Search For New Physics Research Articles

On the maximal use of Monte Carlo samples: re-weighting events at NLO accuracy.

Accurate Monte Carlo simulations for high-energy events at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, are very expensive, both from the computing and storage points of view. We describe a method that allows to consistently re-use parton-level samples accurate up to NLO in QCD under different theoretical hypotheses. We implement it in MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and show its validation by applying it to several cases of practical interest for the search of new physics at the LHC.

Enhanced sensitivity to Lorentz invariance violations in short-range gravity experiments

Recently, first limits on putative Lorentz invariance violation coefficients in the pure gravity sector were determined by the reanalysis of short-range gravity experiments. Such experiments search for new physics at sidereal frequencies. They are not, however, designed to optimize the signal strength of a Lorentz invariance violation force; in fact the Lorentz violating signal is suppressed in the planar test mass geometry employed in those experiments. We describe a short-range torsion pendulum experiment with enhanced sensitivity to possible Lorentz violating signals. A periodic, striped test mass geometry is used to augment the signal. Careful arrangement of the phases of the striped patterns on opposite ends of the pendulum further enhances the signal while simultaneously suppressing the Newtonian background.

Precision experiments with cold and ultra-cold neutrons

We present selected results from the first round of the Priority Programme SPP 1491. This programme gets funding from the German DFG and the Austrian FWF funding agencies. The aim of this programme is to address basic open questions in particle and astrophysics using a specific tool: the neutron, which allows the search for new physics becoming manifest itself as small deviations from expectations.

Off-shell top quarks with one jet at the LHC: a comprehensive analysis at NLO QCD

We present a comprehensive study of the production of top quark pairs in association with one hard jet in the di-lepton decay channel at the LHC. Our predictions, accurate at NLO in QCD, focus on the LHC Run II with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. All resonant and non-resonant contributions at the perturbative order ${\cal O}(\alpha_s^4 \alpha^4)$ are taken into account, including irreducible backgrounds to $t\bar{t}j$ production, interferences and off-shell effects of the top quark and the $W$ gauge boson. We extensively investigate the dependence of our results upon variation of renormalisation and factorisation scales and parton distribution functions in the quest for an accurate estimate of the theoretical uncertainties. Additionally, we explore a few possibilities for a dynamical scale choice with the goal of stabilizing the perturbative convergence of the differential cross sections far away from the $t\bar{t}$ threshold. Results presented here are particularly relevant for searches of new physics as well as for precise measurements of the top-quark fiducial cross sections and top-quark properties at the LHC.

Giving top quark effective operators a boost

We investigate the prospects to systematically improve generic effective field theory-based searches for new physics in the top sector during LHC run 2 as well as the high luminosity phase. In particular, we assess the benefits of high momentum transfer final states on top EFT-fit as a function of systematic uncertainties in comparison with sensitivity expected from fully-resolved analyses focusing on $t\bar t$ production. We find that constraints are typically driven by fully-resolved selections, while boosted top quarks can serve to break degeneracies in the global fit. This demystifies and clarifies the importance of high momentum transfer final states for global fits to new interactions in the top sector from direct measurements.

CP violation in the Bs0 system

Experimental and theoretical studies of CP violation in the B0s system are reviewed. Updated predictions for the mixing parameters of the B0s mesons expected in the standard model (SM) are given, namely, the mass difference ΔMSMs=18.3±2.7 ps−1, the decay rate difference ΔΓSMs=0.085±0.015 ps−1, and the flavor-specific CP asymmetry as,SMfs=(2.22±0.27)×10−5 and the equivalent quantities in the B0 sector. Current experimental values of ΔMs and ΔΓs agree with remarkable precision with theoretical expectations. This agreement supports the applicability of theoretical tools such as the heavy quark expansion to these decays. CP-violating studies in the B0s system provide essential information to test the SM expectations and to unveil a possible contribution of the new physics (NP). NP effects on ΔMs of the order of 15% are still possible. The CP phase ϕs due to CP violation in interference of decays and mixing can accommodate effects of the order of O(100%). The semileptonic CP asymmetry assl due to CP violation in mixing could still be a factor of 130 larger than its robust SM expectation and thus provides a very clean observable for NP searches. Theoretical improvements that are necessary to make full use of the experimental precision are discussed.

