En-gauging Naturalness

The discovery of a 125.5 GeV Higgs with standard model-like couplings and naturalness considerations motivate gauge extensions of the MSSM. We analyse two variants of such an extension and carry out a phenomenological study of regions of the parameter space satisfying current direct and indirect constraints, employing state-of-the art two-loop RGE evolution and GMSB boundary conditions. We find that due to the appearance of non-decoupled D-terms it is possible to obtain a 125.5 GeV Higgs with stops below 2 TeV, while the uncolored sparticles could still lie within reach of the LHC. We compare the contributions of the stop sector and the non-decoupled D-terms to the Higgs mass, and study their effect on the Higgs couplings. We further investigate the nature of the next-to lightest supersymmetric particle, in light of the GMSB motivated searches currently being pursued by ATLAS and CMS.Comment: 45 pages, 17 figures, Supplementary material SupplementaryQSMxEW-Regime1.pdf attached in source. v2: preprint number added v3: Appendix A.6, Published in EPJ

Threshold enhancement of diphoton resonances

The data collected by the LHC collaborations at an energy of 13 TeV indicates the presence of an excess in the diphoton spectrum that would correspond to a resonance of a 750 GeV mass. The apparently large production cross section is nevertheless very difficult to explain in minimal models. We consider the possibility that the resonance is a pseudoscalar boson $A$ with a two--photon decay mediated by a charged and uncolored fermion having a mass at the $\frac12 M_A$ threshold and a very small decay width, $\ll 1$ MeV; one can then generate a large enhancement of the $A\gamma\gamma$ amplitude which explains the excess without invoking a large multiplicity of particles propagating in the loop, large electric charges and/or very strong Yukawa couplings. The implications of such a threshold enhancement are discussed in two explicit scenarios: i) the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in which the $A$ state is produced via the top quark mediated gluon fusion process and decays into photons predominantly through loops of charginos with masses close to $\frac12 M_A$ and ii) a two Higgs doublet model in which $A$ is again produced by gluon fusion but decays into photons through loops of vector--like charged heavy leptons. We also comment on a minimal scenario in which the $A$ state couples only to photons through a heavy lepton loop and is both produced and decays through this coupling. In all these scenarios, while the mass of the charged fermion has to be adjusted to be extremely close to half of the $A$ resonance mass, the small total widths are naturally obtained if only suppressed three-body decay channels occur. Finally, the implications of some of these scenarios for dark matter are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, version submitted to journal with typos correcte

B → K∗µ+µ− and Form Factors for Semi-Leptonic and Radiative B Decays

The hadronic environment of the LHC favours the study of exclusive modes, and of these semi-leptonic and radiative B decays will play a leading role in the search for new physics (NP). A prime example is the rare decay B→K∗(→ Kπ)µ+µ−, where the many measurable quantities offer important new tests of the Standard Model and its extensions. We define sets of CP-conserving and CP-violating observables which are studied in terms of the full form factors, calculated in QCD sum rules on the light-cone (LCSR), and QCD factorisation. Those with reduced dependence on hadronic quantities and sensitivity to NP are identified. In the first few years of data–taking at the LHC, the focus will be on quantities which are simple to extract while maximising the available NP sensitivity. Out of three such observables, two are well known to the experimental community. However a third, one of the CP-conserving angular observables, leads to significant additional constraints on parameter space. We then study form factors for rare semi-leptonic and radiative B decays to K(∗) , ρ and φs mesons, combining theoretical and phenomenological constraints from Lattice QCD, LCSR, and dispersive bounds. We pay particular attention to form factor parameterisations which are based on the so-called series expansion, and study the related systematic uncertainties on a quantitative level. Finally we calculate the leading-twist O(αsβ0) corrections to the B → π transition form factor f+ (0) in LCSR, allowing an improved determination of the CKM matrix element |Vub |

Theoretical and Phenomenological Constraints on Form Factors for Radiative and Semi-Leptonic B-Meson Decays

We study transition form factors for radiative and rare semi-leptonic B-meson decays into light pseudoscalar or vector mesons, combining theoretical constraints and phenomenological information from Lattice QCD, light-cone sum rules, and dispersive bounds. We pay particular attention to form factor parameterisations which are based on the so-called series expansion, and study the related systematic uncertainties on a quantitative level. In this context, we also provide the NLO corrections to the correlation function between two flavour-changing tensor currents, which enters the unitarity constraints for the coefficients in the series expansion.Comment: 52 pages; v2: normalization error in (29ff.) corrected, conclusion about relevance of unitarity bounds modified; form factor fits unaffected; references added; v3: discussion on truncation of series expansion added, matches version to be published in JHEP; v4: corrected typos in Tables 5 and

Symmetries and Asymmetries of B -> K* mu+ mu- Decays in the Standard Model and Beyond

