73 research outputs found
Next-to-leading order predictions for Z gamma+jet and Z gamma gamma final states at the LHC
We present next-to-leading order predictions for final states containing
leptons produced through the decay of a Z boson in association with either a
photon and a jet, or a pair of photons. The effect of photon radiation from the
final state leptons is included and we also allow for contributions arising
from fragmentation processes. Phenomenological studies are presented for the
LHC in the case of final states containing charged leptons and in the case of
neutrinos. We also use the procedure introduced by Stewart and Tackmann to
provide a reliable estimate of the scale uncertainty inherent in our
theoretical calculations of jet-binned Z gamma cross sections. These
computations have been implemented in the public code MCFM.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure
Vector boson pair production at the LHC
We present phenomenological results for vector boson pair production at the
LHC, obtained using the parton-level next-to-leading order program MCFM. We
include the implementation of a new process in the code, pp -> \gamma\gamma,
and important updates to existing processes. We incorporate fragmentation
contributions in order to allow for the experimental isolation of photons in
\gamma\gamma, W\gamma, and Z\gamma production and also account for gluon-gluon
initial state contributions for all relevant processes. We present results for
a variety of phenomenological scenarios, at the current operating energy of
\sqrt{s} = 7 TeV and for the ultimate machine goal, \sqrt{s} = 14 TeV. We
investigate the impact of our predictions on several important distributions
that enter into searches for new physics at the LHC.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure
Non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature in an inflationary universe
In the absence of new physics around 10^10 GeV, the electroweak vacuum is at best metastable. This represents a major challenge for high scale in ationary models as, during the early rapid expansion of the universe, it seems difficult to understand how the Higgs vacuum would not decay to the true lower vacuum of the theory with catas- trophic consequences if inflation took place at a scale above 10^10 GeV. In this paper we show that the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs boson to curvature could solve this problem by generating a direct coupling of the Higgs boson to the inflationary potential thereby stabilizing the electroweak vacuum. For specific values of the Higgs field initial condition and of its non-minimal coupling, inflation can drive the Higgs field to the electroweak vacuum quickly during inflation
Automation of one-loop QCD corrections
We present the complete automation of the computation of one-loop QCD
corrections, including UV renormalization, to an arbitrary scattering process
in the Standard Model. This is achieved by embedding the OPP integrand
reduction technique, as implemented in CutTools, into the MadGraph framework.
By interfacing the tool so constructed, which we dub MadLoop, with MadFKS, the
fully automatic computation of any infrared-safe observable at the
next-to-leading order in QCD is attained. We demonstrate the flexibility and
the reach of our method by calculating the production rates for a variety of
processes at the 7 TeV LHC.Comment: 64 pages, 12 figures. Corrected the value of m_Z in table 1. In table
2, corrected the values of cross sections in a.4 and a.5 (previously computed
with mu=mtop/2 rather than mu=mtop/4). In table 2, corrected the values of
NLO cross sections in b.3, b.6, c.3, and e.7 (the symmetry factor for a few
virtual channels was incorrect). In sect. A.4.3, the labeling of the
four-momenta was incorrec
Scalar-field Pressure in Induced Gravity with Higgs Potential and Dark Matter
A model of induced gravity with a Higgs potential is investigated in detail
in view of the pressure components related to the scalar-field excitations. The
physical consequences emerging as an artifact due to the presence of these
pressure terms are analysed in terms of the constraints parting from energy
density, solar-relativistic effects and galactic dynamics along with the dark
matter halos.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, Minor revision, Published in JHE
Mediation of Supersymmetry Breaking in Quivers
The soft masses due to SUSY breaking, mediated by gauge fields, are computed
for generic matter in quiver gauge theories.Comment: LaTeX, 30 pages, 8 figure
Maxwell-like Lagrangians for higher spins
We show how implementing invariance under divergence-free gauge
transformations leads to a remarkably simple Lagrangian description of massless
bosons of any spin. Our construction covers both flat and (A)dS backgrounds and
extends to tensors of arbitrary mixed-symmetry type. Irreducible and traceless
fields produce single-particle actions, while whenever trace constraints can be
dispensed with the resulting Lagrangians display the same reducible,
multi-particle spectra as those emerging from the tensionless limit of free
open-string field theory. For all explored options the corresponding kinetic
operators take essentially the same form as in the spin-one, Maxwell case.Comment: 77 pages, revised version. Erroneous interpretation and proof of the
gauge-fixing procedure for mixed-symmetry fields corrected. As a consequence,
the mixed-symmetry, one-particle Lagrangians are to be complemented with
conditions on the divergences of the fields; all other conclusions unchanged.
Additional minor changes including references added. To appear in JHE
Influence of GB virus C on IFN-γ and IL-2 production and CD38 expression in T lymphocytes from chronically HIV-infected and HIV-HCV-co-infected patients
This study was designed to assess the effect of GB virus (GBV)-C on the immune response to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in chronically HIV-infected and HIV- hepatitis C virus (HCV)-co-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy. A cohort of 159 HIV-seropositive patients, of whom 52 were HCV-co-infected, was included. Epidemiological data were collected and virological and immunological markers, including the production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-2 by CD4, CD8 and Tγδ cells and the expression of the activation marker, CD38, were assessed. A total of 65 patients (40.8%) presented markers of GBV-C infection. The presence of GBV-C did not influence HIV and HCV replication or TCD4 and TCD8 cell counts. Immune responses, defined by IFN-γ and IL-2 production and CD38 expression did not differ among the groups. Our results suggest that neither GBV-C viremia nor the presence of E2 antibodies influence HIV and HCV viral replication or CD4 T cell counts in chronically infected patients. Furthermore, GBV-C did not influence cytokine production or CD38-driven immune activation among these patients. Although our results do not exclude a protective effect of GBV-C in early HIV disease, they demonstrate that this effect may not be present in chronically infected patients, who represent the majority of patients in outpatient clinics.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Laboratório de Virologia e Imunologia Disciplina de InfectologiaFleury Medicina DiagnósticaUNIFESP, Laboratório de Virologia e Imunologia Disciplina de InfectologiaSciEL
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