This project, aiming to address fundamental questions in elementary particle physics, consists of three related themes: (1) the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (“muon g − 2”); (2) semileptonic decays of B and D mesons (“heavy quark”); and (3) violation of charge conjugation parity symmetry in the kaon system (“CP violation”).
The calculations performed in this work directly support extensive ongoing experimental efforts. The project uses numerical simulations constructed from the lattice gauge theory formulation of quantum chromodynamics. In some cases, the calculations also incorporate corrections from electromagnetism and the small difference in the up- and down-quark masses, because the precision of corresponding experiments requires these effects. The calculations are well aligned with the U.S. strategic plan for particle physics.