The three-loop cusp anomalous dimension in QCD

We present the full analytic result for the three-loop angle-dependent cusp anomalous dimension in QCD. With this result, infrared divergences of planar scattering processes with massive particles can be predicted to that order. Moreover, we define a closely related quantity in terms of an effective coupling defined by the light-like cusp anomalous dimension. We find evidence that this quantity is universal for any gauge theory, and use this observation to predict the non-planar $n_{f}$-dependent terms of the four-loop cusp anomalous dimension.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

The nfn_{f} terms of the three-loop cusp anomalous dimension in QCD

In this talk we present the result for the $n_f$ dependent piece of the three-loop cusp anomalous dimension in QCD. Remarkably, it is parametrized by the same simple functions appearing in analogous anomalous dimensions in ${\mathcal N}=4$ SYM at one and two loops. We also compute all required master integrals using a recently proposed refinement of the differential equation method. The analytic results are expressed in terms of harmonic polylogarithms of uniform weight.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures; v2: typo in eq. (4.4) fixed, 'three-loop' added to titl

The ρ\rho parameter at three loops and elliptic integrals

We describe the analytic calculation of the master integrals required to compute the two-mass three-loop corrections to the $\rho$ parameter. In particular, we present the calculation of the master integrals for which the corresponding differential equations do not factorize to first order. The homogeneous solutions to these differential equations are obtained in terms of hypergeometric functions at rational argument. These hypergeometric functions can further be mapped to complete elliptic integrals, and the inhomogeneous solutions are expressed in terms of a new class of integrals of combined iterative non-iterative nature.Comment: 14 pages Latex, 7 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of "Loops and Legs in Quantum Field Theory - LL 2018", 29 April - 4 May 2018, Po

Perturbative dynamics of matrix string for the membrane

Recently Sekino and Yoneya proposed a way to regularize the world volume theory of membranes wrapped around $S^1$ by matrices and showed that one obtains matrix string theory as a regularization of such a theory. We show that this correspondence between matrix string theory and wrapped membranes can be obtained by using the usual M(atrix) theory techniques. Using this correspondence, we construct the super-Poincare generators of matrix string theory at the leading order in the perturbation theory. It is shown that these generators satisfy 10 dimensional super-Poincar\'e algebra without any anomaly.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figur

Single-artificial-atom lasing using a voltage-biased superconducting charge qubit

We consider a system composed of a single artificial atom coupled to a cavity mode. The artificial atom is biased such that the most dominant relaxation process in the system takes the atom from its ground state to its excited state, thus ensuring population inversion. A recent experimental manifestation of this situation was achieved using a voltage-biased superconducting charge qubit. Even under the condition of `inverted relaxation', lasing action can be suppressed if the `relaxation' rate is larger than a certain threshold value. Using simple transition-rate arguments and a semiclassical calculation, we derive analytic expressions for the lasing suppression condition and the state of the cavity in both the lasing and suppressed-lasing regimes. The results of numerical calculations agree very well with the analytically derived results. We start by analyzing a simplified two-level-atom model, and we then analyze a three-level-atom model that should describe accurately the recently realized superconducting artificial-atom laser.Comment: 21 pages in preprint format, 6 figure

Matching QCD and HQET heavy-light currents at three loops

We consider the currents formed by a heavy and a light quark within Quantum Chromodynamics and compute the matching to Heavy Quark Effective Theory to three-loop accuracy. As an application we obtain the third-order perturbative corrections to ratios of B-meson decay constants.Comment: 23 pages, full results are available as Mathematica files at http://www-ttp.particle.uni-karlsruhe.de/Progdata/ttp09/ttp09-41/ ; v2: an error in comparison with Ref. [8] fixed ; v3: Journal versio

Relation between the pole and the minimally subtracted mass in dimensional regularization and dimensional reduction to three-loop order

We compute the relation between the pole quark mass and the minimally subtracted quark mass in the framework of QCD applying dimensional reduction as a regularization scheme. Special emphasis is put on the evanescent couplings and the renormalization of the epsilon-scalar mass. As a by-product we obtain the three-loop on-shell renormalization constants Zm(OS) and Z2(OS) in dimensional regularization and thus provide the first independent check of the analytical results computed several years ago.Comment: 22 page

Light quark mass effects in the on-shell renormalization constants

We compute the three-loop relation between the pole and the minimally subtracted quark mass allowing for virtual effects from a second massive quark. We also consider the analogue effects for the on-shell wave function renormalization constant.Comment: 24 page

Cosmological implications of the Higgs mass measurement

We assume the validity of the Standard Model up to an arbitrary high-energy scale and discuss what information on the early stages of the Universe can be extracted from a measurement of the Higgs mass. For Mh < 130 GeV, the Higgs potential can develop an instability at large field values. From the absence of excessive thermal Higgs field fluctuations we derive a bound on the reheat temperature after inflation as a function of the Higgs and top masses. Then we discuss the interplay between the quantum Higgs fluctuations generated during the primordial stage of inflation and the cosmological perturbations, in the context of landscape scenarios in which the inflationary parameters scan. We show that, within the large-field models of inflation, it is highly improbable to obtain the observed cosmological perturbations in a Universe with a light Higgs. Moreover, independently of the inflationary model, the detection of primordial tensor perturbations through the B-mode of CMB polarization and the discovery of a light Higgs can simultaneously occur only with exponentially small probability, unless there is new physics beyond the Standard Model.Comment: 28 LaTeX pages, 6 figure