Dr. Vasily Sotnikov from the Physics Institute of the University of Zurich is receiving an ERC Starting Grant, a highly endowed grant from the EU, and will thus strengthen his collaboration with research groups at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). With his research project “HiNPrecise,” he plans to expand the existing theoretical framework in order to be able to calculate previously unknown scattering amplitudes. These scattering amplitudes provide phenomenological predictions for particle scattering based on the complex formalism of quantum field theory. Such predictions are needed for precision measurements at the world’s largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

“Dr. Sotnikov is an outstanding young researcher who works in the field of phenomenology of elementary particles, applying analytical and numerical methods in precision calculations,” says Prof. Dr. Stefan Weinzierl, a member of the PRISMA⁺ cluster of excellence at the JGU and co-worker of Sotnikov. With his scientific focus, he will complement the research of the ‘Theoretical High Energy Physics’ group at the JGU and at the same time represent a link to the colleagues in the work group ‘Experimental Particle and Astroparticle Physics’ at the JGU.”

The LHC is the world’s most powerful instrument for exploring the smallest building blocks of nature. Since its initial commissioning in 2011, it has been used to make groundbreaking discoveries, such as the Higgs boson in 2012. In the coming years, the LHC will undergo extensive modernizations that will enable researchers to collect far more data and study particle interactions with unprecedented precision. “In order to fully exploit these new opportunities, however, theory must keep pace with experiment,” says Sotnikov. “Current theoretical tools are not yet able to achieve the extreme accuracy of future measurements. The aim is therefore to develop calculations that describe how particles scatter and interact – calculations that are so complicated that today’s methods can only handle a fraction of what is required.”

The HiNPrecise project is intended to help close this gap by developing a new generation of calculation methods. “The aim of the project is to explicitly represent the mathematical and physical structures that were previously hidden in the scattering amplitudes calculated with existing methods,” explains Sotnikov. “In particular, the elements mathematically referred to as ‘singularities,’ which reflect fundamental aspects of particle interactions, will be investigated. This approach enables calculations that could not be carried out before.”

One focus of HiNPrecise will be the Higgs boson, as its exact properties are still largely unknown. “The project will provide new tools with which the interactions of the Higgs boson with other particles can be precisely investigated,” adds Sotnikov. Precise calculations of these interactions are crucial for determining the behavior of the Higgs boson. In particular, these calculations are essential for testing the process by which elementary particles acquire mass – known as the “mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking.” The results will help to reveal whether the Higgs boson behaves as predicted by the Standard Model of Particle Physics or whether descriptions beyond the Standard Model are required.

“In addition to these theoretical advances, the project will provide powerful numerical tools for research in high energy Particle Physics. These will support precise investigations of complex processes at the LHC and at future particle accelerators and set a new standard for theoretical precision in Particle Physics,” concludes Sotnikov.

Dr. Vasily Sotnikov studied physics at the University of Moscow and received his doctorate in 2019 from the University of Freiburg with a doctoral degree. His doctoral thesis was rated with the highest distinction, summa cum laude. Following his doctorate, he initially moved to the Max Planck Institute for Physics and then to Michigan State University. He has been a Senior Research Associate at the University of Zurich since 2022. The ERC Starting Grant enables him to set up his own work group.

The ERC Starting Grant is one of the EU’s most highly endowed funding measures for outstanding scientists who are at the beginning of their careers and want to build their own research team or research program. In addition to scientific excellence, applicants must demonstrate the groundbreaking approach of their project and its feasibility in order to receive funding.