Searching for new heavy neutral gauge bosons using vector boson fusion processes at the LHC

New massive resonances are predicted in many extensions to the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics and constitutes one of the most promising searches for new physics at the LHC. We present a feasibility study to search for new heavy neutral gauge bosons using vector boson fusion (VBF) processes, which become especially important as the LHC probes higher collision energies. In particular, we consider the possibility that the discovery of a $Z'$ boson may have eluded searches at the LHC. The coupling of the $Z'$ boson to the SM quarks can be small, and thus the $Z'$ would not be discoverable by the searches conducted thus far. In the context of a simplified phenomenological approach, we consider the $Z'\to\tau\tau$ and $Z'\to\mu\mu$ decay modes to show that the requirement of a dilepton pair combined with two high $p_{T}$ forward jets with large separation in pseudorapidity and with large dijet mass is effective in reducing SM backgrounds. The expected exclusion bounds (at 95\% confidence level) are $m(Z') < 1.8$ TeV and $m(Z') < 2.5$ TeV in the $\tau\tau j_{f}j_{f}$ and $\mu\mu j_{f}j_{f}$ channels, respectively, assuming 1000 fb$^{-1}$ of 13 TeV data from the LHC. The use of the VBF topology to search for massive neutral gauge bosons provides a discovery reach with expected significances greater than 5$\sigma$ (3$\sigma$) for $Z'$ masses up to 1.4 (1.6) TeV and 2.0 (2.2) TeV in the $\tau\tau j_{f}j_{f}$ and $\mu\mu j_{f}j_{f}$ channels.

Search for new physics with the M T2 variable in all-jets final states produced in pp collisions at s = 13 $$ \sqrt{s}=13 $$ TeV

A search for new physics is performed using events that contain one or more jets, no isolated leptons, and a large transverse momentum imbalance, as measured through the MT2 variable, which is an extension of the transverse mass in events with two invisible particles. The results are based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC, and that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns. The observed event yields in the data are consistent with predictions for the standard model backgrounds. The results are interpreted using simplified models of supersymmetry and are expressed in terms of limits on the masses of potential new colored particles. Assuming that the lightest neutralino is stable and has a mass less than about 500 GeV, gluino masses up to 1550-1750 GeV are excluded at 95% confidence level, depending on the gluino decay mechanism. For the scenario of direct production of squark-antisquark pairs, top squarks with masses up to 800 GeV are excluded, assuming a 100% branching fraction for the decay to a top quark and neutralino. Similarly, bottom squark masses are excluded up to 880 GeV, and masses of light-flavor squarks are excluded up to 600-1260 GeV, depending on the degree of degeneracy of the squark masses.

Phenomenological MSSM interpretation of CMS searches in pp collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ and 8 TeV

Searches for new physics by the CMS collaboration are interpreted in the framework of the phenomenological minimal supersymmetric standard model (pMSSM). The data samples used in this study were collected at sqrt(s) = 7 and 8 TeV and have integrated luminosities of 5.0 and 19.5 inverse-femtobarns, respectively. A global Bayesian analysis is performed, incorporating results from a broad range of CMS supersymmetry searches, as well as constraints from other experiments. Because the pMSSM incorporates several well-motivated assumptions that reduce the 120 parameters of the MSSM to just 19 parameters defined at the electroweak scale, it is possible to assess the results of the study in a relatively straightforward way. Approximately half of the model points in a potentially accessible subspace of the pMSSM are excluded, including all pMSSM model points with a gluino mass below 500 GeV, as well as models with a squark mass less than 300 GeV. Models with chargino and neutralino masses below 200 GeV are disfavored, but no mass range of model points can be ruled out based on the analyses considered. The nonexcluded regions in the pMSSM parameter space are characterized in terms of physical processes and key observables, and implications for future searches are discussed.

