23955718
Isolating a light Higgs boson from the diphoton background at the CERN LHC
We compute the QCD corrections to the gluon fusion subprocess gg {yields} {gamma}{gamma}, which forms an important component of the background to the search for a light Higgs boson at the LHC. We study the dependence of the improved pp {yields} {gamma}{gamma} X background calculation on the factorization and renormalization scales, on various choices for photon isolation cuts, and on the rapidities of the photons. We also investigate ways to enhance the statistical significance of the Higgs signal in the {gamma}{gamma} channel.
17090149
Higgsless electroweak symmetry breaking from theory space
We investigate unitarity of W+W− scattering in the context of theory space models of the form U(1) × [SU(2)]N × SU(2)N+1, which are broken down to U(1)EM by non-linear Σ fields, without the presence of a physical Higgs Boson. By allowing the couplings of the U(1) and the final SU(2)N+1 to vary, we can fit the W and Z masses, and we find that the coefficient of the term in the amplitude that grows as E2/mW2 at high energies is suppressed by a factor of (N+1)−2. In the N+1→∞ limit the model becomes a 5-dimensional SU(2) gauge theory defined on an interval, where boundary terms at the two ends of the interval break the SU(2) down to U(1)EM. These boundary terms also modify the Kaluza-Klein (KK) mass spectrum, so that the lightest KK states can be identified as the W and Z bosons. The T parameter, which measures custodial symmetry breaking, is naturally small in these models. Depending on how matter fields are included, the strongest experimental constraints come from precision electroweak limits on the S parameter.
17272111
Effects of fermion localization in Higgsless theories and electroweak constraints
Abstract Extra-dimensional Higgsless models with electroweak symmetry breaking through boundary conditions generically have difficulties with electroweak precision constraints, when the fermions are localized to the “branes” in the fifth dimension. In this Letter we show that these constraints can be relaxed by allowing the light fermions to have a finite extent into the bulk of the fifth dimension. The T and U electroweak parameters can be naturally suppressed by a custodial symmetry, while the S parameter can be made to vanish through a cancellation, if the leakage into the bulk of the light gauge fields and the light left-handed fermion fields are of the same size. This cancellation is possible while allowing realistic values for the first two generations of fermion masses, although special treatment is probably required for the top quark. We present this idea here in the context of a specific continuum theory-space model; however, it can be applied to any five-dimensional Higgsless model, either with a flat or a warped background.
118429632
Higgs Boson Cross Section from CTEQ-TEA Global Analysis
We study the uncertainties of the Higgs boson production cross section through the gluon fusion subprocess at the LHC (with $\sqrt s=7, 8$ and $14$ TeV) arising from the uncertainties of the parton distribution functions (PDFs) and of the value of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s(M_Z)$. These uncertainties are computed by two complementary approaches, based on the Hessian and the Lagrange Multiplier methods within the CTEQ-TEA global analysis framework. We find that their predictions for the Higgs boson cross section are in good agreement. Furthermore, the result of the Lagrange Multiplier method supports the prescriptions we have previously provided for using the Hessian method to calculate the combined PDF and $\alpha_s$ uncertainties, and to estimate the uncertainties at the $68\%$ confidence level by scaling them from the $90\%$ confidence level.
17634589
Radiative electroweak symmetry breaking in a Little Higgs model
We present a new Little Higgs model, motivated by the deconstruction of a five-dimensional gauge-Higgs model. The approximate global symmetry is SO(5)0 × SO(5)1, breaking to SO(5), with a gauged subgroup of [SU(2)0L × U(1)0R] × O(4)1, breaking to SU(2)L ×U(1)Y . Radiative corrections produce an additional small vacuum misalignment, breaking the electroweak symmetry down to U(1)EM. Novel features of this model are: the only un-eaten pseudo-Goldstone boson in the effective theory is the Higgs boson; the model contains a custodial symmetry, which ensures that $ \widehat{T} = 0 $ at tree-level; and the potential for the Higgs boson is generated entirely through one-loop radiative corrections. A small negative mass-squared in the Higgs potential is obtained by a cancellation between the contribution of two heavy partners of the top quark, which is readily achieved over much of the parameter space. We can then obtain both a vacuum expectation value of v = 246 GeV and a light Higgs boson mass, which is strongly correlated with the masses of the two heavy top quark partners. For a scale of the global symmetry breaking of f = 1 TeV and using a single cutoff for the fermion loops, the Higgs boson mass satisfies 120 GeV ≲ MH ≲ 150 GeV over much of the range of parameter space. For f raised to 10 TeV, these values increase by about 40 GeV. Effects at the ultraviolet cutoff scale may also raise the predicted values of the Higgs boson mass, but the model still favors MH ≲ 200GeV.
