Probing Gravitational Interactions of Elementary Particles

TL;DR

This paper suggests that gravitational interactions of elementary particles, traditionally considered too weak to detect, can be studied through collider experiments involving supersymmetric particles, offering insights into fundamental physics.

Contribution

It proposes a novel experimental approach to probe gravitational interactions at particle colliders using supersymmetric particle decays, challenging conventional assumptions.

Findings

NLSP decay lifetime measurable at colliders

Potential to determine Newton's constant at small scales

Insights into dark matter and early universe physics

Abstract

The gravitational interactions of elementary particles are suppressed by the Planck scale M_P ~ 10^18 GeV and are typically expected to be far too weak to be probed by experiments. We show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, such interactions may be studied by particle physics experiments in the next few years. As an example, we consider conventional supergravity with a stable gravitino as the lightest supersymmetric particle. The next-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) decays to the gravitino through gravitational interactions after about a year. This lifetime can be measured by stopping NLSPs at colliders and observing their decays. Such studies will yield a measurement of Newton's gravitational constant on unprecedentedly small scales, shed light on dark matter, and provide a window on the early universe.