Beyond the Standard Model Phenomenology and Cosmology

The Standard Model of particle physics is a milestone in our understanding of particle physics, constantly investigated in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. However,  there are still important open questions, including the mechanism beyond electroweak symmetry breaking, the matter-antimatter asymmetry,  the strong CP problem, the origin and the nature of the dark matter.

These open problems are addressed in Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) theories, where the Standard Model is extended with new forces, matter, symmetries. Notable examples are supersymmetry, extra dimensions, composite Higgs models, brane-world. These scenarios also naturally connect BSM particle physics ideas with novel features in the cosmological history of our Universe.

Our group performs research in this area by covering a broad spectrum of topics in BSM physics and cosmology, with the objective of providing a bridge between theory and experiment.

A first research line is centered on the study of novel signatures of BSM physics at colliders. Our investigations explore signals of e.g. supersymmetry, axion-like particles, dark matter, focussing on the high-luminosity LHC and future colliders (such as the FCC or a muon collider). In particular, we are involved in the community effort to explore long-lived particle signatures of BSM physics in colliders. In this context we are also embedded in the EOS consortium to study the Brout-Englert-Higgs boson and its connection to BSM physics.

Another important research line is devoted to the study of unconventional dark matter models and their cosmological history. By exploring novel mechanisms of production of dark matter in the early Universe we aim to identify new signatures or strategies through which we can look for dark matter imprints in current experiments.

Finally, we perform investigations aiming to find gravitational wave signals of well-motivated BSM theories. Gravitational waves have provided a new way to explore the Universe, probing physics at high energies beyond the ones accessible at colliders. This can hence shed new light into fundamental questions of high energy BSM physics. Our research interests are focused primarily on phase transitions that could have occurred during the early Universe in BSM scenarios. They could have generated gravitational waves by their strong dynamics or through the generation of cosmic defects and their subsequent evolution. This research activity combines with the “Gravitational Waves” line described below.