Phenomenology (particle physics)
Particle physics phenomenology is the part of theoretical particle physics that deals with the application of theory to high-energy particle physics experiments. Within the Standard Model, phenomenology is the calculating of detailed predictions for experiments, usually at high precision (e.g., including radiative corrections). Beyond the Standard Model, phenomenology addresses the experimental consequences of new models: how their new particles could be searched for, how the model parameters could be measured, and how the model could be distinguished from other, competing models. Phenomenology may in some sense be regarded as forming a bridge between the rarefied, highly mathematical world of theoretical physics proper (such as quantum field theories and theories of the structure of space-time) and experimental particle physics.
Some examples
- Monte Carlo simulation studies of physics processes at colliders.
- Next-to-leading order calculations of particle production rates and distributions.
- Extraction of parton distribution functions from data.
- Application of heavy quark effective field theory to extract CKM matrix elements.
- Using lattice QCD to extract quark masses and CKM matrix elements from experiment.
- "Phenomenological analyses," in which one studies the experimental consequences of adding the most general set of beyond-the-Standard-Model effects in a given sector of the Standard Model, usually parameterized in terms of anomalous couplings and higher-dimensional operators. In this case, the term "phenomenological" is being used more in its philosophy of science sense.
See also
External links
- Papers on phenomenology are available on the hep-ph archive of the ArXiv.org e-print archive
- List of topics on phenomenology from IPPP, the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at University of Durham, UK
- Collider Phenomenology: Basic knowledge and techniques, lectures by Tao Han
- Pheno '08 Symposium on particle physics phenomenology, including slides from the talks linked from the symposium program.
