abstract

The results of high precision weak neutral current (WNC), \(Z\)-pole, and high energy collider electroweak experiments have been the primary prediction and test of electroweak unification. The electroweak program is briefly reviewed from a historical perspective. The current status and the implications for the standard model and beyond are discussed.

abstract

The theme of the XXXIV International Meeting on Fundamental Physics on April 27, 2006 was “From HERA and the TEVATRON to the LHC”. At that meeting I presented four lectures on “Physics at the Tevatron”. This is a summary of two lectures on “Physics at the Tevatron: IMFP06 IMFP08” presented at the XXXVI International Meeting on Fundamental Physics held in Baeza, Spain on February 4–8, 2008. These two lectures are an attempt to highlight what we have learned at the Tevatron since my lectures in 2006. I will also look back at the “old days” of Feynman–Field collider phenomenology.

abstract

In these lecture notes we review some prospect for the upcoming LHC experiments in view of the exploration of the Standard Model (SM) or its minimal Supersymmetric extension (MSSM). We focus on some theoretical aspects concerning the Higgs sector of the two models. We give results for the precision observables \(M_W\) and \(m_t\) and their impact on the indirect determination of the Higgs sector. We furthermore review the prospects for the direct measurements in the SM and MSSM Higgs sector.

abstract

The status of the ILC global effort is reviewed starting from the physics motivations and describing the present strategy to build such a machine and its associated detectors. Then assuming that the first significant results from LHC will soon become available, this presentation assumes four different scenarios and discuss the implications for ILC.

abstract

Some recent developments in theory and phenomenology of neutrino mass and mixing are described. These include new results in theory of neutrino propagation: neutrino oscillograms of the Earth and non-linear neutrino physics with applications to supernova neutrinos. Results of the bottom-up approach to understanding neutrino masses and mixing are summarized. Emergence of the “standard neutrino scenario” and searches for physics beyond this scenario are discussed.

abstract

Observations on all fronts strongly support the view of a universe composed of > 96% invisible matter and energy. The invisible matter is non-baryonic, cold and likely in the form of new particles generically referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), relics from the early universe. One way to detect WIMPs is to measure the nuclear recoils produced in their rare elastic collisions with ordinary matter. The predicted interaction rate ranges from the best sensitivity of existing experiments of \(\sim 1 \) evts/kg/yr to \(\sim 1 \) evts/1000 kg/yr. Efforts are underway worldwide to realize sensitive direct detection experiments, with large target mass and improved background rejection capabilities. In this talk I will review experiments headed in this direction with the use of cryogenic noble liquids, focusing on those experiments which use the common technique of a dual-phase (liquid/gas) time projection chamber to measure simultaneously the ionization and the scintillation signals produced by radiation in a large volume of liquid xenon or liquid argon. The four experiments I will review are XENON, ZEPLIN, WARP and ArDM.

abstract

After a short introduction to the equations of FLRW Cosmology, I review the four main techniques used to understand observationally the properties of dark energy in turn, followed by a short summary of the current understanding of the subject. I finalize with a description of a few of the main dark-energy oriented surveys that are going to take place in the near future.

abstract

VHE gamma ray astronomy is an exciting blooming field of fundamental research at the frontier between astrophysics and particle physics. The fundamental concepts, techniques and physics highlights of this new field are briefly reviewed.