63 research outputs found
Supersymmetric Higgs Yukawa Couplings to Bottom Quarks at next-to-next-to-leading Order
The effective bottom Yukawa couplings are analyzed for the minimal
supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model at two-loop accuracy within
SUSY-QCD. They include the resummation of the dominant corrections for large
values of tg(beta). In particular the two-loop SUSY-QCD corrections to the
leading SUSY-QCD and top-induced SUSY-electroweak contributions are addressed.
The residual theoretical uncertainties range at the per-cent level.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, added comments and references, typos corrected,
results unchanged, published versio
Strong interface-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene on WS2
Interfacial interactions allow the electronic properties of graphene to be
modified, as recently demonstrated by the appearance of satellite Dirac cones
in the band structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates.
Ongoing research strives to explore interfacial interactions in a broader class
of materials in order to engineer targeted electronic properties. Here we show
that at an interface with a tungsten disulfide (WS2) substrate, the strength of
the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in graphene is very strongly enhanced. The
induced SOI leads to a pronounced low-temperature weak anti-localization (WAL)
effect, from which we determine the spin-relaxation time. We find that
spin-relaxation time in graphene is two-to-three orders of magnitude smaller on
WS2 than on SiO2 or hBN, and that it is comparable to the intervalley
scattering time. To interpret our findings we have performed first-principle
electronic structure calculations, which both confirm that carriers in
graphene-on-WS2 experience a strong SOI and allow us to extract a
spin-dependent low-energy effective Hamiltonian. Our analysis further shows
that the use of WS2 substrates opens a possible new route to access topological
states of matter in graphene-based systems.Comment: Originally submitted version in compliance with editorial guidelines.
Final version with expanded discussion of the relation between theory and
experiments to be published in Nature Communication
Short-Term Striatal Gene Expression Responses to Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Are Dependent on MEK and ERK Activation
BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is believed to be an important regulator of striatal neuron survival, differentiation, and plasticity. Moreover, reduction of BDNF delivery to the striatum has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Huntington's disease. Nevertheless, many essential aspects of BDNF responses in striatal neurons remain to be elucidated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we assessed the relative contributions of multipartite intracellular signaling pathways to the short-term induction of striatal gene expression by BDNF. To identify genes regulated by BDNF in these GABAergic cells, we first used DNA microarrays to quantify their transcriptomic responses following 3 h of BDNF exposure. The signal transduction pathways underlying gene induction were subsequently dissected using pharmacological agents and quantitative real-time PCR. Gene expression responses to BDNF were abolished by inhibitors of TrkB (K252a) and calcium (chelator BAPTA-AM and transient receptor potential cation channel [TRPC] antagonist SKF-96365). Interestingly, inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases 1 and 2 (MEK1/2) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK also blocked the BDNF-mediated induction of all tested BDNF-responsive genes. In contrast, inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), phosphotidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), and CAMK exhibited less prevalent, gene-specific effects on BDNF-induced RNA expression. At the nuclear level, the activation of both Elk-1 and CREB showed MEK dependence. Importantly, MEK-dependent activation of transcription was shown to be required for BDNF-induced striatal neurite outgrowth, providing evidence for its contribution to striatal neuron plasticity. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the MEK/ERK pathway is a major mediator of neuronal plasticity and other important BDNF-dependent striatal functions that are fulfilled through the positive regulation of gene expression
Singlet extensions of the standard model at LHC Run 2: benchmarks and comparison with the NMSSM
The Complex singlet extension of the Standard Model (CxSM) is the simplest extension that provides scenarios for Higgs pair production with different masses. The model has two interesting phases: the dark matter phase, with a Standard Model-like Higgs boson, a new scalar and a dark matter candidate; and the broken phase, with all three neutral scalars mixing. In the latter phase Higgs decays into a pair of two different Higgs bosons are possible.
In this study we analyse Higgs-to-Higgs decays in the framework of singlet extensions of the Standard Model (SM), with focus on the CxSM. After demonstrating that scenarios with large rates for such chain decays are possible we perform a comparison between the NMSSM and the CxSM. We find that, based on Higgs-to-Higgs decays, the only possibility to distinguish the two models at the LHC run 2 is through final states with two different scalars. This conclusion builds a strong case for searches for final states with two different scalars at the LHC run 2.
