MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Dec 4, 2023
Naturalness as a Guiding Principle

The naturalness principle roughly demands that a theory should not involve independent parameters that are finely tuned. This principle was employed heavily over the last 40 years by theoretical physicists as a guideline for developing theories of beyond the Standard Model physics (BSM).  However, since experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have not found conclusive signs for new physics, the significance of naturalness arguments has been questioned and it has been suggested that high-energy physics has reached the "dawn of the post-naturalness era." In this talk I show that a better understanding of the controversies over naturalness is available by looking at the concept of ‘guiding principle’ and the multiple roles that guiding principles such as naturalness play in scientific research.
Organizer(s)
Address
MPIWG, Harnackstraße 5, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
Villa, Room V005/Seminar Room
Contact and Registration

Link to the Zoom-Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94690790127 Meeting-ID: 946 9079 0127 no registration required. For more information contact Kseniia Mohelsky officeblum@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de

About This Series

The seminar series of the Research Group “Historical Epistemology of the Final Theory Program” runs once a month, usually on a Monday at 14:00 in the seminar room of the Villa (Harnackstraße 5). The talks deal primarily with the history, philosophy, and foundations of modern (post-WWII) physics or with wider epistemological questions related to the work of the group. There are no pre-circulated papers.

Full program of the seminar series, Research Group “Historical Epistemology of the Final Theory Program”
2023-12-04T14:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2023-12-04 14:00:00 2023-12-04 16:00:00 Naturalness as a Guiding Principle The naturalness principle roughly demands that a theory should not involve independent parameters that are finely tuned. This principle was employed heavily over the last 40 years by theoretical physicists as a guideline for developing theories of beyond the Standard Model physics (BSM).  However, since experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have not found conclusive signs for new physics, the significance of naturalness arguments has been questioned and it has been suggested that high-energy physics has reached the "dawn of the post-naturalness era." In this talk I show that a better understanding of the controversies over naturalness is available by looking at the concept of ‘guiding principle’ and the multiple roles that guiding principles such as naturalness play in scientific research. MPIWG, Harnackstraße 5, 14195 Berlin, Germany Villa, Room V005/Seminar Room MPRG Final Theory Program MPRG Final Theory Program Europe/Berlin public