Results for “Searches for new physics” — Page 13

DOE OSTI2026

Next Generation Neutrino Oscillation Experiments: Challenges, Opportunities and New Physics

In the next 5+ years, three new neutrino oscillation experiments with be operating: JUNO, HyperK and DUNE. These three complementary experiments will expore the neutrino sector with unprecedented precision and detail. Most likely, neutrinos do not get their masses via the vanilla Higg's mechanism as for all other fermions, thus it is imperative that the neutrino sector be explored with similar precision as the quark sector. This talk will highlight the Challenges, Opportunities and Searches for Additional New Physics in these three experiments.

Parke, Stephen [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000320286782)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search For Low-Mass Quark-Antiquark Resonances Produced With an Initial State Photon at 13 TeV Using the CMS Detector

We present a search for low-mass narrow qq̅ resonances. This search uses data from LHC pp collisions at a center of mass of 13 TeV in Run 2, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb^{-1}, currently using 10\% of data. Utilizing full Run 2 data allows the use of a lower photon pT threshold trigger than a previous analysis performed with only 2016 data, allowing this analysis to be more sensitive to resonances in the low mass region. We require an initial state photon recoiling against the narrow resonance, leading to the resonance having a high transverse momentum. The high pT decay products of the resonance collimate and are reconstructed as a single large jet with an internal two-pronged substructure. A two-pronged dijet score based on the ParticleNet tagger is used to select jets with two-pronged substructure. The background is estimated via a data-driven method using a transfer factor between the distributions which fail and pass the two-pronged substructure requirement. The new physics signal is searched for as a narrow peak excess above the Standard Model backgrounds in the jet mass spectrum.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search For Low-Mass Quark-Antiquark Resonances Produced With an Initial State Photon at 13 TeV Using the CMS Detector

We present a search for low-mass narrow qq̅ resonances. This search uses data from LHC pp collisions at a center of mass of 13 TeV in Run 2, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb^{-1}, currently using 10\% of data. Utilizing full Run 2 data allows the use of a lower photon pT threshold trigger than a previous analysis performed with only 2016 data, allowing this analysis to be more sensitive to resonances in the low mass region. We require an initial state photon recoiling against the narrow resonance, leading to the resonance having a high transverse momentum. The high pT decay products of the resonance collimate and are reconstructed as a single large jet with an internal two-pronged substructure. A two-pronged dijet score based on the ParticleNet tagger is used to select jets with two-pronged substructure. The background is estimated via a data-driven method using a transfer factor between the distributions which fail and pass the two-pronged substructure requirement. The new physics signal is searched for as a narrow peak excess above the Standard Model backgrounds in the jet mass spectrum.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Feebly-interacting particles: FIPs 2022 Workshop Report

Particle physics today faces the challenge of explaining the mystery of dark matter, the origin of matter over anti-matter in the Universe, the origin of the neutrino masses, the apparent fine-tuning of the electro-weak scale, and many other aspects of fundamental physics. Perhaps the most striking frontier to emerge in the search for answers involves new physics at mass scales comparable to familiar matter, below the GeV-scale, or even radically below, down to sub-eV scales, and with very feeble interaction strength. New theoretical ideas to address dark matter and other fundamental questions predict such feebly interacting particles (FIPs) at these scales, and indeed, existing data provide numerous hints for such possibility. A vibrant experimental program to discover such physics is under way, guided by a systematic theoretical approach firmly grounded on the underlying principles of the Standard Model. This document represents the report of the FIPs 2022 workshop, held at CERN between the 17 and 21 October 2022 and aims to give an overview of these efforts, their motivations, and the decadal goals that animate the community involved in the search for FIPs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Feebly-Interacting Particles: FIPs 2022 Workshop Report

Particle physics today faces the challenge of explaining the mystery of dark matter, the origin of matter over anti-matter in the Universe, the origin of the neutrino masses, the apparent fine-tuning of the electro-weak scale, and many other aspects of fundamental physics. Perhaps the most striking frontier to emerge in the search for answers involves new physics at mass scales comparable to familiar matter, below the GeV-scale, or even radically below, down to sub-eV scales, and with very feeble interaction strength. New theoretical ideas to address dark matter and other fundamental questions predict such feebly interacting particles (FIPs) at these scales, and indeed, existing data provide numerous hints for such possibility. A vibrant experimental program to discover such physics is under way, guided by a systematic theoretical approach firmly grounded on the underlying principles of the Standard Model. This document represents the report of the FIPs 2022 workshop, held at CERN between the 17 and 21 October 2022 and aims to give an overview of these efforts, their motivations, and the decadal goals that animate the community involved in the search for FIPs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing searches for resonances with machine learning and moment decomposition

A key challenge in searches for resonant new physics is that classifiers trained to enhance potential signals must not induce localized structures. Such structures could result in a false signal when the background is estimated from data using sideband methods. A variety of techniques have been developed to construct classifiers which are independent from the resonant feature (often a mass). Such strategies are sufficient to avoid localized structures, but are not necessary. We develop a new set of tools using a novel moment loss function (Moment Decomposition or MoDe) which relax the assumption of independence without creating structures in the background. Here, by allowing classifiers to be more flexible, we enhance the sensitivity to new physics without compromising the fidelity of the background estimation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Pair production of charged IDM scalars at high energy CLIC

