Tau Lepton Physics: Theory Overview

The pure leptonic or semileptonic character of tau decays makes them a good laboratory to test the structure of the weak currents and the universality of their couplings to the gauge bosons. The hadronic tau decay modes constitute an ideal tool for studying low-energy effects of the strong interactions in very clean conditions; a well-known example is the precise determination of the QCD coupling from tau-decay data. New physics phenomena, such as a non-zero tau-neutrino mass or violations of (flavour / CP) conservation laws can also be searched for with tau decays.Comment: 20 pages, latex, 5 Postscript figures, uses espcrc2.sty, Invited Talk at the Fourth International Workshop on Tau Lepton Physics (TAU96), Colorado, September 199

Generalized screening theorem for Higgs decay processes in the two-doublet model

The radiative corrections to the decay processes of the neutral ($CP$-even) Higgs boson ($H$) into a longitudinal gauge boson pair, {\it i.e.}, $H \rightarrow Z_{L}Z_{L}$ and $H \rightarrow W_{L}^{+}W_{L}^{-}$ are analyzed in the two-Higgs doublet model by assuming that all of the Higgs boson masses are much greater than the $W$ and $Z$ bosons'. These calculations are motivated to see if one could see potentially large virtual effects to these decay rates due to the charged and $CP$-odd neutral Higgs boson masses ($m_{G}$ and $m_{A}$, respectively) which are supposed to be larger than $m_{H}$. It is pointed out that, although the radiative corrections to the decay width $\Gamma (H\rightarrow W_{L}^{+}W_{L}^{-})$ depend sensitively in general on $m_{G}$ and $m_{A}$, there occurs a screening effect, {\it i.e.,} cancellation in leading terms once we set $m_{G}=m_{A}$, so that the radiative corrections tend to be minimized. It is also pointed out that the decay rate $\Gamma (H\rightarrow Z_{L}Z_{L})$ is fairly insensitive to the other heavier Higgs masses and is possibly a good measuring tool of the Higgs mixing angle. The mechanism of these screening phenomena in the Higgs decays is explained on the basis of a new screening theorem, which we postulate with reference to the custodial symmetry in the Higgs potential.Comment: 42 pages, latex, 9 figure

Distances walked in the six-minute walk test: suggestion of defining characteristic for the nursing diagnosis Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion

Distâncias percorridas em testes de marcha são importantes marcadores funcionais, porém, não são aceitos como características definidoras de Perfusão Tissular Periférica Ineficaz. Os objetivos foram verificar as distâncias percorridas no teste de caminhada de seis minutos, por participantes com e sem esse diagnóstico de enfermagem, e se tais medidas podem ser consideradas características definidoras desse fenômeno. A amostra foi composta por sujeitos com (grupo A, n=65) e sem (grupo B, n=17) Perfusão Tissular Periférica Ineficaz, avaliados quanto ao exame físico, à função vascular periférica e à capacidade funcional. Os participantes do grupo A apresentaram pior função vascular e capacidade funcional do que os do grupo B. Verificou-se que a distância percorrida livre de dor foi preditiva para a ocorrência do diagnóstico de enfermagem. Os resultados deste estudo são importantes para o refinamento desse diagnóstico. Conclui-se que as distâncias percorridas no teste de caminhada de seis minutos podem ser características definidoras de Perfusão Tissular Periférica Ineficaz.Las distancias en pruebas de marcha son importantes marcadores funcionales, pero no son aceptados como características de definición de la Perfusión Tisular Periférica Inefectiva. Los objetivos fueron determinar las distancias recorridas en la prueba de caminata de los seis minutos por los participantes con e sin el diagnóstico de enfermería y si esas medidas se pueden considerar características de definición de este fenómeno. Los participantes con (grupo A, n=65) y sin (grupo B, n=17) el diagnóstico fueron evaluados mediante examen físico, función vascular periférica y capacidad funcional. Los participantes del grupo A ha presentado peor función vascular y desempeño en la prueba de marcha do que aquellos del grupo B. La distancia recorrida libre de dolor fue predictiva del diagnóstico de enfermería. Los resultados de este estudio pueden contribuir para el refinamiento de este diagnóstico. Las distancias recorridas en la prueba de marcha se pueden considerar características de definición de este diagnóstico.Distances walked in walking tests are important functional markers, although they are not accepted as defining characteristics of Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion. The aims of this study were to verify the distances participants with and without this nursing diagnosis walked in the six-minute walk test and if these measures may be considered defining characteristics of this phenomenon. Participants with (group A; n=65) and without (group B; n=17) this nursing diagnosis were evaluated regarding physical examination, vascular function and functional capacity. Participants of group A seemed to have worse vascular function and functional capacity compared with those of group B. Pain-free travelled distance was predictive of the nursing diagnosis. These results are important for the refinement of this diagnosis. In conclusion, this study provides evidences that the distances walked in the six-minute walk test may be considered defining characteristics of Ineffective Peripheral Tissue Perfusion

Parity-Violating Excitation of the \Delta(1232): Hadron Structure and New Physics

