The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics has been strikingly successful in explaining a wide range of physical phenomena and almost all experimental results. One of the most significant discrepancies at present is the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (muon g-2), which was measured by the E821 collaboration at BNL in 2006 to be more than three-standard-deviation greater than the SM prediction. Various models beyond SM physics have been proposed to explain this discrepancy, but the key to resolving this tension remains a more precise measurement of muon g-2. 

 

In this colloquium, I will first provide an overview of the Standard Model and its open questions. These questions lead us to believe that the SM is incomplete and the universe must contain undiscovered new physics. Then I will describe how we search for signals of new physics at intensity frontier experiments, where searches for extremely rare processes or tiny deviations from Standard Model predictions are deployed. Finally, my focus will be on the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment, which aims to measure the muon g-2 with a precision goal of 140 parts per billion, a fourfold improvement over the previous measurement. If the central values of the experimental result and the theoretical prediction remain unchanged, the discrepancy will exceed seven standard deviations which would be a clear indication of new physics beyond SM. Preliminary results from Run 1 in 2018 and prospects of the experiment will be discussed.