The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) was proposed as the next energy-frontier infrastructure at CERN, to study e ^+ + e ^- − collisions at three centre-of-mass energy stages: 380,GeV, 1.5,TeV and 3,TeV. The main goal of its high-energy stages is to search for the new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). The Inert Doublet Model (IDM) is one of the simplest SM extensions and introduces four new scalar particles: H ^\pm ± , A and H; the lightest, H, is stable and hence a natural dark matter (DM) candidate. A set of benchmark points is considered, which are consistent with current theoretical and experimental constraints and promise detectable signals at future colliders. Prospects for observing pair-production of the IDM scalars at CLIC were previously studied using signatures with two leptons in the final state. In the current study, discovery reach for the IDM charged scalar pair-production is considered for the semi-leptonic final state at the two high-energy CLIC stages. Full simulation analysis, based on the current CLIC detector model, is presented for five selected IDM scenarios. Results are then extended to the larger set of benchmarks using the Delphes fast simulation framework. The CLIC detector model for Delphes has been modified to take pile-up contribution from the beam-induced \gamma\gamma γ γ interactions into account, which is crucial for the presented analysis. Results of the study indicate that heavy, charged IDM scalars can be discovered at CLIC for most of the proposed benchmark scenarios, with very high statistical significance.

Klamka, Jan↗

DOE OSTI2024

Smart Pixel Sensors for the HL-LHC

Large-scale particle physics experiments produce tens of terabytes of data every second. Innovative methods to manage the data rate at the HL-LHC, which expects to operate at 10x the luminosity of what the LHC was initially designed for, are needed. AI-on the chip provides a way to intelligently filter out low momentum clusters in the pixel detector. This will open up an opportunity to use the pixel detector for the first time in the CMS Level-1 trigger, and lead to increased sensitivity to new physics measurements and searches. We have taped out our first chip, which incorporates a $p_T$ filtering algorithm on an ASIC chip. Our initial $p_T$ filtering algorithm considers clusters that are tracked by CMS. We will report on ongoing studies seeking to enhance the performance of our filter by utilizing unsupervised learning on untracked clusters, thus increasing background rejection.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Search for a Long-Lived $\mu\mu$ Resonance in the NuMI Beam at ICARUS

The ICARUS detector in the Short-Baseline Neutrino program at Fermilab is sensitive to “long-lived” new physics particles that would be produced in the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) beam and decay inside the ICARUS liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). We show results from a new analysis in ICARUS which searched for di-muon decays from a long-lived particle produced in kaon decay in the NuMI beam. The search is sensitive to new areas of parameter space for the Higgs portal scalar and an axion-like particle model. The sensitivity is also presented in a model-independent way applicable to any new physics model predicting the process $K \to \pi+S(\to\mu\mu)$, for a long-lived particle S. This is the first search for new physics performed with the ICARUS detector at Fermilab. It paves the way for the future program of long-lived particle searches at ICARUS.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Search for singly and pair-produced leptoquarks coupling to third-generation fermions in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$=13 TeV

A search for leptoquarks produced singly and in pairs in proton-proton collisions is presented. We consider the leptoquark (LQ) to be a scalar particle of charge -1/3e coupling to a top quark plus a tau lepton ( t τ ) or a bottom quark plus a neutrino ( b ν ), or a vector particle of charge +2/3e, coupling to t ν or b τ . These choices are motivated by models that can explain a series of anomalies observed in the measurement of B meson decays. In this analysis the signatures t τ ν b and t τ ν are probed, using data recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC at s = 13 TeV and that correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb -1 . These signatures have not been previously explored in a dedicated search. The data are found to be in agreement with the standard model prediction. Lower limits at 95% confidence level are set on the LQ mass in the range 0.98–1.73 TeV, depending on the LQ spin and its coupling λ to a lepton and a quark, and assuming equal couplings for the two LQ decay modes considered. These are the most stringent constraints to date on the existence of leptoquarks in this scenario.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

The Dark Machines Anomaly Score Challenge: Benchmark Data and Model Independent Event Classification for the Large Hadron Collider

We describe the outcome of a data challenge conducted as part of the Dark Machines (https://www.darkmachines.org) initiative and the Les Houches 2019 workshop on Physics at TeV colliders. The challenged aims to detect signals of new physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) using unsupervised machine learning algorithms. First, we propose how an anomaly score could be implemented to define model-independent signal regions in LHC searches. We define and describe a large benchmark dataset, consisting of >1 billion simulated LHC events corresponding to 10\, fb^{-1} 10 f b − 1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. We then review a wide range of anomaly detection and density estimation algorithms, developed in the context of the data challenge, and we measure their performance in a set of realistic analysis environments. We draw a number of useful conclusions that will aid the development of unsupervised new physics searches during the third run of the LHC, and provide our benchmark dataset for future studies at https://www.phenoMLdata.org. Code to reproduce the analysis is provided at https://github.com/bostdiek/DarkMachines-UnsupervisedChallenge.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with jets and two same-sign or at least three charged leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV

