Color-octet scalar effects on Higgs boson production in gluon fusion

We compute the next-to-next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the gluon-fusion production of a Higgs boson in models with massive color-octet scalars in the ${\bf (8,1)_0}$ representation using an effective-theory approach. We derive a compact analytic expression for the relevant Wilson coefficient, and explain an interesting technical aspect of the calculation that requires inclusion of the quartic-scalar interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order. We perform a renormalization-group analysis of the scalar couplings to derive the allowed regions of parameter space, and present phenomenological results for both the Tevatron and the LHC. The modifications of the Higgs production cross section are large at both colliders, and can increase the Standard Model rate by more than a factor of two in allowed regions of parameter space. We estimate that stringent constraints on the color-octet scalar parameters can be obtained using the Tevatron exclusion limit on Higgs production.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Limits of elliptic hypergeometric biorthogonal functions

The purpose of this article is to bring structure to (basic) hypergeometric biorthogonal systems, in particular to the q-Askey scheme of basic hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials. We aim to achieve this by looking at the limits as p->0 of the elliptic hypergeometric biorthogonal functions from Spiridonov, with parameters which depend in varying ways on p. As a result we get 38 systems of biorthogonal functions with for each system at least one explicit measure for the bilinear form. Amongst these we indeed recover the q-Askey scheme. Each system consists of (basic hypergeometric) rational functions or polynomials.Comment: 27 pages. This is a self-contained article which can also be seen as part 1 of a 3 part series on limits of (multivariate) elliptic hypergeometric biorthogonal functions and their measure

Superconformal indices of three-dimensional theories related by mirror symmetry

Recently, Kim and Imamura and Yokoyama derived an exact formula for superconformal indices in three-dimensional field theories. Using their results, we prove analytically the equality of superconformal indices in some U(1)-gauge group theories related by the mirror symmetry. The proofs are based on the well known identities of the theory of $q$-special functions. We also suggest the general index formula taking into account the $U(1)_J$ global symmetry present for abelian theories.Comment: 17 pages; minor change

Local realizations of qq-Oscillators in Quantum Mechanics

Representations of the quantum q-oscillator algebra are studied with particular attention to local Hamiltonian representations of the Schroedinger type. In contrast to the standard harmonic oscillators such systems exhibit a continuous spectrum. The general scheme of realization of the q-oscillator algebra on the space of wave functions for a one-dimensional Schroedinger Hamiltonian shows the existence of non-Fock irreducible representations associated to the continuous part of the spectrum and directly related to the deformation. An algorithm for the mapping of energy levels is described.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, Phys. Lett. A, to be publishe

Higgs Boson Production from Black Holes at the LHC

If the fundamental Planck scale is near a TeV, then TeV scale black holes should be produced in proton-proton collisions at the LHC where \sqrt{s} = 14 TeV. As the temperature of the black holes can be ~ 1 TeV we also expect production of Higgs bosons from them via Hawking radiation. This is a different production mode for the Higgs boson, which would normally be produced via direct pQCD parton fusion processes. In this paper we compare total cross sections and transverse momentum distributions d\sigma/dp_T for Higgs production from black holes at the LHC with those from direct parton fusion processes at next-to-next-to-leading order and next-to-leading order respectively. We find that the Higgs production from black holes can be larger or smaller than the direct pQCD production depending upon the Planck mass and black hole mass. We also find that d\sigma/dp_T of Higgs production from black holes increases as a function of p_T which is in sharp contrast with the pQCD predictions where d\sigma/dp_T decreases so we suggest that the measurement of an increase in d\sigma/dp_T as p_T increases for Higgs (or any other heavy particle) production can be a useful signature for black holes at the LHC.Comment: 20 pages latex, 5 figures, To appear in Phys. Rev.

S-duality and 2d Topological QFT

We study the superconformal index for the class of N=2 4d superconformal field theories recently introduced by Gaiotto. These theories are defined by compactifying the (2,0) 6d theory on a Riemann surface with punctures. We interpret the index of the 4d theory associated to an n-punctured Riemann surface as the n-point correlation function of a 2d topological QFT living on the surface. Invariance of the index under generalized S-duality transformations (the mapping class group of the Riemann surface) translates into associativity of the operator algebra of the 2d TQFT. In the A_1 case, for which the 4d SCFTs have a Lagrangian realization, the structure constants and metric of the 2d TQFT can be calculated explicitly in terms of elliptic gamma functions. Associativity then holds thanks to a remarkable symmetry of an elliptic hypergeometric beta integral, proved very recently by van de Bult.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figure

On a modular property of N=2 superconformal theories in four dimensions

In this note we discuss several properties of the Schur index of N=2 superconformal theories in four dimensions. In particular, we study modular properties of this index under SL(2,Z) transformations of its parameters.Comment: 23 page, 2 figure

Relation between the 4d superconformal index and the S^3 partition function

A relation between the 4d superconformal index and the S^3 partition function is studied with focus on the 4d and 3d actions used in localization. In the case of vanishing Chern-Simons levels and round S^3 we explicitly show that the 3d action is obtained from the 4d action by dimensional reduction up to terms which do not affect the exact results. By combining this fact and a recent proposal concerning a squashing of S^3 and SU(2) Wilson line, we obtain a formula which gives the partition function depending on the Weyl weight of chiral multiplets, real mass parameters, FI parameters, and a squashing parameter as a limit of the index of a parent 4d theory.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX; v2: comments added; v3: minor corrections, version published in JHE

Unit circle elliptic beta integrals

We present some elliptic beta integrals with a base parameter on the unit circle, together with their basic degenerations.Comment: 15 pages; minor corrections, references updated, to appear in Ramanujan

A "missing" family of classical orthogonal polynomials

We study a family of "classical" orthogonal polynomials which satisfy (apart from a 3-term recurrence relation) an eigenvalue problem with a differential operator of Dunkl-type. These polynomials can be obtained from the little $q$-Jacobi polynomials in the limit $q=-1$. We also show that these polynomials provide a nontrivial realization of the Askey-Wilson algebra for $q=-1$.Comment: 20 page