6678978
Ultrahigh-energy neutrino–nucleon cross sections and perturbative unitarity
Abstract Unitarity relates the total cross section for neutrino–nucleon scattering to the neutrino–nucleon forward scattering amplitude. Assuming the validity of the perturbative expansion of the forward amplitude in the weak coupling constant, we derive a unitarity bound on the inelastic cross section. The inelastic cross section saturates this bound at a typical neutrino energy E ν ≃10 8  GeV. This implies that calculations of the inelastic cross section that use current parton distribution functions and lowest order weak perturbation theory are unreliable above this energy.
118674965
Operation and improvements of the Fermilab 400 MeV Linac
The 400 MeV Fermilab Linac Upgrade commissioning began August 28, 1993. High energy physics collider operation (run 1b) began in November 1993 and ended March 1, 1996. The Linac, operating at 98% reliability, provided 400 MeV H{sup -} beam to the Booster and 66 MeV H{sup -} beam to the Neutron Therapy Facility. During this time, the beam intensity, which initially was administratively set to 35 MA, rose to a peak of 50 mA while losses decreased significantly. This paper discusses the Linac operation and reliability since the Upgrade.
16876997
QCD thermodynamics with 2 and 3 quark flavors
We discuss the flavor dependence of the pressure and critical temperature calculated in QCD with 2, 2+1 and 3 flavors using improved gauge and staggered fermion actions on lattices with temporal extent Nt=4. For T > 2 Tc we find that bulk thermodynamics of QCD with 2 light and a heavier strange quark is well described by 3-flavor QCD while the transition temperature is closer to that of 2-flavor QCD. Furthermore, we present evidence that the chiral critical point of 3-flavor QCD, i.e. the second order endpoint of the line of first order chiral phase transitions, belongs to the universality class of the 3d Ising model.
19037480
QCD Thermodynamics with an almost realistic quark mass spectrum
We will report on the status of a new large scale calculation of thermodynamic quantities in QCD with light up and down quarks corresponding to an almost physical light quark mass value and a heavier strange quark mass. These calculations are currently being performed on the QCDOC Teraflops computers at BNL. We will present new lattice calculations of the transition temperature and various susceptibilities reflecting properties of the chiral transition. All these quantities are of immediate interest for heavy ion phenomenology.
119007148
Conserved charge fluctuations with HISQ fermions
We calculate cumulants of fluctuations of net-baryon number, net-electric charge and net-strangeness, in the framework of lattice regularized QCD. We use a highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) action on lattices with temporal extent of N_tau=6,8 and 12 and almost physical quark masses. By means of a Taylor expansion in various chemical potentials and under demanding both strangeness neutrality as well as the correct isospin asymmetry, we evaluate these fluctuations at conditions met in heavy ion collisions. Cumulants of net-electric charge fluctuations can, in principle, also be measured in heavy ion experiments. We therefore propose a method to extract freeze-out parameters, such as the freeze-out temperature and baryon chemical potential, based on a comparison of lattice results and experimental measurements of two different ratios of net-electric charge cumulants. As this method involves only (lattice) QCD results and experimental measurements it is model independent and, for the purpose of extracting freeze-out parameters, does not require any input from hadron resonance gas model calculations.
119331939
Chiral perturbation theory for lattice QCD with a twisted mass term
Quantum chromodynamics on a lattice with Wilson fermions and a chirally twisted mass term for two degenerate quark flavours is considered in the framework of chiral perturbation theory. The pion mass and decay constant are calculated in next-to-leading order including terms linear in the lattice spacing a.