5,305 research outputs found
Hint for axial-vector contact interactions in the data on e+e- -> e+e-(gamma) at centre-of-mass energies 192-208 GeV
For the first time the experiments ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL have presented
preliminary results for fermion-pair production in e+e- collisions on the full
data set above the Z pole. A combined analysis of the Bhabha scattering
measurements is performed to search for effects of contact interactions. In the
case of two axial-vector (AA) currents the best fit to the data is 2.6 standard
deviations away from the Standard Model expectation, corresponding to an energy
scale TeV for contact interactions. For other
models no statistically significant deviations are observed, and the data are
used to set lower limits at 95 % confidence level on the contact interaction
scales ranging from 8.2 to 21.3 TeV, depending on the helicity structure.Comment: 6 pages, 1 table, 3 figure
Search for TeV Strings and New Phenomena in Bhabha Scattering at LEP2
A combined analysis of the data on Bhabha scattering at centre-of-mass
energies 183 and 189 GeV from the LEP experiments ALEPH, L3 and OPAL is
performed to search for effects of TeV strings in quantum gravity models with
large extra dimensions. No statistically significant deviations from the
Standard Model expectations are observed and lower limit on the string scale
M_S = 0.631 TeV at 95 % confidence level is derived. The data are used to set
lower limits on the scale of contact interactions ranging from 4.2 to 16.2 TeV
depending on the model. In a complementary analysis we derive an upper limit on
the electron size of 2.8 x 10^{-19} m at 95 % confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 1 table, 3 figure
Precision studies of the Higgs boson decay channel H -> ZZ -> 4l with MEKD
The importance of the H -> ZZ -> 4l "golden" channel was shown by its major
role in the discovery, by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations, of a Higgs-like
boson with mass near 125 GeV. We analyze the discrimination power of the matrix
element method both for separating the signal from the irreducible ZZ
background and for distinguishing various spin and parity hypotheses describing
a signal in this channel. We show that the proper treatment of interference
effects associated with permutations of identical leptons in the four electron
and four muon final states plays an important role in achieving the best
sensitivity in measuring the properties of the newly discovered boson. We
provide a code, MEKD, that calculates kinematic discriminants based on the full
leading order matrix elements and which will aid experimentalists and
phenomenologists in their continuing studies of the H -> ZZ -> 4l channel.Comment: Major revision: added new sections discussing spin/ parity
determination and the importance of using the full matrix element for the
same flavor final state (involving both pairings of the leptons). Also added
new functionality, including the most general couplings of a spin-0 or spin-2
boson to gluons and Zs, to the publicly-available code, MEKD, presented in
this paper. 43 pages, 15 figure
Brane world models need low string scale
Models with large extra dimensions offer the possibility of the Planck scale being of order the electroweak scale, thus alleviating the gauge hierarchy problem. We show that these models suffer from a breakdown of unitarity at around three quarters of the low effective Planck scale. An obvious candidate to fix the unitarity problem is string theory. We therefore argue that it is necessary for the string scale to appear below the effective Planck scale and that the first signature of such models would be string resonances. We further translate experimental bounds on the string scale into bounds on the effective Planck scale
Two-Fermion Production in Electron-Positron Collisions
This report summarizes the results of the two-fermion working group of the
LEP2-MC workshop, held at CERN from 1999 to 2000. Recent developments in the
theoretical calculations of the two fermion production process in the
electron-positron collision at LEP2 center of the mass energies are reported.
The Bhabha process and the production of muon, tau, neutrino and quark pairs is
covered. On the basis of comparison of various calculations, theoretical
uncertainties are estimated and compared with those needed for the final LEP2
data analysis. The subjects for the further studies are identified.Comment: 2-fermion working group report of the LEP2 Monte Carlo Workshop
1999/2000, 113 pages, 24 figures, 35 table
The neutron 'thunder' accompanying the extensive air shower
Simulations show that neutrons are the most abundant component among
extensive air shower hadrons. However, multiple neutrons which appear with long
delays in neutron monitors nearby the EAS core ('neutron thunder') are mostly
not the neutrons of the shower, but have a secondary origin. The bulk of them
is produced by high energy EAS hadrons hitting the monitors. The delays are due
to the termalization and diffusion of neutrons in the moderator and reflector
of the monitor accompanied by the production of secondary gamma-quanta. This
conclusion raises the important problem of the interaction of EAS with the
ground, the stuff of the detectors and their environment since they have often
hydrogen containing materials like polyethilene in neutron monitors. Such
interaction can give an additional contribution to the signal in the EAS
detectors. It can be particularly important for the signals from scintillator
or water tank detectors at km-long distances from the EAS core where neutrons
of the shower become the dominant component after a few mcsec behind the EAS
front.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted by J.Phys.G: Nucl.Part.Phy
Standard Model Higgs boson production in association with a top anti-top pair at NLO with parton showering
We present predictions for the production cross section of a Standard Model
Higgs boson in association with a top-antitop pair at next-to-leading order
accuracy using matrix elements obtained from the HELAC-Oneloop package. The NLO
prediction was interfaced to the PYTHIA and HERWIG shower Monte Carlo programs
with the help of POWHEG-Box, allowing for decays of massive particles,
showering and hadronization, thus leading to final results at the hadron level.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Tevatron-for-LHC Report of the QCD Working Group
The experiments at Run 2 of the Tevatron have each accumulated over 1 inverse
femtobarn of high-transverse momentum data. Such a dataset allows for the first
precision (i.e. comparisons between theory and experiment at the few percent
level) tests of QCD at a hadron collider. While the Large Hadron Collider has
been designed as a discovery machine, basic QCD analyses will still need to be
performed to understand the working environment. The Tevatron-for-LHC workshop
was conceived as a communication link to pass on the expertise of the Tevatron
and to test new analysis ideas coming from the LHC community. The TeV4LHC QCD
Working Group focussed on important aspects of QCD at hadron colliders: jet
definitions, extraction and use of Parton Distribution Functions, the
underlying event, Monte Carlo tunes, and diffractive physics. This report
summarizes some of the results achieved during this workshop.Comment: 156 pages, Tevatron-for-LHC Conference Report of the QCD Working
Grou
Black Holes at Future Colliders and Beyond: a Topical Review
One of the most dramatic consequences of low-scale (~1 TeV) quantum gravity
in models with large or warped extra dimension(s) is copious production of mini
black holes at future colliders and in ultra-high-energy cosmic ray collisions.
Hawking radiation of these black holes is expected to be constrained mainly to
our three-dimensional world and results in rich phenomenology. In this topical
review we discuss the current status of astrophysical observations of black
holes and selected aspects of mini black hole phenomenology, such as production
at colliders and in cosmic rays, black hole decay properties, Hawking radiation
as a sensitive probe of the dimensionality of extra space, as well as an
exciting possibility of finding new physics in the decays of black holes.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures To appear in the Journal of Physics
Hard Interactions of Quarks and Gluons: a Primer for LHC Physics
In this review article, we develop the perturbative framework for the
calculation of hard scattering processes. We undertake to provide both a
reasonably rigorous development of the formalism of hard scattering of quarks
and gluons as well as an intuitive understanding of the physics behind the
scattering. We emphasize the importance of logarithmic corrections as well as
power counting of the strong coupling constant in order to understand the
behavior of hard scattering processes. We include "rules of thumb" as well as
"official recommendations", and where possible seek to dispel some myths.
Experiences that have been gained at the Fermilab Tevatron are recounted and,
where appropriate, extrapolated to the LHC.Comment: 118 pages, 107 figures; to be published in Reports on Progress in
Physic
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