Photon-photon interactions in the Standard Model and beyond - full exploitation of the discovery potential from MESA to the LHC

The research group 5327 at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) focuses on photon-photon interactions. While light-light scattering is not possible in classical physics, it plays a central role in the Standard Model of particle physics. The fundamental investigation of the photon-photon interaction therefore promises far-reaching insights both within the Standard Model and beyond it.

In order to understand the quantum process of the photon-photon interaction in detail, a combined approach of theoretical work and experimental research is being pursued in the research group. In addition, data in an energy range as large as possible are to be analysed and included in the calculations. For this purpose, measurements at the new MESA accelerator at JGU at lowest energies as well as high-energy measurements at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva are planned. The medium energy scales will be accessed using data from the Mainz accelerator MAMI and the BES-III experiment in China.

The research group started in April 2022. It is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for an initial period of four years with approximately 3.5 million euros.

More detailed information can be found on the homepage of the research group.