Electroweak interactions and the muon g-2: bosonic two-loop effects

We present a detailed evaluation of the bosonic two-loop electroweak corrections to the muon's anomalous magnetic moment. We study the Higgs mass dependence and find agreement with a previous evaluation in the large Higgs mass limit. We find $a_{\mu}^{\rm EW bos}({two-loop})=(-22.2 \pm 1.6)\times 10^{-11}$, for $114 {\rm GeV} \le M_{\rm Higgs}\le 700 {\rm GeV}$.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figure

The Hadronic Contribution to the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment and to the Running Electromagnetic Fine Structure Constant at MZ - Overview and Latest Results

Quantum loops induce an anomaly, a_mu, in the magnetic moment of the muon that can be accurately measured. Its Standard Model prediction is limited in precision by contributions from hadronic vacuum polarisation of the photon. The dominant lowest-order hadronic term can be calculated with a combination of experimental cross section data, involving e+e- annihilation to hadrons, and perturbative QCD. These are used to evaluate an energy-squared dispersion integral that strongly emphasises low photon virtualities. The dominant contribution to the integral stems from the two-pion channel that can be measured both in e+e- annihilation and in tau decays. The corresponding e+e- and tau-based predictions of a_mu exhibit deviations by, respectively, 3.6 sigma and 2.4 sigma from experiment, leaving room for a possible interpretation in terms of new physics. This talk reviews the status of the Standard Model prediction with emphasis on the lowest-order hadronic contribution. Also given is the latest result for the running electromagnetic fine structure constant at the Z-mass pole, whose precision is limited by hadronic vacuum polarisation contributions, determined in a way similar to those of the magnetic anomaly.Comment: Proceedings of talk at Tau2010 Workshop, Manchester, UK, 13-17 Sep, 2010; 10 pages, 8 figure

Present Status of the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

These pages, based on my talk at the Montpellier 14th International Conference in QCD, provide us with a short update of the Standard Model contributions to the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

Muon g-2 and lepton flavor violation in a two Higgs doublets model for the fourth generation

In the minimal Standard Model (SM) with four generations (the so called SM4) and in "standard" two Higgs doublets model (2HDM) setups, e.g., the type II 2HDM with four fermion generations, the contribution of the 4th family heavy leptons to the muon magnetic moment is suppressed and cannot accommodate the measured $\sim 3 \sigma$ access with respect to the SM prediction. We show that in a 2HDM for the 4th generation (the 4G2HDM), which we view as a low energy effective theory for dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, with one of the Higgs doublets coupling only to the 4th family leptons and quarks (thus effectively addressing their large masses), the loop exchanges of the heavy 4th generation neutrino can account for the measured value of the muon anomalous magnetic moment. We also discuss the sensitivity of the lepton flavor violating decays $\mu \to e \gamma$ and $\tau \to \mu \gamma$ and of the decay $B_s \to \mu \mu$ to the new couplings which control the muon g-2 in our model.Comment: v1: 13 pages, 11 figure

Charged-Lepton Flavour Physics

This writeup of a talk at the 2011 Lepton-Photon symposium in Mumbai, India, summarises recent results in the charged-lepton flavour sector. I review searches for charged-lepton flavour violation, lepton electric dipole moments and flavour-conserving CP violation. I also discuss recent progress in tau-lepton physics and in the Standard Model prediction of the muon anomalous magnetic moment.Comment: Presented at Lepton-Photon 2011, Mumbai, India; 23 pages, 14 figure

Precision tau physics

Precise measurements of the lepton properties provide stringent tests of the Standard Model and accurate determinations of its parameters. We overview the present status of tau physics, highlighting the most recent developments, and discuss the prospects for future improvements. The leptonic decays of the tau lepton probe the structure of the weak currents and the universality of their couplings to the W boson. The universality of the leptonic Z couplings has also been tested through Z -> l(+)l(-) decays. The hadronic tau decay modes constitute an ideal tool for studying low-energy effects of the strong interaction in very clean conditions. Accurate determinations of the QCD coupling and the Cabibbo mixing V-us have been obtained with tau data. The large mass of the tau opens the possibility to study many kinematically-allowed exclusive decay modes and extract relevant dynamical information. Violations of flavour and CP conservation laws can also be searched for with tau decays. Related subjects such as μdecays, the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments, neutrino mixing and B-meson decays into tau leptons are briefly covered. Being one the fermions most strongly coupled to the scalar sector, the tau lepton is playing now a very important role at the LHC as a tool to test the Higgs properties and search for new physics at higher scales

The Muon g-2

The muon anomalous magnetic moment is one of the most precisely measured quantities in particle physics. In a recent experiment at Brookhaven it has been measured with a remarkable 14-fold improvement of the previous CERN experiment reaching a precision of 0.54ppm. Since the first results were published, a persisting "discrepancy" between theory and experiment of about 3 standard deviations is observed. It is the largest "established" deviation from the Standard Model seen in a "clean" electroweak observable and thus could be a hint for New Physics to be around the corner. This deviation triggered numerous speculations about the possible origin of the "missing piece" and the increased experimental precision animated a multitude of new theoretical efforts which lead to a substantial improvement of the prediction of the muon anomaly a_mu=(g_mu-2)/2. The dominating uncertainty of the prediction, caused by strong interaction effects, could be reduced substantially, due to new hadronic cross section measurements in electron-positron annihilation at low energies. Also the recent electron g-2 measurement at Harvard contributes substantially to the progress in this field, as it allows for a much more precise determination of the fine structure constant alpha as well as a cross check of the status of our theoretical understanding.Comment: 134 pages, 68 figure