Effect of both Z and Z'-mediated flavor-changing neutral currents on the baryonic rare decay lambdablambda_b decays into lambdal+l−lambda l^+l^-

We study the effect of both Z and Z'-mediated flavor-changing neutral currents (FCNCs) on the $lambda_b arrow lambda l^+l^- (l = mu, tau)$ rare decay. We find the branching ratio is reasonably enhanced from its standard model value due to the effect of both Z and Z'-mediated FCNCs, and gives the possibility of new physics beyond the standard model. The contribution of Z'-boson depends upon the precise value of the mass of Z' boson.Comment: 14 page

Progress in the physics of massive neutrinos

The current status of the physics of massive neutrinos is reviewed with a forward-looking emphasis. The article begins with the general phenomenology of neutrino oscillations in vacuum and matter and documents the experimental evidence for oscillations of solar, reactor, atmospheric and accelerator neutrinos. Both active and sterile oscillation possibilities are considered. The impact of cosmology (BBN, CMB, leptogenesis) and astrophysics (supernovae, highest energy cosmic rays) on neutrino observables and vice versa, is evaluated. The predictions of grand unified, radiative and other models of neutrino mass are discussed. Ways of determining the unknown parameters of three-neutrino oscillations are assessed, taking into account eight-fold degeneracies in parameters that yield the same oscillation probabilities, as well as ways to determine the absolute neutrino mass scale (from beta-decay, neutrinoless double-beta decay, large scale structure and Z-bursts). Critical unknowns at present are the amplitude of \nu_\mu to \nu_e oscillations and the hierarchy of the neutrino mass spectrum; the detection of CP violation in the neutrino sector depends on these and on an unknown phase. The estimated neutrino parameter sensitivities at future facilities (reactors, superbeams, neutrino factories) are given. The overall agenda of a future neutrino physics program to construct a bottom-up understanding of the lepton sector is presented.Comment: 111 pages, 35 figures. Update

Precision W-boson and top-quark mass determinations at a muon collider

Precise determinations of the masses of the $W$ boson and of the top quark could stringently test the radiative structure of the Standard Model (SM) or provide evidence for new physics. We analyze the excellent prospects at a muon collider for measuring $M_W$ and $m_t$ in the $W^+W^-$ and $t\bar t$ threshold regions. With an integrated luminosity of 10 (100) fb$^{-1}$, the $W$-boson mass could be measured to a precision of 20 (6) MeV, and the top-quark mass to a precision of 200 (70) MeV, provided that theoretical and experimental systematics are understood. A measurement of $\Delta m_t=200$ MeV for fixed $M_W$ would constrain a 100 GeV SM Higgs mass within about $\pm 2$ GeV, while $\Delta M_W=6$ MeV for fixed $m_t$ would constrain $m_h$ to about $\pm 10$ GeV.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, postscript file available via anonymous ftp://ucdhep.ucdavis.edu/han/mumu/mwmt.p

Production of Z^0 bosons with rapidity gaps: exclusive photoproduction in gamma p and p p collisions and inclusive double diffractive Z^0's

We extend the k_\perp-factorization formalism for exclusive photoproduction of vector mesons to the production of electroweak Z^0 bosons. Predictions for the gamma p \to Z^0 p and p p \to p p Z^0 reactions are given using an unintegrated gluon distribution tested against deep inelastic data. We present distributions in the Z^0 rapidity, transverse momentum of Z^0 as well as in relative azimuthal angle between outgoing protons. The contributions of different flavours are discussed. Absorption effects lower the cross section by a factor of 1.5-2, depending on the Z-boson rapidity. We also discuss the production of Z^0 bosons in central inclusive production. Here rapidity and (x_{\Pom,1}, x_{\Pom,2}) distributions of Z^0 are calculated. The corresponding cross section is about three orders of magnitude larger than that for the purely exclusive process.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figs, A. Cisek is married name of A. Rybarsk