We consider prospects for studying the parity-violating (PV) electroweak excitation of the \Delta(1232) resonance with polarized electron scattering. Given present knowledge of Standard Model parameters, such PV experiments could allow a determination of the N -> \Delta electroweak helicity amplitudes. We discuss the experimental feasibility and theoretical interpretability of such a determination as well as the prospective implications for hadron structure theory. We also analyze the extent to which a PV N -> \Delta measurement could constrain various extensions of the Standard Model.Comment: 43 pages, RevTex, 8 PS figures, uses epsf.sty, rotate.sty, version to appear in Nucl. Phys. A, main points emphasized, some typos correcte

Magnetic Monopoles As a New Solution to Strong CP Problem

A non-perturbative solution to strong CP problem is proposed. It is shown that the gauge orbit space with gauge potentials and gauge tranformations restricted on the space boundary in non-abelian gauge theories with a $\theta$ term has a magnetic monopole structure if there is a magnetic monopole in the ordinary space. The Dirac's quantization condition in the corresponding quantum theories ensures that the vacuum angle $\theta$ in the gauge theories must be quantized. The quantization rule is derived as $\theta=2\pi/n~(n\neq 0)$ with n being the topological charge of the magnetic monopole. Therefore, we conclude that the strong CP problem is automatically solved non-perturbatively with the existence of a magnetic monopole of charge $\pm 1$ with $\theta=\pm 2\pi$. This is also true when the total magnetic charge of monopoles are very large ($|n|\geq 10^92\pi$) if it is consistent with the abundance of magnetic monopoles. This implies that the fact that the strong CP violation can be only so small or vanishing may be a signal for the existence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: LBL-32491, June, 199

T Violation Induced by Supersymmetry in t\bar{t} and W^+W^- Physics

T-odd correlations of polarizations and momenta provide a promising testing ground for new physics beyond the standard model. We estimate the contribution of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model to two such observables: in the production of $t\bar{t}$, we look for a term proportional to \mbox{${\bf J}_t \cdot ({\bf p}_q \times {\bf p}_{t})$}-where {\bf J}$_t$ is the polarization of the $t$ quark and {\bf p} $_{q,t}$ are the momenta of the initial and final particles-and find that it is of the order of $10^{-1} \times (\alpha_s/\pi)$. In the production of $W^+W^-$, we look for a term proportional to \mbox{${\bf E}_W \cdot ({\bf p}_q \times {\bf p}_{W})({\bf p}_q \cdot {\bf E}_W)$}-where {\bf E}$_W$ is the transverse polarization of W- to find that it can be as large as $10^{-1} \times (\alpha_w/\pi)$.Comment: 16 pages (8 figures, not included

Quantisation of Monopoles with Non-abelian Magnetic Charge

Magnetic monopoles in Yang-Mills-Higgs theory with a non-abelian unbroken gauge group are classified by holomorphic charges in addition to the topological charges familiar from the abelian case. As a result the moduli spaces of monopoles of given topological charge are stratified according to the holomorphic charges. Here the physical consequences of the stratification are explored in the case where the gauge group SU(3) is broken to U(2). The description due to A. Dancer of the moduli space of charge two monopoles is reviewed and interpreted physically in terms of non-abelian magnetic dipole moments. Semi-classical quantisation leads to dyonic states which are labelled by a magnetic charge and a representation of the subgroup of U(2) which leaves the magnetic charge invariant (centraliser subgroup). A key result of this paper is that these states fall into representations of the semi-direct product U(2) \semidir R^4. The combination rules (Clebsch-Gordan coefficients) of dyonic states can thus be deduced. Electric-magnetic duality properties of the theory are discussed in the light of our results, and supersymmetric dyonic BPS states which fill the SL(2,Z)-orbit of the basic massive W-bosons are found.Comment: 57 pages, harvmac, amssym, two eps figures, minor mistakes and typos corrected, references added; to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Unitarity of Little Higgs Models Signals New Physics of UV Completion

The ``Little Higgs'' opens up a new avenue for natural electroweak symmetry breaking in which the standard model Higgs particle is realized as a pseudo-Goldstone boson and thus is generically light. The symmetry breaking structure of the Little Higgs models predicts a large multiplet of (pseudo-)Goldstone bosons and their low energy interactions below the ultraviolet (UV) completion scale $\Lambda \sim 4\pi f \sim O(10)$ TeV, where $f$ is the Goldstone decay constant. We study unitarity of the Little Higgs models by systematically analyzing the high energy scatterings of these (pseudo-)Goldstone bosons. We reveal that the collective effect of the Goldstone scatterings via coupled channel analysis tends to push the unitarity violation scale $\Lambda_U$ significantly below the conventional UV scale $\Lambda \sim 4\pi f$ as estimated by naive dimensional analysis (NDA). Specifically, $\Lambda_U \sim (3-4)f$, lying in the multi-TeV range for $f\sim 1$ TeV. We interpret this as an encouraging sign that the upcoming LHC may explore aspects of Little Higgs UV completions, and we discuss some potential signatures. The meanings of the two estimated UV scales $\Lambda_U$ (from unitarity violation) and $\Lambda$ (from NDA) together with their implications for an effective field theory analysis of the Little Higgs models are also discussed.Comment: To match Phys.Lett.B version (9pp, only minor rewording