Matthew Spraggs
- Position
- Postgraduate Research Student
- Institution
- Electronics and Computer Science (FPAS)
- Webpage
- http://www.mattspraggs.co.uk/
- Contact
- Complete this online contact form to contact Matthew.
MEng Chemical Engineering - University of Birmingham (2012)
Third Year Physics Courses - The Open University (2011)
I am a postgraduate research student studying lattice QCD in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Complex Systems Simulation at the University of Southampton. My supervisor is Jonathan Flynn.
The Standard Model of Particle Physics is the mainstream theory for three of the four fundamental forces of nature. Within this theory, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) currently presents our best understanding of one of these forces, the strong interaction. Within the theory, quarks and gluons interact to form hadrons, composite particles such as protons and neutrons. Lattice QCD provides a set of tools and methods for studying QCD at low energies, where standard perturbative methods break down. With lattice QCD, observables such as hadron masses and decay constants. These measurements can then be compared to experimental measurements and used to test QCD.
My current research is concerned with computing the leading order hadronic contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. There is currently a 3.5 sigma tension between the theoretical prediction and the experimental measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. The greatest uncertainty in the theoretical prediction comes from the hadronic contribution, so reducing the uncertainty in this value will greatly reduce the uncertainty in the overall value. By reducing the uncertainty in the theoretical prediction, we hope to determine whether the observed tension is indicative of physics beyond the Standard Model.
Working with...
 Jonathan FlynnProfessor, Physics & Astronomy (FPAS) |