13452281
PROSPECTS OF DISCOVERING THE HIGGS BOSON AT THE TEVATRON
We carry out an event generator based study to evaluate the usefulness of the exclusive signature "e±(μ±) + 2 bottom jets" in discovering the Higgs boson at the Tevatron. Using an event generator, we show that with enough luminosity, one should be able to detect the Higgs boson up to the mass of about 130 GeV. We consider a slightly modified version of the above signature that includes one extra jet. This new signature is more useful because it increases the number of signal events significantly.
55183340
Production of a KK-graviton in association with a boson via gluon fusion at the LHC
We discuss the processes where a KK-graviton ($G$) of the extra-dimensional models is produced in association with a color singlet boson via gluon fusion at the LHC. In particular, we consider the processes $gg \to h G$, $\gamma G$, $Z G$. These processes occur at one-loop through box and triangle diagrams. The cross-section for the process $gg \to \gamma G$ vanishes at the one-loop level. It can be understood by introducing the charge conjugation transformations of the KK-graviton. The processes $gg \to h G$, $Z G$ can be observed at the LHC if the KK-graviton and the Higgs boson exist with appropriate properties.
40668268
Fermionic zero modes in two-dimensional field theories.
13279222
Optimized top quark analysis with the decision tree.
We present an optimized and physically motivated method for separating top quark signal events from background events at the Fermilab Tevatron. For the top quark signal {ital t{bar t}}{r_arrow}{ital e}/{mu}+4 jets, we show how to reject all but 25% of the background in a data sample while retaining 83% of the signal, without introducing bias into the subsequent mass measurement. The technique used is the binary decision tree. Combining this highly efficient procedure for signal identification with a novel algorithm for top quark reconstruction, we propose a powerful new way to measure the top quark mass.
1968264
Production of two photons and a jet through gluon fusion
We have computed the cross-section and distributions for the production of two photons and a jet via the process gg ! g. In the Standard Model, this process occurs at the one-loop level through pentagon and box diagrams. We show that at the LHC this is a signicant mechanism for the production of the two photons and a jet. This process is also an important background to the Higgs boson production, when the Higgs boson decays into two photons. We also explore this process at the Tevatron.
16369969
Signature of the intermediate mass Higgs boson at the CERN LHC with flavor tagging.
We examine the exclusive signature {ital e}{sup {plus_minus}}({mu}{sup {plus_minus}})+{ital b{bar b}} in the associated production of the intermediate mass Higgs boson with a {ital W} boson. We show that it is feasible to use this signature to identify the Higgs boson in the lower intermediate mass region (90 to 130 GeV) at the CERN LHC with reasonable acceptance cuts by assuming effective bottom-jet identification. We further demonstrate that the background can be reduced with judicious cuts down to the level of the signal.
116347830
Direct Detection Constraints on Dark Matter Event Rates in Neutrino Telescopes, and Collider Implications
Neutrino telescopes are looking to detect neutrinos produced by the annihilation of weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter in the sun. The event rate depends on the dark matter density in the sun, which in turn is dictated by the cross section of WIMPs with nucleons. This however is bounded by direct detection experiments. We use the constraints from these experiments to place model-independent upper bounds on the event rates in neutrino telescopes that apply to any elastic dark matter model. Since the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section is much more tightly constrained than the corresponding spin-dependent cross section, the bounds are much stronger in the former case and are competitive with the current limits from IceCube. If the number of events observed in neutrino telescopes exceeds the upper bound corresponding to spin-independent interactions, the implication is that the cross section of dark matter with nucleons is dominated by spin- dependent interactions. In such a scenario the natural dark matter candidates are Majorana fermions and real vector bosons, so that dark matter particles are their own anti-particles. We show that any such theory that leads to observable event rates at current generation neutrino telescopes will in general contain new particles charged under the Standard Model gauge groups that naturally lie in a mass range that is kinematically accessible to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
54749102
Lower limits on the strengths of gamma ray lines from WIMP dark matter annihilation
We study the spectra of gamma ray signals that arise from dark matter annihilation in the Universe. We focus on the large class of theories where the photon spectrum includes both continuum spectrum of gamma rays that arise from annihilation into standard model states at tree level, as well as monochromatic gamma rays arising from annihilation directly into two photons at the one-loop level. In this class of theories we obtain lower bounds on the ratio of the strength of the gamma ray line relative to the gamma ray continuum as a function of the dark matter mass and spin. These limits are obtained from the unitarity relation between the tree-level amplitude of the primary annihilation channel and the imaginary part of the loop-level amplitude for annihilation directly into photons, with the primary decay products running in the loop. These results are exact in the limit that dark matter annihilation at tree level is exclusively to a single standard model species, occurs through the lowest partial wave and respects $CP$. Away from this limit the bounds are approximate. Our conclusions agree with known results in the literature for the cases of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, universal extra dimensions and the littlest Higgs with $T$ parity. We use the Fermi-LAT observations to translate these limits into upper bounds on the dark matter annihilation cross section into any specific standard model state.
