Prospective Analysis Spin- and CP-sensitive Variables in H -> ZZ -> l_1 l_1 l_2 l_2 with Atlas

A possibility to prove spin and CP-eigenvalue of a Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson is presented. We exploit angular correlations in the subsequent decay H -> ZZ -> 4l (muons or electrons) for Higgs masses above 200 GeV. We compare the angular distributions of the leptons originating from the SM Higgs with those resulting from decays of hypothetical particles with differing quantum numbers. We restrict our analysis to the use of the Atlas-detector which is one of two multi-purpose detectors at the upcoming 14 TeV proton-proton-collider (LHC) at CERN. By applying a fast simulation of the Atlas detector it can be shown that these correlations will be measured sufficiently well that consistency with the spin-CP hypothesis 0+ of the Standard Model can be verified and the 0- and 1+- can be ruled out with an integrated luminosity of 100 fb^-1.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures Version 2: Minor changes made as requested by Atlas referee and Springer editor. Added a chapter where background subtraction is detaile

Collider Tests of Compact Space Dimensions Using Weak Gauge Bosons

We present collider tests of the recent proposal for weak-scale quantum gravity due to new large compact space dimensions in which only the graviton (\G) propagates. We show that the existing high precision LEP-I $Z$-pole data can impose non-trivial constraints on the scale of the new dimensions, via the decay mode Z\to f\bar{f}+\G ($f=q,\ell$). These bounds are comparable to those obtained at high energy colliders and provide the first sensitive probe of the scalar graviton. We also study W(Z)+\G production and the anomalous $WW(ZZ)$ signal from virtual \G-states at the Fermilab Tevatron, and compare them with the LEP-I bound and those from LEP-II and future linear colliders.Comment: 4 pages, 1 postscript figure include

Photons, neutrinos and large compact space dimensions

We compute the contribution of Kaluza-Klein graviton exchange to the cross section for photon-neutrino scattering. Unlike the usual situation where the virtual graviton exchange represents a small correction to a leading order electroweak or strong amplitude, in this case the graviton contribution is of the same order as the electroweak amplitude, or somewhat larger. Inclusion of the graviton contribution is not sufficient to allow high energy neutrinos to scatter from relic neutrinos in processes such as $\nu\bar{\nu}\to\gamma\gamma$, but the photon-neutrino decoupling temperature is substantially reduced.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures LaTeX. Typos correcte

Photons, neutrinos and optical activity

We compute the one-loop helicity amplitudes for low-energy $\nu\gamma\to\nu\gamma$ scattering and its crossed channels in the standard model with massless neutrinos. In the center of mass, with $\sqrt{s} = 2\omega\ll 2m_e$, the cross sections for these $2\to 2$ channels grow roughly as $\omega^6$. The scattered photons in the elastic channel are circularly polarized and the net value of the polarization is non-zero. We also present a discussion of the optical activity of a sea of neutrinos and estimate the values of its index of refraction and rotary power.Comment: 9 pages, ReVTeX4, 6 figures include

Charges on Strange Quark Nuggets in Space

Since Witten's seminal 1984 paper on the subject, searches for evidence of strange quark nuggets (SQNs) have proven unsuccessful. In the absence of experimental evidence ruling out SQNs, the validity of theories introducing mechanisms that increase their stability should continue to be tested. To stimulate electromagnetic SQN searches, particularly space searches, we estimate the net charge that would develop on an SQN in space exposed to various radiation baths (and showers) capable of liberating their less strongly bound electrons, taking into account recombination with ambient electrons. We consider, in particular, the cosmic background radiation, radiation from the sun, and diffuse galactic and extragalactic $\gamma$-ray backgrounds. A possible dramatic signal of SQNs in explosive astrophysical events is noted.Comment: CitationS added, new subsection added, more discussion, same numerical result

gamma nu -> gamma gamma nu and crossed processes at energies below m_W

The cross sections for the processes $\gamma \nu\to \gamma \gamma \nu$, $\gamma\gamma\to\gamma\nu\bar{\nu}$ and $\nu\bar{\nu}\to\gamma\gamma\gamma$ are calculated for a range of center of mass energies from below $m_e$ to considerably above $m_e$, but much less than $m_W$. This enables us to treat the neutrino--electron coupling as a four--Fermi interaction and results in amplitudes which are electron box diagrams with three real photons and one virtual photon at their vertices. These calculations extend our previous low--energy effective interaction results to higher energies and enable us to determine where the effective theory is reliable.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex, 10 postscript figures include

Effective Lagrangians and low energy photon-photon scattering

We use the behavior of the photon-photon scattering for photon energies $\omega$ less than the electron mass, $m_e$, to examine the implications of treating the Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian as an effective field theory. Specifically, we determine the $\omega^2/m_e^2$ behavior of the scattering amplitude predicted by including one-loop corrections to the Euler-Heisenberg effective Lagrangian together with the counterterms required by renomalizability. This behavior is compared with the energy dependence obtained by expanding the exact QED photon-photon scattering amplitude. If the introduction of counterterms in the effective field theory is restricted to those determined by renormalizability, the $\omega^2/m_e^2$ dependences of the two expansions differ.Comment: 10 pages, ReVTeX, 2 postscript figures include

W, Z and Higgs Scattering at SSC Energies

We examine the scattering of longitudinal $W$, $Z$ and Higgs bosons in the Standard Model using the equivalent Goldstone-boson Lagrangian. Our calculations include the full one-loop scattering matrix between the states $W^+_LW^-_L$, $Z_LZ_L$ and $HH$ with no restrictions on the relative sizes of $M_H$ and $\sqrt{s}$. In addition to deriving the perturbative eigen-amplitudes, we also obtain quite striking results by unitarizing the amplitudes with the use of the K-matrix and Pad\'e techniques. (Complete postscript file can be obtained by anonymous ftp from hal.physics.wayne.edu as dpf92g.ps in directory pub/physics )Comment: Talk presented at DPF92, November 10-14, 1992. 3 pages with 6 PostScript figures included. LaTeX fil

Cosmological constraints combining H(z), CMB shift and SNIa observational data

Recently H(z) data obtained from differential ages of galaxies have been proposed as a new geometrical probe of dark energy. In this paper we use those data, combined with other background tests (CMB shift and SNIa data), to constrain a set of general relativistic dark energy models together with some other models motivated by extra dimensions. Our analysis rests mostly on Bayesian statistics, and we conclude that LCDM is at least substantially favoured, and that braneworld models are less favoured than general relativistic ones.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures; improved discussion, new figures, updated to match published versio