S parameter news and updates

Summary

The goal of the S parameter project is to extract the value of the Peskin-Takeuchi S parameter from lattice gauge theory. We begin with 2+1-flavor lattice QCD as a natural first step before addressing many-flavor lattice theories that may be relevant to technicolor extensions of the standard model. This project uses domain wall lattices to work in a fully self-consistent formulation of QCD with chiral domain wall quarks.

For the 2008-2009 project year, PI Richard Brower was awarded a class B allocation for this project by the USQCD Collaboration. As the project moved on to many-flavor theories, it was absorbed into the Lattice Strong Dynamics at the TeV Scale project (PI George Fleming), which was awarded a class A allocation for the 2009-2010 project year.

Project status as of 9 August 2009

• Measurements on 2+1-flavor lattices were completed on the Fermilab jpsi cluter.
• Time remaining in the Fermilab allocation was applied to measurements on six-flavor lattices, which were also performed on the NCSA Abe cluster and completed on the Boston University Blue Gene.
• Analysis of the gathered data is underway, but no results are publicly available yet.

Updates:

• 9 August 2009: Basic project information updated for 2009-2010 project year.
• 17 June 2009: Update on preliminary analysis and plans for final weeks of 2008-2009 project year.
• May 2009: Approximately 100,000 6n node-hours reimbursed to project account.
• 22 October 2008: Allocation increased to 500,000 6n node-hours.
• 25 August 2008: Web site launched.