Research Interests:

The Standard model of particle physics, which describes the interactions of elementary particles due to the electromagnetic, weak and strong forces, is one of the triumphs of physics, correctly predicting/describing the host of experimental measurements that have been made in the more than 30 years since it’s introduction. However, it is not considered a final theory, and the search for new physics requires ever more precise comparisons of the theoretical predictions of the Standard Model and experiment.

The effects of the electro-magnetic and weak forces can be calculated using perturbation theory, as they are weakly coupled. This is not true of the strong force which binds together the quarks in the observed mesons and baryons. A precise comparison of the Standard model with experimental requires a quantitative understanding of the theory describing the strong force: Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Professor Dawson’s research has concentrated on the lattice formulation of QCD. In this formulation Quantum Chromodynamics is discretized onto a space-time lattice, providing both a clean theoretical definition of QCD, and a non-perturbative method for calculating it's predictions by simulating this lattice using computers.

Enormous computing resources are required to perform lattice calculations, with some of the worlds largest super-computers being used. Most of Professor Dawson recent research has studied the physics of Kaons using the QCDOC super-computers to simulate a formulation of Lattice QCD in which a 5-dimensional lattice is simulated with the real, four dimensional, world living on a domain wall in this fifth dimension.

A lay description of Lattice QCD can be found here.

Selected Publications:

Current and Recent Courses:

PHYS 5640: Computational Physics II (Lecturer) Spring

PHYS 8450: Computational Physics II (Lecturer) Spring