Abstract:
Proton-proton collisions at CERN’s LHC produce an immense
flux of energetic neutrinos along the beam (forward) direction. The
breakthrough observation of LHC neutrinos by the forward FASER
experiment in March 2023 heralds a new era in particle physics. In this
talk I review the potential of current (FASER, SND) and future
(Forward Physics Facility) LHC neutrino experiments for QCD and SM
physics. I demonstrate how these experiments extend the LHC with an
effective Neutrino-Ion Collider to pin down hadronic structure, provide
stringent validation of current models of neutrino scattering, and open
a window to the gluon content of the proton in regions outside the
coverage of any other laboratory experiment where new QCD phenomena such
as gluon recombination may be detectable and providing unparalleled
input to high-energy astroparticle physics experiments.