Finally, we propose a set of benchmark points for the real and complex singlet extensions to be tested at the LHC run 2. They have been chosen such that the discovery prospects of the involved scalars are maximised and they fulfil the dark matter constraints. Furthermore, for some of the points the theory is stable up to high energy scales. For the computation of the decay widths and branching ratios we developed the Fortran code sHDECAY, which is based on the implementation of the real and complex singlet extensions of the SM in HDECAY
Review of Particle Physics
The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 3,062 new measurements from 721 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as supersymmetric particles, heavy bosons, axions, dark photons, etc. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Higgs Boson Physics, Supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, Neutrino Mixing, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Cosmology, Particle Detectors, Colliders, Probability and Statistics. Among the 117 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised, including those on Pentaquarks and Inflation. The complete Review is published online in a journal and on the website of the Particle Data Group (http://pdg.lbl.gov). The printed PDG Book contains the Summary Tables and all review articles but no longer includes the detailed tables from the Particle Listings. A Booklet with the Summary Tables and abbreviated versions of some of the review articles is also available
Review of Particle Physics: Particle Data Group
The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 2,873
new measurements from 758 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the
recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical
particles such as supersymmetric particles, heavy bosons, axions, dark photons, etc. Particle properties and search
limits are listed in Summary Tables. We give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Higgs
Boson Physics, Supersymmetry, Grand Unified Theories, Neutrino Mixing, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Cosmology,
Particle Detectors, Colliders, Probability and Statistics. Among the 118 reviews are many that are new or heavily
revised, including a new review on Neutrinos in Cosmology.
Starting with this edition, the Review is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 includes the Summary Tables
and all review articles. Volume 2 consists of the Particle Listings. Review articles that were previously part of the
Listings are now included in volume 1.
The complete Review (both volumes) is published online on the website of the Particle Data Group
(http://pdg.lbl.gov) and in a journal. Volume 1 is available in print as the PDG Book. A Particle Physics Booklet
with the Summary Tables and essential tables, figures, and equations from selected review articles is also available
Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the diphoton decay channel with 4.9fb -1 of pp collision data at √s=7TeV with atlas
A search for the standard model Higgs boson is performed in the diphoton decay channel. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb-1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=7 TeV. In the diphoton mass range 110–150 GeV, the largest excess with respect to the background-only hypothesis is observed at 126.5 GeV, with a local significance of 2.8 standard deviations. Taking the look-elsewhere effect into account in the range 110–150 GeV, this significance becomes 1.5 standard deviations. The standard model Higgs boson is excluded at 95% confidence level in the mass ranges of 113–115 GeV and 134.5–136 GeV
Search for the standard model Higgs boson in the diphoton decay channel with 4.9fb -1 of pp collision data at √s=7TeV with atlas
A search for the standard model Higgs boson is performed in the diphoton decay channel. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb-1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of √s=7 TeV. In the diphoton mass range 110–150 GeV, the largest excess with respect to the background-only hypothesis is observed at 126.5 GeV, with a local significance of 2.8 standard deviations. Taking the look-elsewhere effect into account in the range 110–150 GeV, this significance becomes 1.5 standard deviations. The standard model Higgs boson is excluded at 95% confidence level in the mass ranges of 113–115 GeV and 134.5–136 GeV
Why I Am A Science-Inspired Naturalist but Not a Philosophical Naturalist nor a Religious Naturalist
Ever since I published a book with the title Religion, Science and Naturalism (1996), some have considered me a ‘religious naturalist’. However, I decline this label for myself. In this contribution, I seek to articulate my position more clearly. I advocate science-inspired naturalism. I will argue that this need not imply philosophical naturalism and religious naturalism. If not, as I will argue, why not? When one considers the interpretation of science and of mathematical objects and moral values, one cannot just turn to science. More is needed. A question is whether that ‘more’ falls within the ambit of ‘naturalism’, as a philosophical naturalist seems to hold. As I see it, for all practical purposes one might take a science-inspired naturalistic stance in daily life (e.g. when needing medical assistance), consider Kantian constructivism an attractive strategy when it comes to philosophical justification of values, appreciate the motivating and identity-defining power of religious and personal narratives that integrate ethos, loves, and one’s worldview, while considering oneself agnostic on matters of ultimate explanations and values
- …