Particle Physics in Birmingham

Particle Physics Seminar

Wednesday 16th October 2013 at 13:30
Poynting Small Lecture Theatre

(tea, coffee and biscuits served at 13:15)

Precision Precession: Measuring the Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon to 0.14 Parts per Million

Steve Maxfield (Liverpool University)


Abstract

The anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (g-2) has been measured to extremely high precision most recently from data taken by the E821 experiment at Brookhaven. There is a tantalising 3.6 sigma difference between this measurement and the predicted value from Standard model physics. The value of g-2 is sensitive to physics beyond the standard model. The new E989 experiment at FNAL plans to remeasure g-2 with enhanced precision reducing the experimental errors by a factor of four. With concurrent improvements in the theoretical calculations this will provide a precision probe of BSM physics which complements measurements from the LHC. In this talk I will explain the motivation for the experiment, how the measurement will be made and how it is planned to achieve the reduction in experimental uncertainty.