Standard model explanation of a CDF dijet excess in Wjj

We demonstrate the recent observation of a peak in the dijet invariant mass of the Wjj signal observed by the CDF Collaboration can be explained as the same upward fluctuation observed by CDF in single-top-quark production. In general, both t-channel and s-channel single-top-quark production produce kinematically induced peaks in the dijet spectrum. Since CDF used a Monte Carlo simulation to subtract the single-top backgrounds instead of data, a peak in the dijet spectrum is expected. The D0 Collaboration has a small upward fluctuation in their published t-channel data; and hence we predict they would see at most a small peak in the dijet invariant mass spectrum of Wjj if they follow the same procedure as CDF.Comment: 3 pg., 2 figs, revtex, minor clarifications, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model at Colliders

All experimental measurements of particle physics today are beautifully described by the Standard Model. However, there are good reasons to believe that new physics may be just around the corner at the TeV energy scale. This energy range is currently probed by the Tevatron and HERA accelerators and selected results of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model are presented here. No signals for new physics have been found and limits are placed on the allowed parameter space for a variety of different particles.Comment: Proceedings for 2007 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, Manchester, July 200

Measurements of the Production, Decay and Properties of the Top Quark: A Review

With the full Tevatron Run II and early LHC data samples, the opportunity for furthering our understanding of the properties of the top quark has never been more promising. Although the current knowledge of the top quark comes largely from Tevatron measurements, the experiments at the LHC are poised to probe top-quark production and decay in unprecedented regimes. Although no current top quark measurements conclusively contradict predictions from the standard model, the precision of most measurements remains statistically limited. Additionally, some measurements, most notably the forward-backward asymmetry in top quark pair production, show tantalizing hints of beyond-the-Standard-Model dynamics. The top quark sample is growing rapidly at the LHC, with initial results now public. This review examines the current status of top quark measurements in the particular light of searching for evidence of new physics, either through direct searches for beyond the standard model phenomena or indirectly via precise measurements of standard model top quark properties

Precision measurements of the top quark mass from the Tevatron in the pre-LHC era

The top quark is the heaviest of the six quarks of the Standard Model. Precise knowledge of its mass is important for imposing constraints on a number of physics processes, including interactions of the as yet unobserved Higgs boson. The Higgs boson is the only missing particle of the Standard Model, central to the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism and generation of particle masses. In this Review, experimental measurements of the top quark mass accomplished at the Tevatron, a proton-antiproton collider located at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, are described. Topologies of top quark events and methods used to separate signal events from background sources are discussed. Data analysis techniques used to extract information about the top mass value are reviewed. The combination of several most precise measurements performed with the two Tevatron particle detectors, CDF and \D0, yields a value of \Mt = 173.2 \pm 0.9 GeV/$c^2$.Comment: This version contains the most up-to-date top quark mass averag

Phenomenology of the Heavy Flavored spin 3/2 Baryons in Light Cone QCD

Motivated by the results of the recent experimental discoveries for charm and bottom baryons, the masses and magnetic moments of the heavy baryons with $J^P=3/2^+$ containing a single heavy quark are studied within light cone QCD sum rules method. Our results on the masses of heavy baryons are in good agreement with predictions of other approaches, as well as with the existing experimental data.Comment: 12 Pages, 18 Figures and 3 Tables. Based on: arXiv:0807.3481v2 [hep-ph](Nucl.Phys.B808:137-154,2009). To be Published in the Proceeding of the International Conference on New Trends in High Energy Physics, 27 Sept.-4 Oct. 2008, Yalta, Crimea, Ukrain

Study of LHC Searches for a Lepton and Many Jets

Searches for new physics in high-multiplicity events with little or no missing energy are an important component of the LHC program, complementary to analyses that rely on missing energy. We consider the potential reach of searches for events with a lepton and six or more jets, and show they can provide increased sensitivity to many supersymmetric and exotic models that would not be detected through standard missing-energy analyses. Among these are supersymmetric models with gauge mediation, R-parity violation, and light hidden sectors. Moreover, ATLAS and CMS measurements suggest the primary background in this channel is from t-tbar, rather than W+jets or QCD, which reduces the complexity of background modeling necessary for such a search. We also comment on related searches where the lepton is replaced with another visible object, such as a Z boson.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl

A Fast Track towards the `Higgs' Spin and Parity

The LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS have discovered a new boson that resembles the long-sought Higgs boson: it cannot have spin one, and has couplings to other particles that increase with their masses, but the spin and parity remain to be determined. We show here that the `Higgs' + gauge boson invariant-mass distribution in `Higgs'-strahlung events at the Tevatron or the LHC would be very different under the J^P = 0+, 0- and 2+ hypotheses, and could provide a fast-track indicator of the `Higgs' spin and parity. Our analysis is based on simulations of the experimental event selections and cuts using PYTHIA and Delphes, and incorporates statistical samples of `toy' experiments.Comment: 18 pages, 9 pdf figure

Top quark and Electroweak measurements at the Tevatron

We present recent preliminary measurements at the Tevatron of t-tbar and single top production cross section, top quark mass and width, top pair spin correlations and forward-backward asymmetry. In the electroweak sector, we present the Tevatron average of the W boson width, and preliminary measurements of the W and Z forward-backward asymmetries and WZ, ZZ diboson production cross sections. All measurements are based on larger amount of collision data than previously used and are in agreement with the standard model.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures; In proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Particles, Strings and Cosmology, Valencia (Spain) 201

Charge asymmetries of top quarks at hadron colliders revisited

A sizeable difference in the differential production cross section of top- compared to antitop-quark production, denoted charge asymmetry, has been observed at the Tevatron. The experimental results seem to exceed the theory predictions based on the Standard Model by a significant amount and have triggered a large number of suggestions for "new physics". In the present paper the Standard Model predictions for Tevatron and LHC experiments are revisited. This includes a reanalysis of electromagnetic as well as weak corrections, leading to a shift of the asymmetry by roughly a factor 1.1 when compared to the results of the first papers on this subject. The impact of cuts on the transverse momentum of the top-antitop system is studied. Restricting the ttbar system to a transverse momentum less than 20 GeV leads to an enhancement of the asymmetries by factors between 1.3 and 1.5, indicating the importance of an improved understanding of the $t\bar t$-momentum distribution. Predictions for similar measurements at the LHC are presented, demonstrating the sensitivity of the large rapidity region both to the Standard Model contribution and effects from "new physics".Comment: 23 pages. Final version to appear in JHE