Dark matter searches and theoretical research in high energy physics at Penn State
Maria del Carmen Carmona Benitez, Pennsylvania State University, Lead P.I. 
Jacob Bourjaily, Pennsylvania State University, Co-P.I. 
Irina Mociou, Pennsylvania State University, Co-P.I. 
Radu Roiban, Pennsylvania State University, Co-P.I. 

The High Energy Physics Group at Penn State is engaged in experimental and theoretical research in the fields of particle astrophysics and elementary particle physics, with the goal of answering fundamental questions about the nature of the universe. 

Cosmic Frontier program (LZ):  The identification of dark matter is presently one of the greatest challenges in science. The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has constructed a next generation dark matter detector at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, using a dual-phase time projection chamber with 7 tonnes of active liquid xenon. This experiment aims to achieve unprecedented sensitivity to weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), projected to reach a WIMP-nucleon cross section of 1.4x10^-48 cm^2 for a 40 GeV/c2 WIMP mass in 1000 live-days. The Penn State group is working on the commissioning of the full LZ experiment, with data taking expected to begin in 2021. As we complete the detector construction and start operations, we shift our efforts to achieving the science goals of the LZ experiment, with a focus on the main analysis for the WIMP dark matter search.

PI: M.C. Carmona-Benitez.

Theory program: The goal of the theoretical effort is to improve our understanding and extend our knowledge of particles, forces, space-time, and the universe. Proposed work will (1) improve our understanding of and ability to use perturbative quantum field theory by pushing the present limits of our understanding of scattering amplitudes; expanding the applicability of modern methods for constructing loop integrands, performing loop integration, and understanding loop integrals to a wider class of more realistic quantum field theories; to generate and explore new theoretical data about large classes of previously unreachable scattering amplitudes; and to discover new,  unanticipated simplicities therein; (2) explore new types of observables (e.g tau neutrino detection) for present and proposed neutrino detectors that will increase physics knowledge and understanding; identify analysis frameworks that optimize computational efficiency with the precision needed to understand the underlying physics effects; understand degeneracies between different standard and potential new physics effects and how they can be resolved with different types of observables in a global analysis; (3) better understand classical gravitational interactions of macroscopic bodies with and without spin; develop new methods for quantum and classical calculations in flat and curved spaces and develop a unified framework connecting simultaneously the perturbative dynamics and solutions of field equations of gauge and gravitational theories; understand the consequences of duality symmetries and their anomalies; uncover novel relations between distinct classes of complex manifolds;  understand color/kinematics duality for solutions of field equations.                                                 

PIs: J. Bourjaily, I. Mocioiu, R. Roiban.