The Character of Z-pole Data Constraints on Standard Model Parameters

Despite the impressive precision of the Z-pole measurements made at LEP and SLC, the allowed region for the principle Standard Model parameters responsible for radiative corrections (the mass of the Higgs, the mass of the top and alpha(Mz)) is still large enough to encompass significant non-linearities. The nature of the experimental constraints therefore depends in an interesting way on the "accidental" relationships among the various measurements. In particular, the fact that the Z-pole measurements favor values of the Higgs mass excluded by direct searches leads us to examine the effects of external Higgsstrahlung, a process ignored by the usual precision electroweak calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, REVTeX format; added reference in section IV; added paragraph on widths and a few cosmetic changes to correspond to published versio

Minimal Gauge Invariant Classes of Tree Diagrams in Gauge Theories

We describe the explicit construction of groves, the smallest gauge invariant classes of tree Feynman diagrams in gauge theories. The construction is valid for gauge theories with any number of group factors which may be mixed. It requires no summation over a complete gauge group multiplet of external matter fields. The method is therefore suitable for defining gauge invariant classes of Feynman diagrams for processes with many observed final state particles in the standard model and its extensions.Comment: 13 pages, RevTeX (EPS figures

Four-fermion production with RACOONWW

RACOONWW is an event generator for e+e- --> WW --> 4fermions(+gamma) that includes full tree-level predictions for e+e- --> 4f and e+e- --> 4f+gamma as well as O(alpha) corrections to e+e- --> 4f in the so-called double-pole approximation. We briefly sketch the concept of the calculation on which this generator is based and present some numerical results.Comment: 9 pages, latex, 6 postscript files, to appear in the proceedings of the UK Phenomenology Workshop on Collider Physics, Durham, UK, 19-24 September, 199

Muon Capture on the Proton and Deuteron

By measuring the lifetime of the negative muon in pure protium (hydrogen-1), the MuCap experiment determines the rate of muon capture on the proton, from which the proton's pseudoscalar coupling g_p may be inferred. A precision of 15% for g_p has been published; this is a step along the way to a goal of 7%. This coupling can be calculated precisely from heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory and therefore permits a test of QCD's chiral symmetry. Meanwhile, the MuSun experiment is in its final design stage; it will measure the rate of muon capture on the deuteron using a similar technique. This process can be related through pionless effective field theory and chiral perturbation theory to other two-nucleon reactions of astrophysical interest, including proton-proton fusion and deuteron breakup.Comment: Submitted to the proceedings of the 2007 Advanced Studies Institute on Symmetries and Spin (SPIN-Praha-2007

Constraints on R-parity violating couplings from lepton universality

We analyze the one loop corrections to leptonic W and Z decays in an R-parity violating extension to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We find that lepton universality violation in the Z line-shape variables alone would strengthen the bounds on the magnitudes of the lambda' couplings, but a global fit on all data leaves the bounds virtually unchanged at |lambda'_{33k}| < 0.42 and |lambda'_{23k}| < 0.50 at the 2 sigma level. Bounds from W decays are less stringent: |lambda'_{33k}| < 2.4 at 2 sigma, as a consequence of the weaker Fermilab experimental bounds on lepton universality violation in W decays. We also point out the potential of constraining R-parity violating couplings from the measurement of the Upsilon invisible width.Comment: 26pages, 8 postscript figures, REVTeX. Updated references. Typos correcte

Logahedra: A new weakly relational domain

Weakly relational numeric domains express restricted classes of linear inequalities that strike a balance between what can be described and what can be efficiently computed. Popular weakly relational domains such as bounded differences and octagons have found application in model checking and abstract interpretation. This paper introduces logahedra, which are more expressiveness than octagons, but less expressive than arbitrary systems of two variable per inequality constraints. Logahedra allow coefficients of inequalities to be powers of two whilst retaining many of the desirable algorithmic properties of octagons

Are Massive Elementary Particles Black Holes?

We use exact results in a new approach to quantum gravity to study the effect of quantum loop corrections on the behavior of the metric of space-time near the Schwarzschild radius of a massive point particle in the Standard Model. We show that the classical conclusion that such a system is a black hole is obviated. Phenomenological implications are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure; improved tex