Probes of new physics at the intensity and energy frontiers

Abstract

In this thesis, we review the basics of phenomenology in particle physics at neutrino beam dump experiments and hadron colliders. We then consider the phenomenology of various new particles, with masses between 1 MeV and 1 TeV, at the intensity and energy frontiers. We perform sensitivity analyses for physics beyond the standard model at particle colliders (LEP and LHC) and a number of past and future neutrino beam dump experiments (SHiP, DUNE, LSND, MicroBooNE, MiniBooNE and SBND). In particular, we motivate searches for new heavy neutral leptons in single photon events at neutrino and collider experiments (and also via supernova cooling), millicharged particles in single electron events at neutrino experiments, lepton flavor violating scalars via standard model induced mixed flavor neutrino trident production at neutrino experiments, and colored scalar doublets at colliders in events with many jets, soft leptons and low missing energy. In the process, we set novel new bounds on the parameters of these theories and propose powerful new searches that can be performed. We also motivate the construction of a new detector at the LHC called milliQan, and perform a full Geant4 simulation to calculate its projected sensitivity for millicharged particles. The milliQan experiment has since been approved and is currently undergoing construction.