Top quark rare decays in the standard model and beyond

Theoretical predictions for the top quark rare decays are reviewed within and beyond the standard model. Expectations at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Published in *Moscow 1999, High energy physics and quantum field theory* 224-230. A few references adde

Lepton Spectra and the B Polarization at LEP

I review the present state of knowledge on lepton energy spectra in the inclusive semileptonic decay of beauty hadrons, as a means to measure b polarization effects on the Z peak. Charged-lepton as well as neutrino spectra are considered.Comment: 15 pages + 5 figs (available upon request), LaTex, preprint Rome University "La Sapienza" n.1009, March 199

Testing Effective Yukawa Couplings in Higgs Searches at the Tevatron and LHC

We explore the possibility that, while the Higgs mechanism provides masses to the weak-gauge bosons at the electroweak scale as in the standard model, fermion masses are generated by an unknown mechanism at a higher energy scale. At low energies, the standard model can then be regarded as an effective field theory, where fermion masses explicitly break the electroweak SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y gauge symmetry. If \Lambda is the renormalization scale where the renormalized Yukawa couplings vanish, then at energies lower than \Lambda, effective Yukawa couplings will be radiatively induced by nonzero fermion masses. In this scenario, Higgs-boson decays into photons and weak gauge-bosons pairs are in general quite enhanced for a light Higgs. However, depending on \Lambda, a substantial decay rate into b \bar{b} can arise, that can be of the same order as, or larger than, the enhanced H\to gamma gamma rate. A new framework for Higgs searches at hadron colliders is outlined, vector-boson fusion becoming the dominant production mechanism at the CERN LHC, with an important role also played by the WH/ZH associated production. A detailed analysis of the Higgs branching fractions and their implications in Higgs searches is provided, versus the energy scale \Lambda.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, Fig.[10] corrected, 1 new reference adde

Ultrahigh energy neutrinos scattering off relic light neutrinos to explain UHECR above GZK cut off and thin blazars

UHE neutrinos may transfer highest cosmic-rays energies overcoming $2.75K^\circ$ BBR and radio-waves opacities (the GZK cut off) from most distant AGN sources at the age of the Universe. These UHE $\nu$ might scatter onto those (light and cosmological) relic neutrinos clustered around our galactic halo or nearby neutrino hot dark halo clustered around the AGN blazar and its jets. The branched chain reactions from a primordial nucleon (via photo production of pions and decay to UHE neutrinos) toward the consequent beam dump scattering on galactic relic neutrinos is at least three order of magnitude more efficient than any known neutrino interactions with Earth atmosphere or direct nucleon propagation. Therefore the rarest cosmic rays (as the 320 EeV event) might be originated at far $(\tilde{>} 100 Mpc)$ distances (as Seyfert galaxy MCG 8-11-11); its corresponding UHE radiation power is in agreement with the observed one in MeV gamma energies. The final chain products observed on Earth by the Fly's Eye and AGASA detectors might be mainly neutron and anti-neutrons and delayed, protons and anti-protons at symmetric off-axis angles. These hadronic products are most probably secondaries of $W^+ W^-$ or $ZZ$ pair productions and might be consistent with the last AGASA discoveries of doublets and one triplet event.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure.To be presented at the 26th ICRC Conference 1999,Salt Lak

Higgs boson plus photon production at the LHC: a clean probe of the b-quark parton densities

Higgs boson production in association with a high pT photon at the CERN Large Hadron Collider is analyzed, in the framework of the MSSM model, for the heavier neutral Higgs bosons. The request of an additional photon in the exclusive Higgs boson final state selects b-quark pairs among the possible initial partonic states, since gluon-gluon initial states are not allowed by C-parity conservation. Hence, the measurement of cross sections for neutral Higgs boson plus photon production can provide a clean probe of the b-quark density in the proton as well as of the b-quark Yukawa coupling. The suppression of the production rates by the b-quark electromagnetic coupling can be compensated by the enhanced Higgs boson Yukawa coupling to b's in the large tan(beta) regime. The Higgs boson decay into a tau-lepton pair is considered, and irreducible backgrounds with corresponding signal significances are evaluated.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, a few comments and 3 references added at the end. To appear in Physical Review