Constraints on large-extra-dimensions model through 125 GeV Higgs pair production at the LHC

Based on the analysis of 5 fb^-1 of data at the LHC, the ATLAS and CMS collaborations have presented evidence for a Higgs boson with a mass in the 125 GeV range. We consider the 125 GeV neutral Higgs pair production process in the context of large-extra-dimensions (LED) model including the Kaluza-Klein (KK)excited gravitons at the LHC. We consider the standard model(SM) Higgs pair production in gluon-gluon fusion channel and pure LED effects through graviton exchange as well as their interferences. It is shown that such interferences should be included; the LED model raises the transverse momentum (Pt)and invariant mass (M_HH) distributions at high scales of Pt and M_HH of the Higgs pair production. By using the Higgs pair production we could set the discovery limit on the cutoff scale M_S up to 6 TeV for delta = 2 and 4.5 TeV for delta = 6.Comment: 6 figure

A Density Spike on Astrophysical Scales from an N-Field Waterfall Transition

Hybrid inflation models are especially interesting as they lead to a spike in the density power spectrum on small scales, compared to the CMB, while also satisfying current bounds on tensor modes. Here we study hybrid inflation with $N$ waterfall fields sharing a global $SO(N)$ symmetry. The inclusion of many waterfall fields has the obvious advantage of avoiding topologically stable defects for $N>3$. We find that it also has another advantage: it is easier to engineer models that can simultaneously (i) be compatible with constraints on the primordial spectral index, which tends to otherwise disfavor hybrid models, and (ii) produce a spike on astrophysically large length scales. The latter may have significant consequences, possibly seeding the formation of astrophysically large black holes. We calculate correlation functions of the time-delay, a measure of density perturbations, produced by the waterfall fields, as a convergent power series in both $1/N$ and the field's correlation function $\Delta(x)$. We show that for large $N$, the two-point function is $\,\propto\Delta^2(|{\bf x}|)/N$ and the three-point function is $<\delta t({\bf x})\,\delta t({\bf y})\,\delta t({\bf 0})>\,\propto\Delta(|{\bf x}-{\bf y}|)\Delta(|{\bf x}|)\Delta(|{\bf y}|)/N^2$. In accordance with the central limit theorem, the density perturbations on the scale of the spike are Gaussian for large $N$ and non-Gaussian for small $N$.Comment: 15 pages in double column format, 6 figures. V2: Further clarifications, updated to coincide with version published in Physics Letters

Indication for Large Rescatterings in Charmless Rare B Decays

The current wealth of charmless B decay data may suggest the presence of final state rescattering. In a factorized amplitude approach, better fits are found by incorporating two SU(3) rescattering phase differences, giving delta ~ 65 degree and sigma ~ 90 - 100 degree. Fitting with unitarity phase phi_3 as a fit parameter gives phi_3 ~ 96 degree, the CP asymmetries A_{pi pi}, S_{pi pi} agree better with BaBar, and the sigma phase is slightly lower. Keeping phi_3 = 60 degree fixed in fit gives S_{pi pi} ~-0.9, which agrees better with Belle. With the sizable delta, sigma rescattering phases as fitted, many direct CP asymmetries flip sign, and B0 --> pi0 pi0, K- K+ rates are of order 10^{-6}, which can be tested soon.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, updated, references adde

The Crystallography of Strange Quark Matter

Cold three-flavor quark matter at large (but not asymptotically large) densities may exist as a crystalline color superconductor. We explore this possibility by calculating the gap parameter Delta and free energy Omega(Delta) for possible crystal structures within a Ginzburg-Landau approximation, evaluating Omega(Delta) to order Delta^6. We develop a qualitative understanding of what makes a crystal structure stable, and find two structures with particularly large values of Delta and the condensation energy, within a factor of two of those for the CFL phase known to characterize QCD at asymptotically large densities. The robustness of these phases results in their being favored over wide ranges of density and though it also implies that the Ginzburg-Landau approximation is not quantitatively reliable, previous work suggests that it can be trusted for qualitative comparisons between crystal structures. We close with a look ahead at the calculations that remain to be done in order to make contact with observed pulsar glitches and neutron star cooling.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of Strangeness in Quark Matter 2006, UCLA. Talk given by Rishi Sharm