Correlations in double parton distributions: perturbative and non-perturbative effects

The correct description of Double Parton Scattering (DPS), which represents a background in several channels for the search of new Physics at the LHC, requires the knowledge of double parton distribution functions (dPDFs). These quantities represent also a novel tool for the study of the three-dimensional nucleon structure, complementary to the possibilities offered by electromagnetic probes. In this paper we analyze dPDFs using Poincar\'e covariant predictions obtained by using a Light-Front constituent quark model proposed in a recent paper, and QCD evolution. We study to what extent factorized expressions for dPDFs, which neglect, at least in part, two-parton correlations, can be used. We show that they fail in reproducing the calculated dPDFs, in particular in the valence region. Actually measurable processes at existing facilities occur at low longitudinal momenta of the interacting partons; to have contact with these processes we have analyzed correlations between pairs of partons of different kind, finding that, in some cases, they are strongly suppressed at low longitudinal momenta, while for other distributions they can be sizeable. For example, the effect of gluon-gluon correlations can be as large as 20 $\%$. We have shown that these behaviors can be understood in terms of a delicate interference of non-perturbative correlations, generated by the dynamics of the model, and perturbative ones, generated by the model independent evolution procedure. Our analysis shows that at LHC kinematics two-parton correlations can be relevant in DPS, and therefore we address the possibility to study them experimentally.

Performance and optimization of support vector machines in high-energy physics classification problems

In this paper we promote the use of Support Vector Machines (SVM) as a machine learning tool for searches in high-energy physics. As an example for a new-physics search we discuss the popular case of Supersymmetry at the Large Hadron Collider. We demonstrate that the SVM is a valuable tool and show that an automated discovery-significance based optimization of the SVM hyper-parameters is a highly efficient way to prepare an SVM for such applications.

Contact interactions in Higgs-vector boson associated production at the ILC

We explore new physics (NP) effects in Higgs-Vector boson associated production at a future International Linear Collider (ILC) via e+e- -> Zh,Zhh, using effective field theory (EFT) techniques. In particular, we focus on a certain class of dimension 6 operators, which are generated by tree-level exchanges of a new heavy vector field in the underlying theory. These operators induce new contact terms of the form \psi\psi\phi D\phi, involving the Standard Model (SM) fermions (\psi), gauge-bosons (D is the covariant derivative) and the SM Higgs field (\phi). We investigate the high-energy behaviour of these new effective interactions in e+e- -> Zh,Zhh, imposing bounds from electroweak precision measurements, and show that the ILC is an excellent testing ground for probing this type of NP via e+e- -> Zh,Zhh. We also address the validity of the EFT expansion and we study the correlation between the hZ and hhZ signals, which can be utilized in future searches for NP in these channels.

Cosmological Reflection of Particle Symmetry

The standard model involves particle symmetry and the mechanism of its breaking. Modern cosmology is based on inflationary models with baryosynthesis and dark matter/energy, which involves physics beyond the standard model. Studies of the physical basis of modern cosmology combine direct searches for new physics at accelerators with its indirect non-accelerator probes, in which cosmological consequences of particle models play an important role. The cosmological reflection of particle symmetry and the mechanisms of its breaking are the subject of the present review.

Search for new physics in same-sign dilepton events in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text

A search for new physics is performed using events with two isolated same-sign leptons, two or more jets, and missing transverse momentum. The results are based on a sample of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13,text {TeV} recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 mathrm{fb}^{1}. Multiple search regions are defined by classifying events in terms of missing transverse momentum, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta, the transverse mass associated with a mathrm {W} boson candidate, the number of jets, the number of mathrm{b} quark jets, and the transverse momenta of the leptons in the event. The analysis is sensitive to a wide variety of possible signals beyond the standard model. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed. Constraints are set on various supersymmetric models, with gluinos and bottom squarks excluded for masses up to 1300 and 680,text {GeV}, respectively, at the 95 % confidence level. Upper limits on the cross sections for the production of two top quark-antiquark pairs (119,text {fb}) and two same-sign top quarks (1.7,text {pb}) are also obtained. Selection efficiencies and model independent limits are provided to allow further interpretations of the results.

The SHiP project at CERN

The discovery of the Higgs boson has fully confirmed the Standard Model of particles and fields. Nevertheless, there are still fundamental phenomena, like the existence of dark matter and the baryon asymmetry, which deserve an explanation that could come from the discovery of new particles. Searches for new physics with accelerators are performed at the LHC, looking for high massive particles coupled to matter with ordinary strength. A new experimental facility at CERN meant to search for very weakly coupled particles in the few GeV mass domain has been recently proposed. The existence of such particles, foreseen in different theoretical models beyond the Standard Model, is largely unexplored. A beam dump facility using 400 GeV protons is a copious factory of charmed hadrons and could be used to probe the existence of such particles. The beam dump is also a copious source of neutrinos and in particular it is an ideal source of tau neutrinos, the less known particle in the Standard Model. Indeed, tau anti-neutrinos have not been directly observed so far. We report the physics potential of such an experiment. Resistive Plate Chambers could play a role in the SHiP detector.

