Fundamental Symmetries
My research focuses on CP-violation in strong interactions and possible extensions of the Standard Model, with implications for the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.
In particular, I aim to compute the neutron electric dipole moment from first principles using lattice QCD, providing precise theoretical input for ongoing and future experiments.
Physics motivation
The observed dominance of matter over antimatter in the Universe remains one of the central open questions in modern physics. This asymmetry requires sources of CP-violation beyond those present in the Standard Model.
Electric dipole moments (EDMs) provide a powerful probe of CP-violation. In particular, the neutron EDM offers a clean and complementary window to search for new sources of CP-violation both experimentally and theoretically.
My approach
My research aims to determine the neutron electric dipole moment from first principles using lattice QCD. This requires a non-perturbative treatment of strong interactions and a careful control of systematic effects.
To achieve this, I develop methods based on the gradient flow to renormalize CP-violating operators, combined with improved discretizations and controlled continuum and chiral extrapolations. These techniques enable precision calculations of EDMs induced by both Standard Model and beyond-the-Standard-Model sources.
Θ-term
The θ-term is a CP-violating contribution to QCD. The parameter θ controls the strength of CP-violation and induces a neutron electric dipole moment.
Current experimental bounds constrain θ to be extremely small, of order 10^{-10}, leading to the strong CP problem. One possible explanation involves the existence of a new particle, the axion, which dynamically suppresses θ.
From: J. Dragos, T. Luu, A. Shindler, J. de Vries, A. Yousif
Confirming the existence of the strong CP problem in lattice QCD with the gradient flow
From: J. Kim, T. Luu, M. D. Rizik, A. Shindler,
Nonperturbative renormalization of the quark chromoelectric dipole moment with the gradient flow: Power divergences
BSM contributions to the EDM
The Standard Model predicts a neutron electric dipole moment several orders of magnitude below current experimental sensitivity. In contrast, many extensions of the Standard Model can generate significantly larger EDMs.
The neutron EDM therefore provides a sensitive probe of new physics, offering a unique window into CP-violation beyond the Standard Model and its possible role in explaining the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.