Física de les interaccions fonamentals

In spite of the enormous success of the Standard Model, we still lack a truly satisfactory understanding of the origin of the electroweak scale and, more generally, of the origin of mass. The Higgs particle has not been found yet and it is not known why the quark and lepton masses have the hierarchical structure we see. In this project we plan to approach this fundamental problem from two complementary points of view. Firstly, from what could be called the bottom-up point of view, we would like to study the dynamics of light and b quarks and, afterwards, the phenomenon of CP violation in mesons. Secondly, from the top-down point of view, we would like to study different mechanisms for generating the electroweak scale in a global perspective where all fundamental interactuions, including gravity, play a role. In doing this, the latest ideas on supersymmetry and extra dimensions will be important elements in this research. Finally, we would like to stress that our work will always be guided by the results of existing (Daphne, Babar, Tevatron,...) as well as planned (LHC, ...) high-energy experiments.