To maximize the impact of precision experiments at the low-energy, intensity frontier, we must advance our theoretical understanding of the Standard-Model (SM) contributions and QCD matrix elements that can appear, lest we risk losing the ability to discover beyond-the-Standard Model (BSM) effects. This program will bring together the particle- and nuclear-physics communities to address key issues at this theoretical frontier. We believe these needs are best met through the collaboration of phenomenologists specializing in the study of fundamental symmetries and interactions and QCD practitioners, particularly those employing lattice gauge theory.

Collider searches for new physics are well suited to the direct production of new high-mass particles. In contrast, low-energy precision experiments are designed to identify new physics through the discovery of the breaking of SM symmetries or through the failure of an experiment to confront the precision computation of an observable in the SM, as in the case of the g−2 of the muon. The discovery of a Higgs particle at the LHC and the particular value of its mass constrain many BSM models, but many fundamental questions remain unaddressed. What is the nature of dark matter? Why is strong CP violation so small? Are there particles beyond those predicted by the SM? A diverse program of low-energy precision experiments, executed in parallel, can provide insight and can help identify suitable new-physics models.

Precision measurements at low energies provide important constraints on new physics even if they fail to discover new physics directly. Indeed, such constraints are complementary to those produced by experiments at high-energy colliders. Low-energy studies of new physics invariably require precision calculations of nonperturbative hadronic matrix elements at the QCD scale, employing operators both within and beyond the SM. These matrix elements derive from the properties of QCD at low energies, and special techniques are needed to address the theoretical issues that arise within QCD. The most appealing scenarios for new physics are those that can explain more than one unanswered question, and potentially more than one precision experiment's discrepancy from the SM. Thus a range of ongoing and planned precision experiments is key to realizing a coherent program for the discovery of new physics. Our program's structure, with its array of topics, is meant to mirror that sensibility by addressing the various subfields in which discrepancies from the SM may appear.

The 6-week program (1–2 talks per day) will offer perspective on upcoming low-energy experiments; the schedule of topics follows (though this is not exclusive):

Week 1–2 (September 14–25, 2015)
• neutron probes of weak-decay correlations
• searches for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs)
• searches for baryon-number violation: neutron-antineutron oscillations and proton decay
Week 3 (Sep. 28–Oct. 2, 2015)
Program Workshop: "QCD for New Physics at the Precision Frontier". A detailed workshop schedule will be posted here as the program date approaches.

There is a registration fee of $45.00 to attend this workshop. You may pay this fee in cash or by a U.S. check, issued to the University of Washington. Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards.


Week 4–5 (Oct. 5–16, 2015)
• fundamental symmetry tests through rare meson decays (η, η', ...)
• interpreting the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon
• QCD for
• dark-matter searches
• neutrino physics
• searches for charged-lepton flavor violation with nuclei
Week 6 (Oct. 19–23, 2015)
• parton distribution functions and their impact on new-physics searches

There will also be plenty of discussion sessions, intended to allow the participants to explore new research topics and form new collaborations. Further details on the schedule of the program will be provided in a later update of this website. Program registration is now open. Due to limited office space, we highly encourage those who are interested in the program to fill out the application by March 20, 2015.