Supersymmetry at ICTP

ICTP is preparing to host one of the most important conferences in the field of high energy physics: Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions-SUSY 2013. The conference, which has met annually for the past two decades, will run from 26 to 31 August 2013, attracting hundreds of physicists to ICTP, including leading figures in high energy physics. Among them will be renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who is expected to give a public lecture.

Prior to the conference, there will be a four-day, pre-SUSY school for students and young researchers, from 20 to 23 August 2013.

"SUSY 2013 will bring together theoretical and experimental physicists. The unifying subject is supersymmetry and developments in the theoretical and experimental parts. In light of the recent developments at the LHC [Large Hadron Collider], communication between the two communities is crucial," said ICTP Director Fernando Quevedo, one of the SUSY 2013 local organizers.

Supersymmetry is an extension to the Standard Model of particle physics. Commonly abbreviated as SUSY, supersymmetry posits that for every known elementary particle there is a corresponding partner particle. The theory helps to explain why the weak force, despite its name, is much stronger than gravity, an important point left unexplained in the Standard Model. Supersymmetry also provides clues for what could comprise dark matter in the universe, and gives a natural framework to unify all fundamental interactions in a single theory.

In other words, SUSY is the best and most studied theoretical framework physicists consider when discussing what could be expected beyond the Standard Model. The LHC has recently discovered what is most likely the last missing particle in our current understanding of elementary particle physics: the Higgs boson. SUSY predicts that other particles, often denoted as "superparticles", should soon be discovered at the LHC; indeed, discovering such superparticles is one of the main motivations that led to the construction of the LHC.

For details about SUSY 2013, visit the conference website.