Elementary particle physics is currently described by the Quantum Field Theory (QFT) called the Standard Model (SM). The SM, being an apparent success, is well known to be theoretically incomplete. Fundamental questions underlying the quantum structure of Yang-Mills theories are still unanswered. The SM does neither account for mass hierarchies nor for dark matter or dark energy. Most importantly it cannot remain valid to arbitrarily high energies and does not include gravity. After the confirmation of the Higgs boson’s existence, entirely new questions come into the focus in the field.
The key to address those questions is to confront experimental data to theoretical predictions with the highest possible precision. The current LHC data do not show a clear signal of new physics. Therefore, any evidence is expected to appear as a gentle deviation from the SM. Precision phenomenology is the necessary prerequisite for theory and collider physics in the coming years and it will be the driving element in the development of new and innovative tools and algorithms to perform a meaningful comparison between theory and data.
The aim of this Action is to shift the precision frontier to a new level of accuracy and to create new resources of networking and innovation, with the quest for discovery as the main motivation. It is designed to work through long-standing challenges on the basis of the most encouraging advances in QFT and related areas of pure mathematics and computer science by uniting the leaders of the field in a coherent effort.
