The Euro-GDR SUPERSYMMETRY
is a four-year program (2001-2004) which aims at gathering theorists, high
energy experimentalists and astrophysicists around the general topic of
supersymmetry and related theories beyondthe Standard Model of fundamental
interactions.
It is a continuation of a French program, the "Groupement
de Recherches(GDR) sur la supersymétrie" which has been playing
a similar role for the French community in the years 1997-2000.
The goal is to enhance discussions and collaborations
among members of the community, especially between experimentalists and
theorists; to identifypromising new lines of research; and possibly to
provide scientific expertise when needed by the community at large.
This is done by setting working groups on varied
issues. These working groups may cover a broad area of the physics of supersymmetry,
or instead betask forces dedicated to the study of a point of special interest.
In the latter case, their length is generally limited in time and their
purpose is reappraised atthe end. Because one of the goals of the program
(by comparison with programs more limited in scope) is to favour a comprehensive
approach of supersymmetryand to emphasize the connections between the different
fields where supersymmetry plays a role, it is important that, at some
point, all the participants tothe program meet and confront their achievements
and their ideas for future work. Thus, every year, a general meeting is
organized where all members areexpected to participate. It should be stressed
that such a meeting is not intended as another conference but as a confrontation
of the ideas developped inthe working groups and a discussion of new issues
of interest.
The first of these meetings is held in Aachen in
June 6-8, 2001. It will bethe occasion to discuss in more details how the
program will be runned and to set up the working groups. The parallel sessions
have been devised as a possible pattern for the broad interest groups mentionned
above:
-
Supersymmetric models for colliders
-
Flavours (including neutrinos)
-
Strings, branes and extra dimensions
-
Particle astrophysics and cosmology
-
Tools (supersymmetric spectra, generators, dark matter
abundance, CMBcodes, ...)
More specialized task forces will also be discussed. Future general meetings should
take place in other countries which have a large participation in the Euro-GDR.
This should also be an occasion to advertize in this country theprojects
of the Euro-GDR.
The activities, in between the yearly general meetings,
take place through themeetings of the different working groups (more frequent
for the more focussed task forces), meetings at a national level (the French,
for example, intend tohave a meeting every fall), meetings with European
networks, ...
The Euro-GDR has a Scientific Board which finalizes
the number and contentof the different working groups, appoints the conveners
(as much as possible, a theorist and an experimentalist for each group),
approves any activity ofscientific expertise that the Euro-GDR may provide,
decides on the location of the general meetings and determines in which
way the work done within theworking groups may bear the label "Euro-GDR".
The Euro-GDR aims also at not duplicating the work done in other groups,
European networks or futuremachine working groups. It tries instead to
promote collaborative effort and to bring its own expertise to new initiatives.
Funding is on a national or local basis. If needed,
a country may have a national board to overlook its own funding, as well
as to organize events at anational level (general meetings of the members,
working or discussion groups).
To become a member and obtain information about the
general events of the Euro-GDR, it suffices to send the following message
subscribe eurogdr-l lastname firstname (replacing the latter by one's last
and first name) to listserv@in2p3.fr.One signs off by sending the message
signoff eurogdr-l to the same address.
Pierre Binetruy
Patrice Lebrun