Four-fermion production near the W pair production threshold

We perform a dedicated study of the four-fermion production process e- e+ -> mu- nubar_mu u dbar X near the W pair-production threshold in view of the importance of this process for a precise measurement of the W boson mass. Accurate theoretical predictions for this process require a systematic treatment of finite-width effects. We use unstable-particle effective field theory (EFT) to perform an expansion in the coupling constants, GammaW/MW, and the non-relativistic velocity v of the W boson up to next-to-leading order in GammaW/MW ~ alpha_ew ~ v^2. We find that the dominant theoretical uncertainty in MW is currently due to an incomplete treatment of initial-state radiation. The remaining uncertainty of the NLO EFT calculation translates into delta MW ~ 10-15 MeV, and to about 5 MeV with additional input from the NLO four-fermion calculation in the full theory.Comment: 53 pages, v2: version to be published, inessential modification

Gauge-independent MS‾\overline{MS} renormalization in the 2HDM

We present a consistent renormalization scheme for the CP-conserving Two-Higgs-Doublet Model based on $\overline{MS}$ renormalization of the mixing angles and the soft-$Z_2$-symmetry-breaking scale $M_{sb}$ in the Higgs sector. This scheme requires to treat tadpoles fully consistently in all steps of the calculation in order to provide gauge-independent $S$-matrix elements. We show how bare physical parameters have to be defined and verify the gauge independence of physical quantities by explicit calculations in a general $R_{\xi}$-gauge. The procedure is straightforward and applicable to other models with extended Higgs sectors. In contrast to the proposed scheme, the $\overline{MS}$ renormalization of the mixing angles combined with popular on-shell renormalization schemes gives rise to gauge-dependent results already at the one-loop level. We present explicit results for electroweak NLO corrections to selected processes in the appropriately renormalized Two-Higgs-Doublet Model and in particular discuss their scale dependence.Comment: 52 pages, PDFLaTeX, PDF figures, JHEP version with Eq. (5.23) correcte

Physical renormalization condition for the quark-mixing matrix

We investigate the renormalization of the quark-mixing matrix in the Electroweak Standard Model. We show that the corresponding counterterms must be gauge independent as a consequence of extended BRS invariance. Using rigid SU(2)_L symmetry, we proof that the ultraviolet-divergent parts of the invariant counterterms are related to the field renormalization constants of the quark fields. We point out that for a general class of renormalization schemes rigid SU(2)_L symmetry cannot be preserved in its classical form, but is renormalized by finite counterterms. Finally, we discuss a genuine physical renormalization condition for the quark-mixing matrix that is gauge independent and does not destroy the symmetry between quark generations.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, minor changes, references adde

Observation of lobes near the X-point in resonant magnetic perturbation experiments on MAST

The application of non-axisymmetric resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) with a toroidal mode number n=6 in the MAST tokamak produces a significant reduction in plasma energy loss associated with type-I Edge Localized Modes (ELMs), the first such observation with n>3. During the ELM mitigated stage clear lobe structures are observed in visible-light imaging of the X-point region. These lobes or manifold structures, that were predicted previously, have been observed for the first time in a range of discharges and their appearance is correlated with the effect of RMPs on the plasma i.e. they only appear above a threshold when a density pump out is observed or when the ELM frequency is increased. They appear to be correlated with the RMPs penetrating the plasma and may be important in explaining why the ELM frequency increases. The number and location of the structures observed can be well described using vacuum modelling. Differences in radial extent and poloidal width from vacuum modelling are likely to be due to a combination of transport effects and plasma screening.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Electroweak-correction effects in gauge-boson pair production at the LHC

We have studied the effect of one-loop logarithmic electroweak radiative corrections on WZ and $W\gamma$ production processes at the LHC. We present analytical results for the leading-logarithmic electroweak corrections to the corresponding partonic processes du -> WZ, Wgamma. Using the leading-pole approximation we implement these corrections into Monte Carlo programs for $pp\to l\nu_l l'\bar l', l\nu_l\gamma$. We find that electroweak corrections lower the predictions by 5-20% in the physically interesting region of large transverse momentum and small rapidity separation of the gauge bosons.Comment: 28 pages, LaTex, 13 eps figures included; references added and corrected typo

