119357132
The phenomenology of lepton flavored dark matter
In Flavored Dark Matter theories the dark matter particle carries flavor quantum numbers, and has renormalizable contact interactions with the Standard Model fields. The phenomenology of this scenario depends sensitively on whether dark matter carries lepton flavor, quark flavor or its own internal flavor quantum numbers. For the lepton flavored case, we investigate the implications for direct detection experiments and collider signatures. We show that the region of parameter space which leads to the right abundance for a thermal relic is in general within reach of current direct detection experiments. Focusing on a class of models where dark matter carries tau flavor, we show that in a significant part of parameter space these theories can be discovered above Standard Model backgrounds at the Large Hadron Collider. We also study the extent to which flavor and charge correlations among the final state leptons allows models of this type to be distinguished from theories where dark matter couples to leptons...
54077204
Identifying dark matter interactions in monojet searches
A bstractWe study the discrimination of quark-initiated jets from gluon-initiated jets in monojet searches for dark matter using the technique of averaged jet energy profiles. We demonstrate our results in the context of effective field theories of dark matter interactions with quarks and gluons, but our methods apply more generally to a wide class of models. Different effective theories of dark matter and the standard model backgrounds each have a characteristic quark/gluon fraction for the leading jet. When used in conjunction with the traditional cut-and-count monojet search, the jet energy profile can be used to set stronger bounds on contact interactions of dark matter. In the event of a discovery of a monojet excess at the 14 TeV LHC, contact interactions between dark matter with quarks or with gluons can be differentiated at the 95% confidence level. For a given rate at the LHC, signal predictions at direct detection experiments for different dark matter interactions can span five orders of magnitude. The ability to identify these interactions allows us to make a tighter connection between LHC searches and direct detection experiments.
118791035
Flavored Dark Matter, and Its Implications for Direct Detection and Colliders
We consider theories where the dark matter particle carries flavor quantum numbers, and has renormalizable contact interactions with the Standard Model fields. The phenomenology of this scenario depends sensitively on whether dark matter carries lepton flavor, quark flavor or its own internal flavor quantum numbers. We show that each of these possibilities is associated with a characteristic type of vertex, has different implications for direct detection experiments and gives rise to distinct collider signatures. We find that the region of parameter space where dark matter has the right abundance to be a thermal relic is in general within reach of current direct detection experiments. We focus on a class of models where dark matter carries tau flavor, and show that the collider signals of these models include events with four or more isolated leptons and missing energy. A full simulation of the signal and backgrounds, including detector effects, shows that in a significant part of parameter space these theories can be discovered above Standard Model backgrounds at the Large Hadron Collider. We also study the extent to which flavor and charge correlations among the final state leptons allows models of this type to be distinguished from theories where dark matter couples to leptons but does not carry flavor.
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
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).
53520410
Leptophilic dark matter and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon
A bstractWe consider renormalizable theories such that the scattering of dark matter off leptons arises at tree level, but scattering off nuclei only arises at loop. In this framework, the various dark matter candidates can be classified by their spins and by the forms of their interactions with leptons. We determine the corrections to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon that arise from its interactions with dark matter. We then consider the implications of these results for a set of simplified models of leptophilic dark matter. When a dark matter candidate reduces the existing tension between the standard model prediction of the anomalous magnetic moment and the experimental measurement, the region of parameter space favored to completely remove the discrepancy is highlighted. Conversely, when agreement is worsened, we place limits on the parameters of the corresponding simplified model. These bounds and favored regions are compared against the experimental constraints on the simplified model from direct detection and from collider searches. Although these constraints are severe, we find there do exist limited regions of parameter space in these simple theories that can explain the observed anomaly in the muon magnetic moment while remaining consistent with all experimental bounds.
14264444
MORE SIGNATURES OF THE INTERMEDIATE MASS HIGGS BOSON
We examine the potential signatures of the Higgs boson when it decays into a tau–lepton pair. We show that with the proper identification of the tau-jet, this decay mode can lead to the identification of the Higgs boson over most of the intermediate mass range (MW
119291062
Effect of anomalous couplings on the associated production of a single top quark and a Higgs boson at the LHC
A bstractWe consider the production of a single top quark in association with a Higgs boson at the LHC. In particular, we compute the cross sections for the processes pp → thj, thb, thW , thjj, thjb, thW j, thW b in the presence of the anomalous W tb, W W h and tth couplings. We find that the anomalous W tb and tth couplings can enhance the cross sections significantly. We also analyze a few signatures and show that, if these couplings are indeed anomalous, then with enough data, one should be able to observe the production of the Higgs boson in association with single top quark.
119222959
Multilepton signatures of the Higgs boson through its production in association with a top-quark pair
We consider the possible production of the Higgs Boson in association with a top-quark pair and its subsequent decay into a tau-lepton pair or a W-boson pair. This process can give rise to many signatures of the Higgs boson. These signatures can have electrons, muons, tau jets, bottom jets and/or light flavour jets. We analyze the viability of some of these signatures. We will look at those signatures where the background is minimal. In particular, we explore the viability of the signatures "isolated 4 electron/muon" and "isolated 3 electron/muon + a jet" The jet can be due to a light flavour quark/gluon, a bottom quark, or a tau lepton. Of all these signatures, we find that "isolated 3 electron/muon + a tau jet", with an extra bottom jet, can be an excellent signature of this mode of the Higgs boson production. We show that this signature may be visible within a year, once the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) restarts. Some of the other signatures would also be observable after the LHC accumulates sufficient luminosity.
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.
119292717
Purification of mixed states with closed timelike curve is not possible
In ordinary quantum theory, any mixed state can be purified in an enlarged Hilbert space by adding an ancillary system. The purified state does not depend on the state of any extraneous system with which the mixed state is going to interact or on the physical interaction. Here, we prove that it is not possible to purify a mixed state that traverses a closed timelike curve (CTC) and is allowed to interact in a consistent way with a causality-respecting (CR) quantum system in the same manner. In other words, if a CTC quantum system with a mixed state has to undergo an arbitrary interaction with an arbitrary CR system then it has to be in a ''proper'' mixture, as it cannot be regarded as a subsystem of a pure entangled state. Thus, in general for arbitrary interactions between CR and CTC systems, there is no universal purification by embedding in a larger Hilbert space for mixed states with CTCs. This shows that in quantum theory with CTCs there can exist proper and improper mixtures.