Physics (Internal)
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Research Interests:
Electroweak Symmetry Breaking
The problems of the breakdown of electroweak and flavor symmetries are among the most pressing facing particle physics today. Electroweak symmetry breaking is manifested by the nonzero masses of the weak W and Z bosons, and requires the existence of a Higgs boson or some other yet unseen mechanism. To solve the problem of flavor, one must understand why there are six quarks and six leptons forming three families, and why these particles exhibit such a peculiar pattern of masses and mixing. This question has become especially acute with the recent experimental proof that neutrinos have mass and experience oscillations. Several theoretical approaches to electroweak and flavor symmetry breaking, as well as the related question of CP violation, are being investigated actively.
Selected Publications:
“Heavy Vector Partners of the Light Composite Higgs”. Kenneth Lane and Lukas Pritchett, Phys. Lett. B753 (2016) 211-214
“Lepton Flavor Violation in B Decays?”. Sheldon L. Glashow, Diego Guadagnoli and Kenneth Lane, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 091801
“Supercollider Physics”. E. Eichten, I. Hinchliffe, K. Lane and C. Quigg, Rev. Mod. Phys. 56 (1984) 579-707
“Dynamical Breaking of Weak Interaction Symmetries”. Estia Eichten and Kenneth D. Lane, Phys. Lett. 90B (1980) 125-130
“The Spectrum of Charmonium”. E. Eichten, K. Gottfried, T. Kinoshita, J. B. Kogut, K. D. Lane and T.-M. Yan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 34 (1975) 369-372
For a full list of publications, please check the attached CV
Education:
- B.S. in Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
- M.S. in Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Ph.D. in Physics, Johns Hopkins University
Honors/Awards:
- Fellow of the American Physical Society
- J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics (2011)
In the news:
- Lane, Bose, Black referenced in Daily Free Press
- Professor Kenneth Lane wins APS J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics
- Professors Ahlen, Lane, Shank and students discuss the LHC in The Daily Free Press
Research Descriptions:
Electroweak Symmetry Breaking
The problems of the breakdown of electroweak and flavor symmetries are among the most pressing facing particle physics today. Electroweak symmetry breaking is manifested by the nonzero masses of the weak W and Z bosons, and requires the existence of a Higgs boson or some other yet unseen mechanism. To solve the problem of flavor, one must understand why there are six quarks and six leptons forming three families, and why these particles exhibit such a peculiar pattern of masses and mixing. This question has become especially acute with the recent experimental proof that neutrinos have mass and experience oscillations. Several theoretical approaches to electroweak and flavor symmetry breaking, as well as the related question of CP violation, are being investigated actively. All of them require that there be new particles and new interactions at soon-to-be accessible energies. In particular, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider are currently accumulating data which should clarify the origins of electroweak symmetry breaking. The high-energy theorists are interacting closely with their experimental colleagues who will be working on these experiments. Research is aimed at formulating consistent theoretical models and exploring their observable consequences.