162 research outputs found
Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to Z boson pair production via vector-boson fusion
Vector-boson fusion processes are an important tool for the study of
electroweak symmetry breaking at hadron colliders, since they allow to
distinguish a light Higgs boson scenario from strong weak boson scattering. We
here consider the channels WW->ZZ and ZZ->ZZ as part of electroweak Z boson
pair production in association with two tagging jets. We present the
calculation of the NLO QCD corrections to the cross sections for p p -> e+ e-
mu+ mu- + 2 jets and p p -> e+ e- nu_mu nubar_mu + 2 jets via vector-boson
fusion at order alpha_s alpha^6, which is performed in the form a NLO
parton-level Monte Carlo program. The corrections to the integrated cross
sections are found to be modest, while the shapes of some kinematical
distributions change appreciably at NLO. Residual scale uncertainties typically
are at the few percent level.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to W+W- production via vector-boson fusion
Vector-boson fusion processes constitute an important class of reactions at
hadron colliders, both for signals and backgrounds of new physics in the
electroweak interactions.
We consider what is commonly referred to as W+W- production via vector-boson
fusion (with subsequent leptonic decay of the Ws), or, more precisely, e+ nu_e
mu- nubar_mu + 2 jets production in proton-proton scattering, with all resonant
and non-resonant Feynman diagrams and spin correlations of the final-state
leptons included, in the phase-space regions which are dominated by t-channel
electroweak-boson exchange.
We compute the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to this process, at
order alpha^6 alpha_s.
The QCD corrections are modest, changing total cross sections by less than
10%. Remaining scale uncertainties are below 2%. A fully-flexible
next-to-leading order partonic Monte Carlo program allows to demonstrate these
features for cross sections within typical vector-boson-fusion acceptance cuts.
Modest corrections are also found for distributions.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figure
The tensor reduction and master integrals of the two-loop massless crossed box with light-like legs
The class of the two-loop massless crossed boxes, with light-like external
legs, is the final unresolved issue in the program of computing the scattering
amplitudes of 2 --> 2 massless particles at next-to-next-to-leading order.
In this paper, we describe an algorithm for the tensor reduction of such
diagrams. After connecting tensor integrals to scalar ones with arbitrary
powers of propagators in higher dimensions, we derive recurrence relations from
integration-by-parts and Lorentz-invariance identities, that allow us to write
the scalar integrals as a combination of two master crossed boxes plus
simpler-topology diagrams.
We derive the system of differential equations that the two master integrals
satisfy using two different methods, and we use one of these equations to
express the second master integral as a function of the first one, already
known in the literature. We then give the analytic expansion of the second
master integral as a function of epsilon=(4-D)/2, where D is the space-time
dimension, up to order O(epsilon^0).Comment: 30 pages, 5 figure
A motivational approach to support healthy habits in long-term child–robot interaction
We examine the use of role-switching as an intrinsic motivational mechanism to increase engagement in long-term child–robot interaction. The present study describes a learning framework where children between 9 and 11-years-old interact with a robot to improve their knowledge and habits with regards to healthy life-styles. Experiments were carried out in Italy where 41 children were divided in three groups interacting with: (i) a robot with a role-switching mechanism, (ii) a robot without a role-switching mechanism and (iii) an interactive video. Additionally, a control group composed of 43 more children, who were not exposed to any interactive approach, was used as a baseline of the study. During the intervention period, the three groups were exposed to three interactive sessions once a week. The aim of the study was to find any difference in healthy-habits acquisition based on alternative interactive systems, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the role-switch approach as a trigger for engagement and motivation while interacting with a robot. The results provide evidence that the rate of children adopting healthy habits during the intervention period was higher for those interacting with a robot. Moreover, alignment with the robot behaviour and achievement of higher engagement levels were also observed for those children interacting with the robot that used the role-switching mechanism. This supports the notion that role-switching facilitates sustained long-interactions between a child and a robot
PLXNA1 and PLXNA3 cooperate to pattern the nasal axons that guide gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons regulate puberty onset and sexual reproduction by secreting GnRH to activate and maintain the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. During embryonic development, GnRH neurons migrate along olfactory and vomeronasal axons through the nose into the brain, where they project to the median eminence to release GnRH. The secreted glycoprotein SEMA3A binds its receptors neuropilin (NRP) 1 or NRP2 to position these axons for correct GnRH neuron migration, with an additional role for the NRP co-receptor PLXNA1. Accordingly, mutations in SEMA3A, NRP1, NRP2 and PLXNA1 have been linked to defective GnRH neuron development in mice and inherited GnRH deficiency in humans. Here, we show that only the combined loss of PLXNA1 and PLXNA3 phenocopied the full spectrum of nasal axon and GnRH neuron defects of SEMA3A knockout mice. Together with Plxna1, the human orthologue of Plxna3 should therefore be investigated as a candidate gene for inherited GnRH deficiency
