Model Building and Collider Phenomenology Maxim Perelstein Cornell

Model Building and Collider Phenomenology Maxim Perelstein, Cornell LHC Theory Initiative Meeting, May 4 2005

• The mechanism which breaks electroweak symmetry remains a fundamental, unsolved mystery • Several theoretical ideas for what the EWSB mechanism might be have been proposed (supersymmetry, dynamical symmetry breaking, extra dimensions, little Higgs, . . . ) • True model is unknown (only theoretical prejudice to guide us at this point. . . ) • All models predict new physics at energy scales accessible at the LHC - theory will be confronted with data

Build a Model “NEW PHYSICS PIPELINE” Identify Collider Signatures Compute Signal Cross Sections Compute Backgrounds and Optimize Cuts Confront with Data

• • • Robust, detail-independent signatures need to be identified for each class of models (input from model builders is important!!!) Backgrounds to the proposed signatures need to be understood and controlled MC tools need to be constructed and made available to experimenters Today, different steps are done by different groups, often poor communication, slow, many interesting models are overlooked In the LHC era, quick turnaround time will be essential - a well-organized, coordinated structure will help

• The time to create such a structure is now! • Proposal: a series of small (30 -40 participants) workshops bringing together model builders, collider phenomenology experts, and experimenters (models: Aspen, Les Houches? ) • Duration: 2 -3 weeks (to allow for real progress on collaborative projects) • Frequency: 1 -2 a year • Location: existing facilities (e. g. Fermilab, BNL, LBNL - CMS/ATLAS analysis centers); would be happy to host #1 at Cornell!

• Support for longer-term visits by collaborators (sabbatical leaves, etc. ) • A few dedicated postdoctoral positions would greatly boost this effort (shared between institutions? ) • Good opportunity - a modest investment could help us get prepared for important discoveries ahead!

High-Energy Phenomenology at Cornell (CIHEP) • 3+1 full-time faculty focusing on phenomenology (Csaki, Neubert, Perelstein + Lepage) • ~2 postdocs • ~7 graduate students • Large experimental group at CMS