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In
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which re ...
, phenomenology is the application of
theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...
to
experimental data Experimental data in science and engineering is data produced by a measurement, test method, experimental design or quasi-experimental design. In clinical research any data produced are the result of a clinical trial. Experimental data may be ...
by making quantitative predictions based upon known theories. It is related to the philosophical notion of the same name in that these predictions describe anticipated behaviors for the phenomena in reality. Phenomenology stands in contrast with experimentation in the
scientific method The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific me ...
, in which the goal of the experiment is to test a scientific hypothesis instead of making predictions. Phenomenology is commonly applied to the field of
particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
, where it forms a bridge between the
mathematical models A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, b ...
of theoretical physics (such as
quantum field theories In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles and ...
and theories of the structure of
space-time In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differ ...
) and the results of the high-energy particle experiments. It is sometimes used in other fields such as in
condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the ...
and
plasma physics Plasma ()πλάσμα
, Henry George Liddell, R ...
, when there are no existing theories for the observed experimental data.


Applications in particle physics


Standard Model consequences

Within the well-tested and generally accepted
Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces ( electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions - excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles. It ...
,
phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...
is the calculating of detailed predictions for experiments, usually at high precision (e.g., including radiative corrections). Examples include: * Next-to-leading order calculations of particle production rates and distributions. *
Monte Carlo simulation Monte Carlo methods, or Monte Carlo experiments, are a broad class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to obtain numerical results. The underlying concept is to use randomness to solve problems that might be determini ...
studies of physics processes at
collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
s. * Extraction of
parton distribution functions In particle physics, the parton model is a model of hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, proposed by Richard Feynman. It is useful for interpreting the cascades of radiation (a parton shower) produced from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) processes a ...
from data.


CKM matrix calculations

The CKM matrix is useful in these predictions: * Application of heavy quark effective field theory to extract CKM matrix elements. * Using
lattice QCD Lattice QCD is a well-established non- perturbative approach to solving the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) theory of quarks and gluons. It is a lattice gauge theory formulated on a grid or lattice of points in space and time. When the size of the ...
to extract quark masses and CKM matrix elements from experiment.


Theoretical models

In Physics beyond the Standard Model, phenomenology addresses the experimental consequences of new models: how their new particles could be searched for, how the model parameters could be measured, and how the model could be distinguished from other, competing models.


Phenomenological analysis

Phenomenological analyses, in which one studies the experimental consequences of adding the most general set of beyond-the-Standard-Model effects in a given
sector of the Standard Model Sector may refer to: Places * Sector, West Virginia, U.S. Geometry * Circular sector, the portion of a disc enclosed by two radii and a circular arc * Hyperbolic sector, a region enclosed by two radii and a hyperbolic arc * Spherical sector, a ...
, usually parameterized in terms of anomalous couplings and higher-dimensional operators. In this case, the term " phenomenological" is being used more in its
philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
sense.


See also

* Effective theory *
Phenomenological model A phenomenological model is a scientific model that describes the empirical relationship of phenomena to each other, in a way which is consistent with fundamental theory, but is not directly derived from theory. In other words, a phenomenological m ...
*
Phenomenological quantum gravity Phenomenological quantum gravity is the research field that deals with phenomenology of quantum gravity. The relevance of this research area derives from the fact that none of the candidate theories for quantum gravity has yielded experimentally te ...


References


External links


Papers on phenomenology are available on the hep-ph archive
of the ArXiv.org e-print archive
List of topics on phenomenology
from IPPP, the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at
University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
, UK
Collider Phenomenology: Basic knowledge and techniques
lectures by Tao Han
Pheno '08 Symposium
on particle physics phenomenology, including slides from the talks linked from the symposium program. {{DEFAULTSORT:Phenomenology (Particle Physics) Condensed matter physics Experimental particle physics Experimental physics Particle physics Phenomenological methodology Plasma physics Theoretical physics