75 research outputs found
Exploring the Higgs Portal with 10/fb at the LHC
We consider the impact of new exotic colored and/or charged matter
interacting through the Higgs portal on Standard Model Higgs boson searches at
the LHC. Such Higgs portal couplings can induce shifts in the effective
Higgs-gluon-gluon and Higgs-photon-photon couplings, thus modifying the Higgs
production and decay patterns. We consider two possible interpretations of the
current LHC Higgs searches based on ~ 5/fb of data at each detector: 1) a Higgs
boson in the mass range (124-126) GeV and 2) a `hidden' heavy Higgs boson which
is underproduced due to the suppression of its gluon fusion production cross
section. We first perform a model independent analysis of the allowed sizes of
such shifts in light of the current LHC data. As a class of possible candidates
for new physics which gives rise to such shifts, we investigate the effects of
new scalar multiplets charged under the Standard Model gauge symmetries. We
determine the scalar parameter space that is allowed by current LHC Higgs
searches, and compare with complementary LHC searches that are sensitive to the
direct production of colored scalar states.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures; v2: references added, correction to scalar form
factor, numerical results updated with Moriond 2012 data, conclusions
unchange
Dark Matter from Minimal Flavor Violation
We consider theories of flavored dark matter, in which the dark matter
particle is part of a multiplet transforming nontrivially under the flavor
group of the Standard Model in a manner consistent with the principle of
Minimal Flavor Violation (MFV). MFV automatically leads to the stability of the
lightest state for a large number of flavor multiplets. If neutral, this
particle is an excellent dark matter candidate. Furthermore, MFV implies
specific patterns of mass splittings among the flavors of dark matter and
governs the structure of the couplings between dark matter and ordinary
particles, leading to a rich and predictive cosmology and phenomenology. We
present an illustrative phenomenological study of an effective theory of a
flavor SU(3)_Q triplet, gauge singlet scalar.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures; v2: references added, minor changes to collider
analysis, conclusions unchange
Composite Higgs Search at the LHC
The Higgs boson production cross-sections and decay rates depend, within the
Standard Model (SM), on a single unknown parameter, the Higgs mass. In
composite Higgs models where the Higgs boson emerges as a pseudo-Goldstone
boson from a strongly-interacting sector, additional parameters control the
Higgs properties which then deviate from the SM ones. These deviations modify
the LEP and Tevatron exclusion bounds and significantly affect the searches for
the Higgs boson at the LHC. In some cases, all the Higgs couplings are reduced,
which results in deterioration of the Higgs searches but the deviations of the
Higgs couplings can also allow for an enhancement of the gluon-fusion
production channel, leading to higher statistical significances. The search in
the H to gamma gamma channel can also be substantially improved due to an
enhancement of the branching fraction for the decay of the Higgs boson into a
pair of photons.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figure
Hiding a Heavy Higgs Boson at the 7 TeV LHC
A heavy Standard Model Higgs boson is not only disfavored by electroweak
precision observables but is also excluded by direct searches at the 7 TeV LHC
for a wide range of masses. Here, we examine scenarios where a heavy Higgs
boson can be made consistent with both the indirect constraints and the direct
null searches by adding only one new particle beyond the Standard Model. This
new particle should be a weak multiplet in order to have additional
contributions to the oblique parameters. If it is a color singlet, we find that
a heavy Higgs with an intermediate mass of 200 - 300 GeV can decay into the new
states, suppressing the branching ratios for the standard model modes, and thus
hiding a heavy Higgs at the LHC. If the new particle is also charged under QCD,
the Higgs production cross section from gluon fusion can be reduced
significantly due to the new colored particle one-loop contribution. Current
collider constraints on the new particles allow for viable parameter space to
exist in order to hide a heavy Higgs boson. We categorize the general
signatures of these new particles, identify favored regions of their parameter
space and point out that discovering or excluding them at the LHC can provide
important indirect information for a heavy Higgs. Finally, for a very heavy
Higgs boson, beyond the search limit at the 7 TeV LHC, we discuss three
additional scenarios where models would be consistent with electroweak
precision tests: including an additional vector-like fermion mixing with the
top quark, adding another U(1) gauge boson and modifying triple-gauge boson
couplings.Comment: 42 pages, 12 figure
The first global deep-sea stable isotope assessment reveals the unique trophic ecology of Vampire Squid Vampyroteuthis infernalis (Cephalopoda)
Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun, 1903, is a widely distributed deepwater cephalopod with unique morphology and phylogenetic position. We assessed its habitat and trophic ecology on a global scale via stable isotope analyses of a unique collection of beaks from 104 specimens from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Cephalopods typically are active predators occupying a high trophic level (TL) and exhibit an ontogenetic increase in δ15N and TL. Our results, presenting the first global comparison for a deep-sea invertebrate, demonstrate that V. infernalis has an ontogenetic decrease in δ15N and TL, coupled with niche broadening. Juveniles are mobile zooplanktivores, while larger Vampyroteuthis are slow-swimming opportunistic consumers and ingest particulate organic matter. Vampyroteuthis infernalis occupies the same TL (3.0–4.3) over its global range and has a unique niche in deep-sea ecosystems. These traits have enabled the success and abundance of this relict species inhabiting the largest ecological realm on the planet.Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
The attached file is the published pdf
FCC-ee: The Lepton Collider: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 2
In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched, as an international collaboration hosted by CERN. This study covers a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee) and an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), which could, successively, be installed in the same 100 km tunnel. The scientific capabilities of the integrated FCC programme would serve the worldwide community throughout the 21st century. The FCC study also investigates an LHC energy upgrade, using FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the second volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the electron-positron collider FCC-ee. After summarizing the physics discovery opportunities, it presents the accelerator design, performance reach, a staged operation scenario, the underlying technologies, civil engineering, technical infrastructure, and an implementation plan. FCC-ee can be built with today’s technology. Most of the FCC-ee infrastructure could be reused for FCC-hh. Combining concepts from past and present lepton colliders and adding a few novel elements, the FCC-ee design promises outstandingly high luminosity. This will make the FCC-ee a unique precision instrument to study the heaviest known particles (Z, W and H bosons and the top quark), offering great direct and indirect sensitivity to new physics
FCC Physics Opportunities: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 1
We review the physics opportunities of the Future Circular Collider, covering its e+e-, pp, ep and heavy ion programmes. We describe the measurement capabilities of each FCC component, addressing the study of electroweak, Higgs and strong interactions, the top quark and flavour, as well as phenomena beyond the Standard Model. We highlight the synergy and complementarity of the different colliders, which will contribute to a uniquely coherent and ambitious research programme, providing an unmatchable combination of precision and sensitivity to new physics
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