85504800
WIMPs at the galactic center
Simple models of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) predict dark matter annihilations into pairs of electroweak gauge bosons, Higgses or tops, which through their subsequent cascade decays produce a spectrum of gamma rays. Intriguingly, an excess in gamma rays coming from near the Galactic center has been consistently observed in Fermi data. A recent analysis by the Fermi collaboration confirms these earlier results. Taking into account the systematic uncertainties in the modelling of the gamma ray backgrounds, we show for the first time that this excess can be well fit by these final states. In particular, for annihilations to (WW, ZZ, hh, tt{sup -bar}), dark matter with mass between threshold and approximately (165, 190, 280, 310) GeV gives an acceptable fit. The fit range for bb{sup -bar} is also enlarged to 35 GeV≲m{sub χ}≲165 GeV. These are to be compared to previous fits that concluded only much lighter dark matter annihilating into b, τ, and light quark final states could describe the excess. We demonstrate that simple, well-motivated models of WIMP dark matter including a thermal-relic neutralino of the MSSM, Higgs portal models, as well as other simplified models can explain the excess.
117007207
A Classification of Dark Matter Candidates with Primarily Spin-Dependent Interactions with Matter
We perform a model-independent classification of Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates that have the property that their scattering off nucleons is dominated by spin-dependent interactions. We study renormalizable theories where the scattering of dark matter is elastic and arises at tree-level. We show that if the WIMP-nucleon cross section is dominated by spin-dependent interactions the natural dark matter candidates are either Majorana fermions or real vector bosons, so that the dark matter particle is its own anti-particle. In such a scenario, scalar dark matter is disfavored. Dirac fermion and complex vector boson dark matter are also disfavored, except for very specific choices of quantum numbers. We further establish that any such theory must contain either new particles close to the weak scale with Standard Model quantum numbers, or alternatively, a $Z'$ gauge boson with mass at or below the TeV scale. In the region of parameter space that is of interest to current direct detection experiments, these particles naturally lie in a mass range that is kinematically accessible to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
120513086
Flavored Dark Matter
Title of dissertation: FLAVORED DARK MATTER Prateek Agrawal, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Dissertation directed by: Professor Zackaria Chacko Department of Physics Astrophysical observations point to the fact that most of the matter density in the universe is in the form of a non-luminous “dark matter”. No particles detected so far satisfy the criteria to be dark matter candidates. If the present day dark matter density is set by thermal freeze out due to the expansion of the universe, then the dark matter particles likely have weak-scale interactions with ordinary matter. This opens up the possibility of detecting them in current experiments. We focus on a novel class of models – flavored dark matter – which contains multiple copies, or flavors, of dark matter particles, in analogy with the three copies of matter particles observed in nature. We classify such models and consider their implications for various dark matter searches. As an example, we choose one specific model with tau flavored dark matter, and consider its prospects for detection at the Large Hadron Collider. FLAVORED DARK MATTER