Chiral Extensions of the MSSM

We present a class of extensions of the MSSM characterized by a fully chiral field content (no mu-terms) and no baryon or lepton number violating term in the superpotential due to an extra U'(1) gauge symmetry. The minimal model consist of the usual matter sector with family dependent U'(1) charges, six Higgs weak doublets, and three singlets required to give masses to the Higgsinos and cancel anomalies. We discuss its main features such as the tree level mass spectrum and the constraints on flavor changing processes.Comment: 13 pages. V2: Superpotential and U'(1) charges changed. Analysis of the spectrum for the new model added. References update

A Rationale for Long-lived Quarks and Leptons at the LHC: Low Energy Flavour Theory

In the framework of gauged flavour symmetries, new fermions in parity symmetric representations of the standard model are generically needed for the compensation of mixed anomalies. The key point is that their masses are also protected by flavour symmetries and some of them are expected to lie way below the flavour symmetry breaking scale(s), which has to occur many orders of magnitude above the electroweak scale to be compatible with the available data from flavour changing neutral currents and CP violation experiments. We argue that, actually, some of these fermions would plausibly get masses within the LHC range. If they are taken to be heavy quarks and leptons, in (bi)-fundamental representations of the standard model symmetries, their mixings with the light ones are strongly constrained to be very small by electroweak precision data. The alternative chosen here is to exactly forbid such mixings by breaking of flavour symmetries into an exact discrete symmetry, the so-called proton-hexality, primarily suggested to avoid proton decay. As a consequence of the large value needed for the flavour breaking scale, those heavy particles are long-lived and rather appropriate for the current and future searches at the LHC for quasi-stable hadrons and leptons. In fact, the LHC experiments have already started to look for them.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

Silicon Data Acquisition and Front-End Electronics

A highly integrated Front-End readout and Data Acquisition scheme for Silicon trackers is presented. In this context, a 16-channel readout chip for Silicon strips detector has been designed in 180nm CMOS technology, having in view a highly multiplexed and sparsified readout global strategy. First results are presented

Front-End and Readout Electronics for Silicon Trackers at the ILC

A highly integrated readout scheme for Silicon trackers making use of Deep Sub-Micron CMOS electronics is presented. In this context,a 16-channel readout chip for Silicon strips detector has been designed in 180nm CMOS technology, each channel comprising a low noise amplifier, a pulse shaper, a sample and hold and a comparator. First results are presented

Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model at Colliders

All experimental measurements of particle physics today are beautifully described by the Standard Model. However, there are good reasons to believe that new physics may be just around the corner at the TeV energy scale. This energy range is currently probed by the Tevatron and HERA accelerators and selected results of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model are presented here. No signals for new physics have been found and limits are placed on the allowed parameter space for a variety of different particles.Comment: Proceedings for 2007 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, Manchester, July 200

Front-end Electronics for Silicon Trackers readout in Deep Sub-Micron CMOS Technology: The case of Silicon strips at the ILC

For the years to come, Silicon strips detectors will be read using the smallest available integrated technologies for room, transparency, and power considerations. CMOS, Bipolar- CMOS and Silicon-Germanium are presently offered in deepsubmicron (250 down to 90nm) at affordable cost through worldwide integrated circuits multiproject centers. As an example, a 180nm CMOS readout prototype chip has been designed and tested, and gave satisfactory results in terms of noise and power. Beam tests are under work, and prospectives in 130nm will be presented

On Composite Two Higgs Doublet Models

We investigate composite two Higgs doublet models realized as pseudo Goldstone modes, generated through the spontaneous breaking of a global symmetry due to strong dynamic at the TeV scale. A detailed comparative survey of two possible symmetry breaking patterns, SU(5) -> SU(4) x U(1) and SU(5) x SU(4), is made. We point out choices for the Standard Model fermion representations that can alleviate some phenomenological constraints, with emphasis towards a simultaneous solution of anomalous Zb\bar{b} coupling and Higgs mediated Flavor Changing Neutral Currents. We also write down the kinetic lagrangian for several models leading to Two Higgs Doublets and identify the anomalous contributions to the T parameter. Moreover, we describe a model based on the breaking $SO(9)/SO(8)$ in which there is no tree-level breaking of custodial symmetry, discussing also the possible embeddings for the fermion fields.Comment: 17 pages. Mistake corrected, added one section on a T- and flavor safe model based on SO(9)/SO(8). Matches published versio

Physics Beyond the Standard Model

I briefly summarize the prospects for extending our understanding of physics beyond the standard model within the next five years.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX. Presented at the 1999 UK Phenomenology Workshop, Durham, September 1999. To be published in Journal of Physics

A CMOS 130nm Evaluation digitzer chip for silicon strips readout

A CMOS 130nm evaluation chip intended to read Silicon strip detectors at the ILC has been designed and successfully tested. Optimized for a detector capacitance of 10 pF, it includes four channels of charge integration, pulse shaping, a 16-deep analogue sampler triggered on input analogue sums, and parallel analogue to digital conversion. Tests results of the full chain are reported, demonstrating the behaviour and performance of the full sampling process and analogue to digital conversion. Each channel dissipates less than one milli-Watt static power

A novel superfamily containing the β-grasp fold involved in binding diverse soluble ligands

BACKGROUND: Domains containing the β-grasp fold are utilized in a great diversity of physiological functions but their role, if any, in soluble or small molecule ligand recognition is poorly studied. RESULTS: Using sensitive sequence and structure similarity searches we identify a novel superfamily containing the β-grasp fold. They are found in a diverse set of proteins that include the animal vitamin B12 uptake proteins transcobalamin and intrinsic factor, the bacterial polysaccharide export proteins, the competence DNA receptor ComEA, the cob(I)alamin generating enzyme PduS and the Nqo1 subunit of the respiratory electron transport chain. We present evidence that members of this superfamily are likely to bind a range of soluble ligands, including B12. There are two major clades within this superfamily, namely the transcobalamin-like clade and the Nqo1-like clade. The former clade is typified by an insert of a β-hairpin after the helix of the β-grasp fold, whereas the latter clade is characterized by an insert between strands 4 and 5 of the core fold. CONCLUSION: Members of both clades within this superfamily are predicted to interact with ligands in a similar spatial location, with their specific inserts playing a role in the process. Both clades are widely represented in bacteria suggesting that this superfamily was derived early in bacterial evolution. The animal lineage appears to have acquired the transcobalamin-like proteins from low GC Gram-positive bacteria, and this might be correlated with the emergence of the ability to utilize B12 produced by gut bacteria. REVIEWERS: This article was reviewed by Andrei Osterman, Igor Zhulin, and Arcady Mushegian