons produced in electron-positron collisions. The Mu2e experiment is designed to observe neutrinoless muon to electron conversion at the few 10−17 level with a few years of data taking at Fermilab. This implies a search four orders of magnitude more stringent than previous searches. The Mu2e experiment is currently in construction on both the hardware and software fronts. Dr. Brown, a postdoctoral fellow, two research assistant professors, and students will contribute to the development, data-taking, and data analysis on Mu2e. In particular, the group will develop and maintain software for simulation, vertex reconstruction, calibration, background studies and measure- ments, and documentation. Their work will contribute to the centerpiece search for direct muon to electron conversion, as well as searching for dark-sector bosons, know as dark photons, at the Mu2e experiment.

Searches for lepton flavor violation and dark matter at the Intensity Frontier

Belle II experiment, Dr. Swagato Banerjee, University of LouisvilleMu2e experiment. Dr. David N. Brown, now at Western Kentucky University

Abstract

This project aims to answer fundamental questions relating to unsolved mysteries of particle physics by searching for charged lepton flavor violation and dark matter at the Belle II and Mu2e experiments. Observation of either would completely change our understanding of Nature and thus these searches are recognized by the particle physics community as high priority discovery probes for new physics.

Belle II has begun data-taking at the world’s highest luminosity accelerator, the SuperKEKB, in Japan, and provides an excellent laboratory to study τ lepton physics. Together with a postdoctoral fellow, graduate and undergraduate students, Dr. Banerjee plans to continue making significant contributions towards the operations and performance of the KL0 and muon detector, and improve the physics modeling of τ decays by upgrading the TAUOLA Monte Carlo generator. The group plans to work on data mining and its statistical interpretation to search for lepton flavor violation in τ decays, and evidence of dark matter coupled with τ leptons produced in electron-positron collisions.

The Mu2e experiment is designed to observe neutrinoless muon to electron conversion at the few 10−17 level with a few years of data taking at Fermilab. This implies a search four orders of magnitude more stringent than previous searches. The Mu2e experiment is currently in construction on both the hardware and software fronts. Dr. Brown, a postdoctoral fellow, two research assistant professors, and students will contribute to the development, data-taking, and data analysis on Mu2e. In particular, the group will develop and maintain software for simulation, vertex reconstruction, calibration, background studies and measure- ments, and documentation. Their work will contribute to the centerpiece search for direct muon to electron conversion, as well as searching for dark-sector bosons, know as dark photons, at the Mu2e experiment.