Search for the Higgs boson: theoretical perspectives

We present a short review of experimental and theoretical constraints on the mass of the Standard Model Higgs boson. We briefly illustrate the unsatisfactory aspects of the standard theory, and we present some general considerations about possible non-standard scenarios.Comment: 13 pages latex, 6 PS figures. Talk given at Les Rencontres de la Vallee d'Aoste, La Thuile, Italy, March 4-10, 200

Heavy quark production: recent developments

I discuss some aspects of the comparison between QCD predictions and experimental data in charm and bottom production.Comment: 5 pages Latex, uses epsfig.sty,aipproc.sty, 7 eps figures included. Talk given at the 5th International Workshop on Deep Inelastic Scattering and QCD (DIS 97), Chicago, IL, 14-18 Apr 199

On positivity of parton distributions

We discuss the bounds on polarized parton distributions which follow from their definition in terms of cross section asymmetries. We spell out how the bounds obtained in the naive parton model can be derived within perturbative QCD at leading order when all quark and gluon distributions are defined in terms of suitable physical processes. We specify a convenient physical definition for the polarized and unpolarized gluon distributions in terms of Higgs production from gluon fusion. We show that these bounds are modified by subleading corrections, and we determine them up to NLO. We examine the ensuing phenomenological implications, in particular in view of the determination of the polarized gluon distribution.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures included by epsf, plain tex with harvma

Heavy Flavour Production

We review the status of heavy flavour production in QCD. Comparison of experimental and theoretical results for top and bottom production are given. Selected topics in charm production are also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, epsfig, 12 tar-gzip-uuencoded figures. Invited talk given at the XV International conference "Physics in Collisions", Cracow, Poland, June 8-10, 199

Complex Networks Unveiling Spatial Patterns in Turbulence

Numerical and experimental turbulence simulations are nowadays reaching the size of the so-called big data, thus requiring refined investigative tools for appropriate statistical analyses and data mining. We present a new approach based on the complex network theory, offering a powerful framework to explore complex systems with a huge number of interacting elements. Although interest on complex networks has been increasing in the last years, few recent studies have been applied to turbulence. We propose an investigation starting from a two-point correlation for the kinetic energy of a forced isotropic field numerically solved. Among all the metrics analyzed, the degree centrality is the most significant, suggesting the formation of spatial patterns which coherently move with similar vorticity over the large eddy turnover time scale. Pattern size can be quantified through a newly-introduced parameter (i.e., average physical distance) and varies from small to intermediate scales. The network analysis allows a systematic identification of different spatial regions, providing new insights into the spatial characterization of turbulent flows. Based on present findings, the application to highly inhomogeneous flows seems promising and deserves additional future investigation.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 3 table

On the metastability of the Standard Model vacuum

If the Higgs mass m_H is as low as suggested by present experimental information, the Standard Model ground state might not be absolutely stable. We present a detailed analysis of the lower bounds on m_H imposed by the requirement that the electroweak vacuum be sufficiently long-lived. We perform a complete one-loop calculation of the tunnelling probability at zero temperature, and we improve it by means of two-loop renormalization-group equations. We find that, for m_H=115 GeV, the Higgs potential develops an instability below the Planck scale for m_t>(166\pm 2) GeV, but the electroweak vacuum is sufficiently long-lived for m_t < (175\pm 2) \GeV.Comment: LaTex 23 pages, 4 eps figures. Misprint in the abstract corrected, reference adde

Higgs Boson Properties in the Standard Model and its Supersymmetric Extensions

We review the realization of the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism in the electroweak theory and describe the experimental and theoretical constraints on the mass of the single Higgs boson expected in the minimal Standard Model. We also discuss the couplings of this Higgs boson and its possible decay modes as functions of its unknown mass. We then review the structure of the Higgs sector in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM), noting the importance of loop corrections to the masses of its five physical Higgs bosons. Finally, we discuss some non-minimal models.Comment: To be published in "Search of the Higgs Particle", Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences, Franc