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4 years ago in Astrophysics , Particle Physics By Rahul K
What is the purpose of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and what breakthroughs can it achieve?
As a graduate student in particle physics, I often have to explain the LHC's purpose to non-specialists. I understand it collides protons, but I want a more nuanced answer about its role in testing the Standard Model's limits. What specific unanswered questions like dark matter composition or supersymmetry is it uniquely positioned to address in its current and upcoming runs?
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By Keerthi Gupta Answered 2 years ago
The LHC's fundamental mission is to recreate the energy conditions of the early universe to see what particles and forces emerge. Its discovery of the Higgs boson completed the Standard Model, but now the real detective work begins. I would say its next breakthroughs will likely be indirect. We are searching for subtle deviations in particle behavior that hint at new physics like evidence for dark matter particles or signs of supersymmetry. The upcoming High-Luminosity upgrade will deliver an order of magnitude more data. From my analysis, this won't necessarily find a dramatic new particle, but it will allow us to measure the Higgs properties with exquisite precision, which is often where the first cracks in a theory appear.
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