The goal of theoretical elementary particle physics is to
understand the most fundamental laws which govern our universe,
and to understand the structure and nature of the universe at
the deepest level. Theorists at Baylor are approaching these
questions from a variety of perspectives. Standard Model
Phenomenology The interactions of all known subatomic particles
can be described by a single theoretical framework known as the
"Standard Model". This model describes matter in terms of
leptons (including electrons, neutrinos, ...) and quarks,
together with their interactions via force-carriers called
"gauge bosons", which include the photon, W and Z bosons, and
gluons. The theory is modeled by a gauge group SU(2)L x U(1) x
SU(3)c which encompasses all known forces except gravity, which
is too weak on small scales to have been observed in any
particle physics experiments. An important constituent of the
standard model is the Higgs boson, which is associated with a
Higgs field which causes most of the particles in