School of Physics Fall Colloquium Series- Dr. Peter Winter

Peter Winter(Argonne National Lab)

Speaker: Dr. Peter Winter

Host: Colin Parker

Title: Muon g-2: Taking Particle Physics for a Spin

Abstract: The muon—a heavier cousin of the electron—plays a unique role in particle physics, offering powerful ways to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Over the past few decades, precision measurements involving muons have deepened our understanding of fundamental particle interactions. One of the most prominent efforts is the Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab, which was designed to measure the muon's magnetic anomaly, aμ = (gμ – 2)/2, with an unprecedented precision of 140 parts per billion—four times more precise than the earlier measurement at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The new experiment was motivated since the BNL result had revealed a tantalizing discrepancy of about 3.5 standard deviations from the Standard Model prediction. The Muon g-2 collaboration has recently completed its full data analysis, achieving a final precision of 127 parts per billion. This new result sets the most stringent benchmark to date for testing extensions to the Standard Model. In this colloquium, I will give a broad overview of the muon’s role in particle physics, followed by a focused discussion of the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment and its implications.

Bio: Peter Winter, a staff scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and leader of the Intensity Frontier group, earned his doctorate in physics at the University of Bonn and the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, focusing on medium-energy proton-proton collisions. He began his work in precision muon physics during his postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Washington, working on muon experiments at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. In 2011, he became a member of the Muon g-2 experiment, shortly before joining Argonne National Laboratory as a staff scientist in 2012. He was awarded a DOE Early Career Award in 2014 to lead an analysis group for the precision magnetic field measurements and has held several leadership positions in the Muon g-2 collaboration. In July 2023, he was elected co-spokesperson of the Muon g-2 collaboration. He is also a member of the Mu2e and DUNE collaborations.

Event Details

Date/Time:

  • Date: 
    Monday, September 15, 2025 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Location:
Marcus Nanotechnology 1116-1118