Sphalerons are unstable, static, finite energy solutions of classical field equations. They are particularly important in the context of electroweak theory and electroweak symmetry breaking as was expected to occur in the very early universe. Sphalerons act as extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics, and could, if they exist, provide a greater explanation and understanding of first order electroweak phase transitions that led to the matter-antimatter asymmetry observed in the universe today. Given that sphalerons provide a solution to the as-of-yet-unsolved question of matter-antimatter asymmetry, it is imperative that their existence be confirmed or ruled out via particle colliders. The verification or rejection of sphalerons via particle experiment and phenomenology would provide an avenue beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. In this research, the energy requirements or energy scales needed for sphaleron detection are discussed, thereby predicting if current colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider can observe sphalerons, or if future ones such as the Future Circular Collider are in the required sensitivity range to validate or invalidate the existence of sphalerons. Thus, this research discusses the theoretical background of sphalerons, their significance, and potential impact on understanding baryon asymmetry in the universe, thereby highlighting the experimental prospects and challenges in detecting hypothetical sphalerons via high-energy colliders.
*None. However, I was awarded the distinguished Richard Brewer Prize in Physics and the highly-selective Ph 11 $7,100 Research Fellowship by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to collaborate as part of Caltech CMS-CERN group and work on a research titled, Analysis of di-Higgs Decay Mode: HH→ bb¯ττ¯ and τ Decays as a Probe for Beyond the Standard Model Physics (bit.ly/3vf1E9J), under Dr. Harvey Newman, Professor of Physics at Caltech. While the paper is under review and will be submitted to CERN Document Server for publication, my current research titled, Energy Scale of Sphalerons, is an extension of my above mentioned research, and is also under Dr. Newman's Caltech CMS-CERN group.
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Publication:My research mentor, Dr. Harvey Newman, and I plan to initially submit this paper to arXiv, and then possibly to the Physical Review Journals published by the American Physical Society. I have also been invited to give an Oral Talk on this research at the 2024 Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR), California State University, San Bernardino, USA.
