Standard Model Higgs boson production in association with a top anti-top pair at NLO with parton showering

We present predictions for the production cross section of a Standard Model Higgs boson in association with a top-antitop pair at next-to-leading order accuracy using matrix elements obtained from the HELAC-Oneloop package. The NLO prediction was interfaced to the PYTHIA and HERWIG shower Monte Carlo programs with the help of POWHEG-Box, allowing for decays of massive particles, showering and hadronization, thus leading to final results at the hadron level.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Study of direct versus orbital entry for Mars missions. Volume 6 - Appendix D - Subsystem studies and parametric data Final report

Subsystems analyses and parametric data on configurations for direct versus orbital entry for Mars mission

t \bar{t} W production and decay at NLO

We present results for the production of a top pair in association with a W-boson at next-to-leading order. We have implemented this process into the parton-level integrator MCFM including the decays of both the top quarks and the W-bosons with full spin correlations. Although the cross section for this process is small, it is a Standard Model source of same-sign lepton events that must be accounted for in many new physics searches. For a particular analysis of same-sign lepton events in which b-quarks are also present, we investigate the effect of the NLO corrections as a function of the signal region cuts.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

GoSam: A program for automated one-loop Calculations

The program package GoSam is presented which aims at the automated calculation of one-loop amplitudes for multi-particle processes. The amplitudes are generated in terms of Feynman diagrams and can be reduced using either D-dimensional integrand-level decomposition or tensor reduction, or a combination of both. GoSam can be used to calculate one-loop corrections to both QCD and electroweak theory, and model files for theories Beyond the Standard Model can be linked as well. A standard interface to programs calculating real radiation is also included. The flexibility of the program is demonstrated by various examples.Comment: 10 pages, Talk given at the International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Research (ACAT), Uxbridge, London, September 201

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Genotype Predicts Cardiac and Autonomic Responses to Prolonged Exercise

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction after ultraendurance exercise.BackgroundSubclinical LV dysfunction in response to endurance exercise up to 24 h duration has been described, but its mechanism remains elusive.MethodsWe tested 86 athletes before and after the Adrenalin Rush Adventure Race using echocardiography, impedance cardiography, and plasma immunoassay.ResultsAt baseline, athletes demonstrated physiology characteristic of extreme endurance training. After 90 to 120 h of almost-continuous exercise, LV systolic and diastolic function declined (fractional shortening before the race, 39.6 ± 0.65%; after, 32.2 ± 0.84%, p < 0.001; mitral inflow E-wave deceleration time before the race, 133 ± 5 ms; after, 160 ± 5 ms, n = 48, p < 0.001) without change in loading conditions as defined by LV end-diastolic dimension and total peripheral resistance estimated by thoracic impedance. There was a compensatory increase in heart rate (before, 55 ± 1.3 beats/min; after, 59 ± 1.5 beats/min, p = 0.05), which left cardiac output unchanged, as well as significant-but-subclinical increases in brain natriuretic peptide and troponin I. In addition, we found that athletes who were homozygous for the intron-16 insertion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene exhibited a significantly greater decrease in fractional shortening than athletes who were homozygous for the deletion allele. Heterozygotes showed an intermediate phenotype. In addition, the deletion group manifest an enhanced sympathovagal balance after the race, as evidenced by greater power in the low-frequency component of blood pressure variability.ConclusionsThe ACE genotype predicts the extent of reversible subclinical LV dysfunction after prolonged exercise and is associated with a differential postactivity augmentation of sympathetic nervous system function that may explain it

Top Partner Discovery in the T→tZT\to tZ channel at the LHC

In this paper we study the discovery potential of the LHC run II for heavy vector-like top quarks in the decay channel to a top and a $Z$ boson. Despite the usually smaller branching ratio compared to charged-current decays, this channel is rather clean and allows for a complete mass reconstruction of the heavy top. The latter is achieved in the leptonic decay channel of the $Z$ boson and in the fully hadronic top channel using boosted jet and jet substructure techniques. To be as model-independent as possible, a simplified model approach with only two free parameters has been applied. The results are presented in terms of parameter space regions for $3\sigma$ evidence or $5\sigma$ discovery for such new states in that channel.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, version 2 updated to JHEP 01 (2015) 08

Les Houches 2013: Physics at TeV Colliders: Standard Model Working Group Report

This Report summarizes the proceedings of the 2013 Les Houches workshop on Physics at TeV Colliders. Session 1 dealt primarily with (1) the techniques for calculating standard model multi-leg NLO and NNLO QCD and NLO EW cross sections and (2) the comparison of those cross sections with LHC data from Run 1, and projections for future measurements in Run 2.Comment: Proceedings of the Standard Model Working Group of the 2013 Les Houches Workshop, Physics at TeV Colliders, Les houches 3-21 June 2013. 200 page

NLO corrections merged with parton showers for Z+2 jets production using the POWHEG method

We present results for the QCD production of Z/{\gamma} + 2 jets matched with parton showers using the POWHEG method. Some technicalities relevant for the merging of NLO corrections for this process with parton showers are discussed, and results for typical distributions are shown, in presence of different sets of cuts. A comparison with ATLAS data is also presented, and good agreement is found.Comment: 13+1 pages, 6 figures, 1 reference and 1 appendix added; matches version accepted for publication in JHE