A data sample of events from proton-proton collisions with at least two jets, and two isolated same-sign or three or more charged leptons, is studied in a search for signatures of new physics phenomena. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of $137{\,{\text {fb}}^{-1}} $ at a center-of-mass energy of $13\,{\text {TeV}} $, collected in 2016–2018 by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed using a total of 168 signal regions defined using several kinematic variables. The properties of the events are found to be consistent with the expectations from standard model processes. Exclusion limits at 95% confidence level are set on cross sections for the pair production of gluinos or squarks for various decay scenarios in the context of supersymmetric models conserving or violating R parity. The observed lower mass limits are as large as $2.1\,{\text {TeV}} $ for gluinos and $0.9\,{\text {TeV}} $ for top and bottom squarks. To facilitate reinterpretations, model-independent limits are provided in a set of simplified signal regions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Probing New Physics in Fundamental Symmetry Tests [Slides]

Searches for violations of fundamental symmetries / conservation laws

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

The Search for Feebly Interacting Particles

At the dawn of a new decade, particle physics faces the challenge of explaining the mystery of dark matter, the origin of matter over antimatter in the Universe, the apparent fine-tuning of the electroweak scale, and many other aspects of fundamental physics. Perhaps the most striking frontier to emerge in the search for answers involves New Physics at mass scales comparable to that of familiar matter—below the GeV scale but with very feeble interaction strength. New theoretical ideas to address dark matter and other fundamental questions predict such feebly interacting particles (FIPs) at these scales, and existing data may even provide hints of this possibility. Emboldened by the lessons of the LHC, a vibrant experimental program to discover such physics is underway, guided by a systematic theoretical approach that is firmly grounded in the underlying principles of the Standard Model. We give an overview of these efforts, their motivations, and the decadal goals that animate the community involved in the search for FIPs, and we focus in particular on accelerator-based experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Reinterpretation of LHC Results for New Physics: Status and recommendations after Run 2

We report on the status of efforts to improve the reinterpretation of searches and measurements at the LHC in terms of models for new physics, in the context of the LHC Reinterpretation Forum. We detail current experimental offerings in direct searches for new particles, measurements, technical implementations and Open Data, and provide a set of recommendations for further improving the presentation of LHC results in order to better enable reinterpretation in the future. We also provide a brief description of existing software reinterpretation frameworks and recent global analyses of new physics that make use of the current data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Reinterpretation of LHC Results for New Physics: Status and Recommendations after Run 2

We report on the status of efforts to improve the reinterpretation of searches and measurements at the LHC in terms of models for new physics, in the context of the LHC Reinterpretation Forum. We detail current experimental offerings in direct searches for new particles, measurements, technical implementations and Open Data, and provide a set of recommendations for further improving the presentation of LHC results in order to better enable reinterpretation in the future. We also provide a brief description of existing software reinterpretation frameworks and recent global analyses of new physics that make use of the current data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2026

The X17 with Chiral Couplings

In recent years, the ATOMKI collaboration has performed a series of measurements of excited nuclei, observing a resonant excess of electron-positron pairs at large opening angles compared to the Standard Model prediction. The excess has been hypothesized to be due to the production of a new spin-1 or spin-0 particle, X17, with a mass of about 17 MeV. Recently, the PADME experiment has reported an excess in the $e^+e^-$ cross section at center-of-mass energies near 17 MeV, perhaps further hinting at the existence of a new state. Studies of the spin-1 case have hitherto focused on either vector {\em or} axial-vector couplings to quarks and leptons, whereas UV theories more naturally produce {\em both} vector and axial-vector (\textit{i.e.} chiral) couplings, analogous to the Standard Model weak interactions. We consider the ATOMKI anomalies in the context of an $X$ with chiral couplings to quarks and explore the parameter space that can explain the ATOMKI anomalies, contrasting them with experimental constraints. We find that it is possible to accommodate the reported ATOMKI signals. However, the $99\%$ CL region is in tension with null results from searches for atomic parity violation and direct searches for new low mass physics coupled to electrons. This tension is found to be driven by the magnitude of the reported excess in the transition of $^{12}{\rm C}(17.23)$, which drives the best-fit region towards excluded couplings.

Fieg, Max H. [UC, Irvine; UC, Irvine (main); Fermi↗

DOE OSTI2024

Constraints on light dark sector particles from lifetime difference of heavy neutral mesons

Heavy meson decays with missing energy in the final state offer interesting avenues to search for light invisible new physics such as dark matter (DM). In this context, we show that such new physics (NP) interactions also affect lifetime difference in neutral meson-antimeson mixing. We consider general dimension-six effective quark interactions involving a pair of DM particles and calculate their contributions to lifetime difference in beauty and charm meson systems. We use the latest data on mixing observables to constrain the relevant effective operators. We find that lifetime differences provide novel and complementary flavor constraints compared to those obtained from heavy meson decays. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