Plxna1 and Plxna3 cooperate to pattern the nasal axons that guide gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons
The gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons regulate puberty onset and sexual
reproduction by secreting GnRH to activate and maintain the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis. During embryonic development, GnRH neurons migrate along olfactory and
vomeronasal axons through the nose into the brain, where they project to the median
eminence to release GnRH. The secreted glycoprotein SEMA3A binds its receptors
neuropilin (NRP) 1 or NRP2 to position these axons for correct GnRH neuron migration,
with an additional role for the NRP co-receptor PLXNA1. Accordingly, mutations
in SEMA3A, NRP1, NRP2 and PLXNA1 have been linked to defective GnRH neuron
development in mice and inherited GnRH deficiency in humans. Here, we show that only
the combined loss of PLXNA1 and PLXNA3 phenocopied the full spectrum of nasal axon
and GnRH neuron defects of SEMA3A knockout mice. Together with Plxna1, the human
ortholog of Plxna3 should therefore be investigated as a candidate gene for inherited
GnRH deficiency
Jet pair production in POWHEG
We present an implementation of the next-to-leading order dijet production process in hadronic collisions in the framework of POWHEG, which is a method to implement NLO calculations within a shower Monte Carlo context. In constructing the simulation, we have made use of the POWHEG BOX toolkit, which makes light of many of the most technical steps. The majority of this article is concerned with the study of the predictions of the Monte Carlo simulation. In so doing, we validate our program for use in experimental analyses, elaborating on some of the more subtle features which arise from the interplay of the NLO and resummed components of the calculation. We conclude our presentation by comparing predictions from the simulation against a number of Tevatron and LHC jet-production results
Next-to-leading order jet distributions for Higgs boson production via weak-boson fusion
The weak-boson fusion process is expected to provide crucial information on
Higgs boson couplings at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The achievable
statistical accuracy demands comparison with next-to-leading order QCD
calculations, which are presented here in the form of a fully flexible parton
Monte Carlo program. QCD corrections are determined for jet distributions and
are shown to be modest, of order 5 to 10% in most cases, but reaching 30%
occasionally. Remaining scale uncertainties range from order 5% or less for
distributions to below +-2% for the Higgs boson cross section in typical
weak-boson fusion search regions.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure
QCD corrections to electroweak l nu_l jj and l^+ l^- jj production
The production of W or Z bosons in association with two jets is an important
background to the Higgs boson search in vector-boson fusion at the LHC. The
purely electroweak component of this background is dominated by vector-boson
fusion, which exhibits kinematic distributions very similar to the Higgs boson
signal. We consider the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to the
electroweak production of l nu_l jj and l^+ l^- jj events at the LHC, within
typical vector-boson fusion cuts. We show that the QCD corrections are modest,
increasing the total cross sections by about 10%. Remaining scale uncertainties
are below 2%. A fully-flexible next-to-leading order partonic Monte Carlo
program allows to demonstrate these features for cross sections within typical
vector-boson-fusion acceptance cuts. Modest corrections are also found for
distributions.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figures. PRD final version. One reference corrected,
introduction expande
Measuring the Invisible Higgs Width at the 7 and 8 TeV LHC
The LHC is well on track toward the discovery or exclusion of a light
Standard Model (SM)-like Higgs boson. Such a Higgs has a very small SM width
and can easily have large branching fractions to physics beyond the SM, making
Higgs decays an excellent opportunity to observe new physics. Decays into
collider-invisible particles are particularly interesting as they are
theoretically well motivated and relatively clean experimentally. In this work
we estimate the potential of the 7 and 8 TeV LHC to observe an invisible Higgs
branching fraction. We analyze three channels that can be used to directly
study the invisible Higgs branching ratio at the 7 TeV LHC: an invisible Higgs
produced in association with (i) a hard jet; (ii) a leptonic Z; and (iii)
forward tagging jets. We find that the last channel, where the Higgs is
produced via weak boson fusion, is the most sensitive, allowing branching
fractions as small as 40% to be probed at 20 inverse fb for masses in the range
between 120 and 170 GeV, including in particular the interesting region around
125 GeV. We provide an estimate of the 8 TeV LHC sensitivity to an
invisibly-decaying Higgs produced via weak boson fusion and find that the reach
is comparable to but not better than the reach at the 7 TeV LHC. We further
estimate the discovery potential at the 8 TeV LHC for cases where the Higgs has
substantial branching fractions to both visible and invisible final states.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures. v2: version published in JHEP. 8 TeV analysis
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