9600243 Szalapski This award supports a 12 month Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship for Dr. Robert Szalapski at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (KEK), Tsukuba, Japan. Dr. Szalapski will work with Dr. Kaoru Hagiwara, Associate Professor in the Theory Group at KEK, on a research project entitled "The Observation of Non-Standard Model Physics at Lepton Colliders." The proposed research will examine a number of theoretical calculations related to the so-called "Standard Model" in physics, the goal being not only to test the Standard Model, but also to understand what lies beyond it. It is believed that the behavior of all matter in the universe is governed by four forces. These forces are electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and gravity. The quantum theory of electromag-netism, which we call QED, is well established. The current theory of the fundamental forces, an extension of QED, is called the Standard Model. It unifies electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces in a single theory. One prediction of the Standard Model is the existence of additional particles called W and Z bosons; the discovery and measurement of which have provided strong evidence for the Standard Model. However, some of the most important properties have not yet been measured. As it will be possible to make these measurements in the near future, it is very important to obtain very precise theoretical calculations to compare with experimental data. The proposed research by Dr. Szalapski will expand upon ongoing collaborative experiments with Dr. Hagiwara, with the primary intention being to test theories related to the validity of the Standard Model. ***