Feynman rules for the rational part of the Electroweak 1-loop amplitudes

We present the complete set of Feynman rules producing the rational terms of kind R_2 needed to perform any 1-loop calculation in the Electroweak Standard Model. Our results are given both in the 't Hooft-Veltman and in the Four Dimensional Helicity regularization schemes. We also verified, by using both the 't Hooft-Feynman gauge and the Background Field Method, a huge set of Ward identities -up to 4-points- for the complete rational part of the Electroweak amplitudes. This provides a stringent check of our results and, as a by-product, an explicit test of the gauge invariance of the Four Dimensional Helicity regularization scheme in the complete Standard Model at 1-loop. The formulae presented in this paper provide the last missing piece for completely automatizing, in the framework of the OPP method, the 1-loop calculations in the SU(3) X SU(2) X U(1) Standard Model.Comment: Many thanks to Huasheng Shao for having recomputed, independently of us, all of the ${\rm R_2}$ effective vertices. Thanks to his help and by comparing with an independent computation we performed in a general $R_\xi$ gauge, we could fix, in the present version, the following formulae: the vertex $A l \bar l$ in Eq. (3.6), the vertex $Z \phi^+ \phi^-$ in Eq. (3.8), Eqs (3.16), (3.17) and (3.18

Third generation sfermions decays into Z and W gauge bosons: full one-loop analysis

The complete one-loop radiative corrections to third generation scalar fermions into gauge bosons Z and W^\pm is considered. We focus on \wt{f}_2 \to Z \wt{f}_1 and \wt{f}_i \to W^\pm \wt{f'}_j (f,f'=t,b). We include both SUSY-QCD, QED and full electroweak corrections. It is found that the electroweak corrections can be of the same order as the SUSY-QCD corrections. The two sets of corrections interfere destructively in some region of parameter space. The full one loop correction can reach 10% in some SUGRA scenario, while in model independent analysis like general MSSM, the one loop correction can reach 20% for large \tan\beta and large trilinear soft breaking terms A_b.Comment: Latex file, 18 pages, 8 figures, version to appear in PR

High energy behaviour of gamma gamma to f f(bar) processes in SM and MSSM

We compute the leading logarithms electroweak contributions to gamma gamma to f f(bar) processes in SM and MSSM. Several interesting properties are pointed out, such as the importance of the angular dependent terms, of the Yukawa terms, and especially of the $\tan^2\beta$ dependence in the SUSY contributions. These properties are complementary to those found in e+e- to f f(bar). These radiative correction effects should be largely observable at future high energy gamma gamma colliders. Polarized beams would bring interesting checks of the structure of the one loop corrections. We finally discuss the need for two-loop calculations and resummation.Comment: 22 pages and 12 figures. e-mail: [email protected]

Charged Higgs Production in the 1 TeV Domain as a Probe of Supersymmetric Models

We consider the production, at future lepton colliders, of charged Higgs pairs in supersymmetric models. Assuming a relatively light SUSY scenario, and working in the MSSM, we show that, for c.m. energies in the one TeV range, a one-loop logarithmic Sudakov expansion that includes an "effective" next-to subleading order term is adequate to the expected level of experimental accuracy. We consider then the coefficient of the linear (subleading) SUSY Sudakov logarithm and the SUSY next to subleading term of the expansion and show that their dependence on the supersymmetric parameters of the model is drastically different. In particular the coefficient of the SUSY logarithm is only dependent on $\tan\beta$ while the next to subleading term depends on a larger set of SUSY parameters. This would allow to extract from the data separate informations and tests of the model.Comment: 18 pages and 13 figures e-mail: [email protected]

Supersymmetric QCD corrections to single top quark production at hadron colliders

We present the calculations of the supersymmetric QCD corrections to the total cross sections for single top production at the Fermilab Tevatron and the CERN Large Hadron Collider in the minimal supersymmetric standard model. Our results show that for the s-channel and t-channel, the supersymmetric QCD corrections are at most about 1%, but for the associated production process, the supersymmetric QCD corrections increase the total cross sections significantly, which can reach about 6% for most values of the parameters, and the supersymmetric QCD corrections should be taken into consideration in the future high precision experimental analysis for top physics.Comment: 33 pages, 19 figures, version to appear in Phys.Rev.