We must know. We will know

The after-dinner talk has by now become a tradition of this Conference series on Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum. On this occasion, I have tried to combine a free-style and (hopefully) amusing presentation with deep questions of physics especially connected with the dynamics of strong interaction. To this end some masterpieces of classical music (by Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, Stravinsky ...) and pop music (by Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton) were employed to illustrate certain aspects of physics. By no means was this presentation (nor this paper) intended as a comprehensive review of the different topics examined during the Conference, but rather a call for further thinking on the sinergy of different branches of physics and the excitement of foreseen discoveries in a not too distant future.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, After-dinner talk given at the IX Conference on Quark Confinement and the Hadron Structure, Madrid, August 30th to September 3rd 201

A heuristic study of the distribution of primes in short and not-so-short intervals

A numerical study on the distributions of primes in short intervals of length $h$ over the natural numbers $N$ is presented. Based on Cram\'er's model in Number Theory, we obtain a heuristic expression applicable when $h \gg \log{N}$ but $h \ll N$, providing support to the Montgomery and Soundararajan conjecture on the variance of the prime distribution at this scale.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Searching for hidden sectors in multiparticle production at the LHC

Most signatures of new physics in colliders have been studied so far on the transverse plane with respect to the beam direction. In this work however we study the impact of a hidden sector beyond the Standard Model (SM) on inclusive (pseudo)rapidity correlations and moments of the multiplicity distributions, with special emphasis in the LHC results.Comment: Presentation given at ICHEP 2014 Valenci

The ridge effect and three-particle correlations

Pseudorapidity and azimuthal three-particle correlations are studied based on a correlated-cluster model of multiparticle production. The model provides a common framework for correlations in proton-proton and heavy-ion collisions allowing easy comparison with the measurements. It is shown that azimuthal cluster correlations are definitely required in order to understand three-particle correlations in the near-side ridge effect. This is similar to the explanation of the ridge phenomenon found in our previous analysis of two-particle correlations and generalizes the model to higher-order correlations.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1610.0640

Three-particle correlations in QCD jets and beyond

In this paper, we present a more detailed version of our previous work for three-particle correlations in quark and gluon jets [1]. We give theoretical results for this observable in the double logarithmic approximation and the modified leading logarithmic approximation. In both resummation schemes, we use the formalism of the generating functional and solve the evolution equations analytically from the steepest descent evaluation of the one-particle distribution. In addition, in this paper we include predictions beyond the limiting spectrum approximation and study this observable near the hump of the single inclusive distribution. We thus provide a further test of the local parton hadron duality (LPHD) and make predictions for the LHC. The computation of higher rank correlators is presented in the double logarithmic approximation and shown to be rather cumbersome.Comment: 34 pages and 14 figure

Non-perturbative effects in WIMP scattering off nuclei in the NMSSM

We explore a scenario in the Next-to-Minimal-Supersymmetric-Standard-Model (NMSSM) with both a light O(10) GeV neutralino and a CP-odd Higgs boson with significant coupling to down-type fermions, evading all current B physics, LEP and WMAP bounds. Motivated by a possible slight lepton universality breaking hinted in Upsilon decays, we consider the effect of the mixing of eta(b) resonances with the pseudoscalar Higgs on the spin-dependent scattering neutralino cross section off nucleons. We conclude that this mechanism could be relevant provided that non-perturbative effects enhance the effective eta(b)-nucleon coupling, taking over velocity/q^2 suppression factors, perhaps giving a new insight into the current controversial situation concerning direct search experiments of dark matter.Comment: We have incorporated a discussion on instanton-induced effects as a possible non-perturbative contribution to WIMP scattering off nuclei. 6 pages, 2 figure

Three-particle correlations in QCD parton showers

Three-particle correlations in quark and gluon jets are computed for the first time in perturbative QCD. We give results in the double logarithmic approximation and the modified leading logarithmic approximation. In both resummation schemes, we use the formalism of the generating functional and solve the evolution equations analytically from the steepest descent evaluation of the one-particle distribution. We thus provide a further test of the local parton hadron duality and make predictions for the LHC.Comment: 9 pages and 5 figures. Version published by Physical Review D with reference: Phys. Rev. D 84, 034015 (2011). Two more figures and one section adde

Bottomonium spectroscopy with mixing of eta_b states and a light CP-odd Higgs

The mass of the eta_b(1S), measured recently by BABAR, is significantly lower than expected from QCD predictions for the Upsilon(1S) - eta_b(1S) hyperfine splitting. We suggest that the observed eta_b(1S) mass is shifted downwards due to a mixing with a CP-odd Higgs scalar A with a mass m_A in the range 9.4 - 10.5 GeV compatible with LEP, CLEO and BABAR constraints. We determine the resulting predictions for the spectrum of the eta_b(nS) - A system and the branching ratios into tau^+ tau^- as functions of m_A.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PRL, misprint correcte

Cosmological analogies in the search for new physics in high-energy collisions

In this paper, analogies between multiparticle production in high-energy collisions and the time evolution of the early universe are discussed. A common explanation is put forward under the assumption of an unconventional early state: a rapidly expanding universe before recombination (last scattering surface), followed by the CMB, later evolving up to present days, versus the formation of hidden/dark states in hadronic collisions followed by a conventional QCD parton shower yielding final-state particles. In particular, long-range angular correlations are considered pointing out deep connections between the two physical cases potentially useful for the discovery of new physics.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure