219 research outputs found
Comment on measuring the t-tbar forward-backward asymmetry at ATLAS and CMS
We suggest a new possibility for ATLAS and CMS to explore the t-tbar
forward-backward asymmetry measured at the Tevatron, by attempting to
reconstruct t-tbar events, with one of the tops decaying semileptonically in
the central region (|\eta| < 2.5) and the other decaying hadronically in the
forward region (|\eta| > 2.5). For several models which give comparable
Tevatron signals, we study the charge asymmetry at the LHC as a function of
cuts on |\eta| and on the t-tbar invariant mass, m_{t-tbar}. We show that there
is an interesting complementarity between cuts on |\eta| and m_{t-tbar} to
suppress the dominant and symmetric gg -> t-tbar rate, and different
combinations of cuts enhance the distinguishing power between models. This
complementarity is likely to hold in other new physics scenarios as well, which
affect the t-tbar cross section, so it motivates extending t-tbar
reconstruction to higher |\eta|.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables, v2: to match version appearing in PRD,
resolution in figures improve
(Machine) Learning to Do More with Less
Determining the best method for training a machine learning algorithm is
critical to maximizing its ability to classify data. In this paper, we compare
the standard "fully supervised" approach (that relies on knowledge of
event-by-event truth-level labels) with a recent proposal that instead utilizes
class ratios as the only discriminating information provided during training.
This so-called "weakly supervised" technique has access to less information
than the fully supervised method and yet is still able to yield impressive
discriminating power. In addition, weak supervision seems particularly well
suited to particle physics since quantum mechanics is incompatible with the
notion of mapping an individual event onto any single Feynman diagram. We
examine the technique in detail -- both analytically and numerically -- with a
focus on the robustness to issues of mischaracterizing the training samples.
Weakly supervised networks turn out to be remarkably insensitive to systematic
mismodeling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the event level outputs for
weakly versus fully supervised networks are probing different kinematics, even
though the numerical quality metrics are essentially identical. This implies
that it should be possible to improve the overall classification ability by
combining the output from the two types of networks. For concreteness, we apply
this technology to a signature of beyond the Standard Model physics to
demonstrate that all these impressive features continue to hold in a scenario
of relevance to the LHC.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures. Example code is provided at
https://github.com/bostdiek/PublicWeaklySupervised . v3: Version published in
JHEP, discussion adde
Gamma-rays from Dark Showers with Twin Higgs Models
We consider a twin WIMP scenario whose twin sector contains a full dark copy
of the SM hadrons, where the lightest twin particles are twin pions. By analogy
to the standard WIMP paradigm, the dark matter (DM) freezes out through twin
electroweak interactions, and annihilates into a dark shower of light twin
hadrons. These are either stable or decay predominantly to standard model (SM)
photons. We show that this 'hadrosymmetric' scenario can be consistent with all
applicable astrophysical, cosmological and collider constraints. In order to
decay the twin hadrons before the big-bang nucleosynthesis epoch, an additional
portal between the SM and twin sector is required. In most cases we find this
additional mediator is within reach of either the LHC or future intensity
frontier experiments. Furthermore, we conduct simulations of the dark shower
and consequent photon spectra. We find that fits of these spectra to the
claimed galactic center gamma-ray excess seen by Fermi-LAT non-trivially
coincide with regions of parameter space that both successfully generate the
observed DM abundance and exhibit minimal fine-tuning.Comment: 45 pages, 11 figures, v2: journal version, extended discussions in
Secs. III-V, references adde
Chasing Accreted Structures within Gaia DR2 using Deep Learning
In previous work, we developed a deep neural network classifier that only relies on phase-space information to obtain a catalog of accreted stars based on the second data release of Gaia (DR2). In this paper, we apply two clustering algorithms to identify velocity substructure within this catalog. We focus on the subset of stars with line-of-sight velocity measurements that fall in the range of Galactocentric radii r ∈ [6.5, 9.5] kpc and vertical distances |z|<3 kpc. Known structures such as Gaia Enceladus and the Helmi stream are identified. The largest previously unknown structure, Nyx, is a vast stream consisting of at least 200 stars in the region of interest. This study displays the power of the machine-learning approach by not only successfully identifying known features but also discovering new kinematic structures that may shed light on the merger history of the Milky Way
Constraining the Axion Portal with B -> K l+ l-
We investigate the bounds on axionlike states from flavor-changing neutral
current b->s decays, assuming the axion couples to the standard model through
mixing with the Higgs sector. Such GeV-scale axions have received renewed
attention in connection with observed cosmic ray excesses. We find that
existing B->K l+ l- data impose stringent bounds on the axion decay constant in
the multi-TeV range, relevant for constraining the "axion portal" model of dark
matter. Such bounds also constrain light Higgs scenarios in the next-to-minimal
supersymmetric standard model. These bounds can be improved by dedicated
searches in B-factory data and at LHCb.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; v2: to match version to appear in PR
Simulating collider physics on quantum computers using effective field theories
Simulating the full dynamics of a quantum field theory over a wide range of
energies requires exceptionally large quantum computing resources. Yet for many
observables in particle physics, perturbative techniques are sufficient to
accurately model all but a constrained range of energies within the validity of
the theory. We demonstrate that effective field theories (EFTs) provide an
efficient mechanism to separate the high energy dynamics that is easily
calculated by traditional perturbation theory from the dynamics at low energy
and show how quantum algorithms can be used to simulate the dynamics of the low
energy EFT from first principles. As an explicit example we calculate the
expectation values of vacuum-to-vacuum and vacuum-to-one-particle transitions
in the presence of a time-ordered product of two Wilson lines in scalar field
theory, an object closely related to those arising in EFTs of the Standard
Model of particle physics. Calculations are performed using simulations of a
quantum computer as well as measurements using the IBMQ Manhattan machine.Comment: 5 pages, plus 11 pages of Supplemental Material
- …