The rare decay B -> K* (-> K pi) mu+ mu- is regarded as one of the crucial channels for B physics as the polarization of the K* allows a precise angular reconstruction resulting in many observables that offer new important tests of the Standard Model and its extensions. These angular observables can be expressed in terms of CP-conserving and CP-violating quantities which we study in terms of the full form factors calculated from QCD sum rules on the light-cone, including QCD factorization corrections. We investigate all observables in the context of the Standard Model and various New Physics models, in particular the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity and various MSSM scenarios, identifying those observables with small to moderate dependence on hadronic quantities and large impact of New Physics. One important result of our studies is that new CP-violating phases will produce clean signals in CP-violating asymmetries. We also identify a number of correlations between various observables which will allow a clear distinction between different New Physics scenarios.Comment: 56 pages, 18 figures, 14 tables. v5: Missing factor in eqs. (3.31-32) and fig. 6 corrected. Minor misprints in eq. (2.10) and table A corrected. Conclusions unchange

Two-loop Corrections to the B to pi Form Factor from QCD Sum Rules on the Light-Cone and |V(ub)|

We calculate the leading-twist O(alphas^2 beta0) corrections to the B to pi transition form factor f+(0) in light-cone sum rules. We find that, as expected, there is a cancellation between the O(alphas^2 beta0) corrections to fB f+(0) and the large corresponding corrections to fB, calculated in QCD sum rules. This suggests the insensitivity of the form factors calculated in the light-cone sum rules approach to this source of radiative corrections. We further obtain an improved determination of the CKM matrix element |V(ub)|, using latest results from BaBar and Belle for f+(0)|V(ub)|.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure

B →Vℓ+ℓ− in the Standard Model from light-cone sum rules

We present $B_q\to\rho$, $B_q\to\omega$, $B_q\to K^*$, $B_s\to K^*$ and $B_s\to \phi$ form factors from light-cone sum rules (LCSR) at $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s)$ for twist-2 and 3 and $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^0)$ for twist-4 with updated hadronic input parameters. Three asymptotic light-cone distribution amplitudes of twist-$4$ (and $5$) are determined, necessary for the form factors to obey the equations of motion. It is argued that the latter constrain the uncertainty of tensor-to-vector form factor ratios thereby improving the prediction of zeros of helicity amplitudes of major importance for $B\to K^*\ell\ell$ angular observables. We provide easy-to-use fits to the LCSR results, including the full error correlation matrix, in all modes at low $q^2$ as well as combined fits to LCSR and lattice results covering the entire kinematic range for $B_q\to K^*$, $B_s\to K^*$ and $B_s\to \phi$. The error correlation matrix avoids the problem of overestimating the uncertainty in phenomenological applications. Using the new form factors and recent computations of non-factorisable contributions we provide Standard Model predictions for $B\to K^*\gamma$ as well as $B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$ and $B_s\to\phi\mu^+\mu^-$ at low dilepton invariant mass. Employing our $B \to (\rho,\omega)$ form factor results we extract the CKM element $|V_\mathrm{ub}|$ from the semileptonic decays $B\to(\rho,\omega) \ell\nu$ and find good agreement with other exclusive determinations.Comment: 64 pages, 7 figures, 15 tables. v3: Minor clarifications, numerics unchanged. Matches version published in JHE

COVID-19 in congenital heart disease (COaCHeD) study

Background: COVID-19 has caused significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is likely to increase vulnerability and understanding the predictors of adverse outcomes is key to optimising care.// Objective: Ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on people with CHD and define risk factors for adverse outcomes.// Methods: Multicentre UK study undertaken 1 March 2020–30 June 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected on CHD diagnoses, clinical presentation and outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression with multiple imputation was performed to explore predictors of death and hospitalisation.// Results: There were 405 reported cases (127 paediatric/278 adult). In children (age <16 years), there were 5 (3.9%) deaths. Adjusted ORs (AORs) for hospitalisation in children were significantly lower with each ascending year of age (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.96 (p<0.01)). In adults, there were 24 (8.6%) deaths (19 with comorbidities) and 74 (26.6%) hospital admissions. AORs for death in adults were significantly increased with each year of age (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.10 (p<0.01)) and with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH; OR 5.99, 95% CI 1.34 to 26.91 (p=0.02)). AORs for hospitalisation in adults were significantly higher with each additional year of age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.05 (p=0.04)), additional comorbidities (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.31 to 7.97 (p=0.01)) and genetic disease (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.04 to 7.94 (p=0.04)).// Conclusions: Children were at low risk of death and hospitalisation secondary to COVID-19 even with severe CHD, but hospital admission rates were higher in younger children, independent of comorbidity. In adults, higher likelihood of death was associated with increasing age and PAH, and of hospitalisation with age, comorbidities and genetic disease. An individualised approach, based on age and comorbidities, should be taken to COVID-19 management in patients with CHD