2019-08-19 14:00  1st floor (auditorium)

Putting to test the Standard Model: the Theory of (Almost) Everything

Alberto Belloni

The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory that describes how elementary particles interact via the electro-magnetic, weak, and strong forces. It successfully withstood more than 40 years of precision tests, but we do know it is not complete. It does not include gravity, and it does not provide a description of dark energy, nor of dark matter, the existence of which astronomical and cosmological observations unambiguously indicate. I will present complementary methods I utilize to put the Standard Model through its paces, with data collected by the CMS detector at the LHC. I will not forget to discuss how a collaboration of ~4000 members from more than 40 countries operates successfully one of the most complex experimental facilities ever built.