Short-Baseline Neutrino Oscillations at a Neutrino Factory

Within the framework of three-neutrino and four-neutrino scenarios that can describe the results of the LSND experiment, we consider the capabilities of short baseline neutrino oscillation experiments at a neutrino factory. We find that, when short baseline (L \alt 100 km) neutrino factory measurements are used together with other accelerator-based oscillation results, the complete three-neutrino parameter space can best be determined by measuring the rate of $\nu_e \to \nu_\tau$ oscillations, and measuring CP violation with either $\nu_e \to \nu_\mu$ or $\nu_\mu \to \nu_\tau$ oscillations (including the corresponding antineutrino channels). With measurements of CP violation in both $\nu_e \to \nu_\mu$ and $\nu_\mu \to \nu_\tau$ it may be possible to distinguish between the three- and four-neutrino cases.Comment: 16 pages, Revtex (single-spaced), 8 postscript figures, uses epsf.st

Conditions for detecting CP violation via neutrinoless double beta decay

Neutrinoless double beta decay data together with information on the absolute neutrino masses obtained from the future KATRIN experiment and/or astrophysical measurements give a chance to find CP violation in the lepton sector with Majorana neutrinos. We derive and discuss necessary conditions which make discovery of such CP violation possible for the future neutrino oscillation and mass measurements data.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, RevTe

Associated Production of Higgs and Weak Bosons, with H -> b\bar b, at Hadron Colliders

We consider the search for the Higgs boson at a high-luminosity Fermilab Tevatron, an upgraded Tevatron of energy 3.5 TeV, and the CERN Large Hadron Collider, via $WH/ZH$ production followed by H -> bb~ and leptonic decay of the weak vector bosons. We show that each of these colliders can potentially observe the standard Higgs boson in the intermediate-mass range, 80 GeV <m_H < 120 GeV. This mode complements the search for and the study of the intermediate-mass Higgs boson via H -> \gamma\gamma at the LHC. In addition, it can potentially be used to observe the lightest Higgs scalar of the minimal supersymmetric model in a region of parameter space not accessible to CERN LEP II or the LHC (using h -> \gamma\gamma,ZZ^*).Comment: (changed the analysis of ZH production and the figures for susy), 17 pages + 7 figures, ILL-(TH)-94-8, BNL-6034

Pair production of neutralinos via gluon-gluon collisions

The production of a neutralino pair via gluon-gluon fusion is studied in the minimal supersymmetric model(MSSM) at proton-proton colliders. The numerical analysis of their production rates are carried out in the mSUGRA scenario. The results show that this cross section may reach about 80 femto barn for $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{1}\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ pair production and 23 femto barn for $\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}\tilde{\chi}^{0}_{2}$ pair production with suitable input parameters at the future LHC collider. It shows that this loop mediated process can be competitive with the quark-antiquark annihilation process at the LHC.Comment: LaTex file, l4 pages, 5 EPS figure

Neutrino oscillation parameters from MINOS, ICARUS and OPERA combined

We perform a detailed analysis of the capabilities of the MINOS, ICARUS and OPERA experiments to measure neutrino oscillation parameters at the atmospheric scale with their data taken separately and in combination. MINOS will determine $\Delta m^2_{32}$ and $\sin^2 2\theta_{23}$ to within 10% at the 99% C.L. with 10 kton-years of data. While no one experiment will determine $\sin^2 2\theta_{13}$ with much precision, if its value lies in the combined sensitivity region of the three experiments, it will be possible to place a lower bound of O(0.01) at the 95% C.L. on this parameter by combining the data from the three experiments. The same bound can be placed with a combination of MINOS and ICARUS data alone.Comment: Version to appear in PR

High energy neutrinos from neutralino annihilations in the Sun

Neutralino annihilations in the Sun to weak boson and top quark pairs lead to high-energy neutrinos that can be detected by the IceCube and KM3 experiments in the search for neutralino dark matter. We calculate the neutrino signals from real and virtual WW, ZZ, Zh, and $t \bar t$ production and decays, accounting for the spin-dependences of the matrix elements, which can have important influences on the neutrino energy spectra. We take into account neutrino propagation including neutrino oscillations, matter-resonance, absorption, and nu_tau regeneration effects in the Sun and evaluate the neutrino flux at the Earth. We concentrate on the compelling Focus Point (FP) region of the supergravity model that reproduces the observed dark matter relic density. For the FP region, the lightest neutralino has a large bino-higgsino mixture that leads to a high neutrino flux and the spin-dependent neutralino capture rate in the Sun is enhanced by 10^3 over the spin-independent rate. For the standard estimate of neutralino captures, the muon signal rates in IceCube are identifiable over the atmospheric neutrino background for neutralino masses above M_Z up to 400 GeV.Comment: 45 pages, 18 figures and 5 tables, PRD versio