Supersymmetric Models and their Signatures at the Large Hadron Collider.

Particle physics research consist of theory, phenomenology and experiment. Phenomenology is the branch of particle physics that extracts experimental predictions from theoretical models, and constructs models starting from experimental data. In the past few decades, the Standard Model was so successful at explaining the available experimental data that theory and experiment developed somewhat independently. Upcoming data from the Large Hadron Collider )LHC), combined with cosmological data, are expected to change this dramatically and to make the role of particle physics phenomenology more prominent again.
At VUB, theory and experiment are well represented, but the phenomenological link connecting them is largely absent. This project aims to have this link in place by the time LHC results start coming in. The concrete focus of the proposal is on models with supersymmetry, widely considered the leading candidate for physics beyond the standard model. Starting from the existing theoretical expertise in supersymmetry and experimental expertise in collider physics, the ability to connect the two will be developed, enabling the test of specific classes of models at the LHC.