Predictions for diphoton production at the LHC through NNLO in QCD

In this paper we present a next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) calculation of the process $pp\rightarrow \gamma\gamma$ that we have implemented into the parton level Monte Carlo code MCFM. We do not find agreement with the previous calculation of this process in the literature. In addition to the $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^2)$ corrections present at NNLO, we include some effects arising at $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^3)$, namely those associated with gluon-initiated closed fermion loops. We investigate the role of this process in the context of studies of QCD at colliders and as a background for searches for new physics, paying particular attention to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum. We demonstrate that the NNLO QCD prediction for the shape of this spectrum agrees well with functional forms used in recent data-driven fits.

Impact of jet veto resummation on slepton searches

Several searches for new physics at the LHC require a fixed number of signal jets, vetoing events with additional jets from QCD radiation. As the probed scale of new physics gets much larger than the jet-veto scale, such jet vetoes strongly impact the QCD perturbative series, causing nontrivial theoretical uncertainties. We consider slepton pair production with 0 signal jets, for which we perform the resummation of jet-veto logarithms and study its impact. Currently, the experimental exclusion limits take the jet-veto cut into account by extrapolating to the inclusive cross section using parton shower Monte Carlos. Our results indicate that the associated theoretical uncertainties can be large, and when taken into account have a sizeable impact already on present exclusion limits. This is improved by performing the resummation to higher order, which allows us to obtain accurate predictions even for high slepton masses. For the interpretation of the experimental results to benefit from improved theory predictions, it would be useful for the experimental analyses to also provide limits on the unfolded visible 0-jet cross section.

Precision measurement of the nuclear polarization in laser-cooled, optically pumped 37K

We report a measurement of the nuclear polarization of laser-cooled, optically pumped 37K atoms which will allow us to precisely measure angular correlation parameters in the -decay of the same atoms. These results will be used to test the V − A framework of the weak interaction at high precision. At the Triumf neutral atom trap (Trinat), a magneto-optical trap confines and cools neutral 37K atoms and optical pumping spin-polarizes them. We monitor the nuclear polarization of the same atoms that are decaying in situ by photoionizing a small fraction of the partially polarized atoms and then use the standard optical Bloch equations to model their population distribution. We obtain an average nuclear polarization of , which is significantly more precise than previous measurements with this technique. Since our current measurement of the β-asymmetry has statistical uncertainty, the polarization measurement reported here will not limit its overall uncertainty. This result also demonstrates the capability to measure the polarization to , allowing for a measurement of angular correlation parameters to this level of precision, which would be competitive in searches for new physics.

Simplified models for Higgs physics: singlet scalar and vector-like quark phenomenology

Simplified models provide a useful tool to conduct the search and exploration of physics beyond the Standard Model in a model-independent fashion. In this work we consider the complementarity of indirect searches for new physics in Higgs couplings and distributions with direct searches for new particles, using a simplified model which includes a new singlet scalar resonance and vector-like fermions that can mix with the SM top-quark. We fit this model to the combined ATLAS and CMS 125 GeV Higgs production and coupling measurements and other precision electroweak constraints, and explore in detail the effects of the new matter content upon Higgs production and kinematics. We highlight some novel features and decay modes of the top partner phenomenology, and discuss prospects for Run II.

Lepton number violation and ‘Diracness’ of massive neutrinos composed of Majorana states

Majorana neutrinos naturally lead to a Lepton Number Violation (LNV). A superposition of Majorana states can mimic Dirac-type neutrinos, leading to its conservation (LNC). We demonstrate on the example of specific observables related to high and low energy processes how a strength of LNV correlates with neutrino parameters such as CP-phases, flavor mixings, mass ratios. We stress the coaction between low and high energy studies for putting phenomenological models to a quantitative test. Secondly, we conclude that in order to fully study the role of heavy neutrinos in search for New Physics (NP) signals, a departure from trivial scenarios assuming degeneracy in mass and no flavor mixing or CP-phases becomes necessary for a proper physical analysis.