Searching for the Particles of the Early Universe (David Toback, Texas A&M University)

by David Toback (Texas A&M University)

Thursday Nov 5, 2009, 3:30 PM → 5:00 PM Pacific/Honolulu

Rm 112 (UHM - Watanabe Hall)

There is good reason to believe that particle physics, astronomy and cosmology are tied at very fundamental levels. In this talk I will briefly discuss why many models that can explain the Dark Matter we observe in the Universe today also predict the existence of new fundamental particles. In particular I will focus on a powerful theory of particle physics, Supersymmetry, and how it could be discovered in high-energy collider experiments that reproduce the earliest moments after the Big Bang. I will highlight some of the different experimental techniques and predictions, and concentrate on the state-of-the-art searches at the Tevatron with an eye on the implications for the impending start of the LHC.