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At least 163 records · Page 9

Boson–Boson Interactions at the LHC

Vector boson scattering is a key production process to probe the electroweak symmetry breaking of the Standard Model and is one of the most important topics of the physics program for the HL-LHC since it involves both self-couplings of vector bosons and their coupling with the Higgs boson. If the Higgs mechanism is not the sole source of electroweak symmetry breaking, the scattering amplitude deviates from the Standard Model prediction at high scattering energy. Moreover, deviations may be detectable even if a New Physics scale is higher than the reach of direct searches. In this review, the most recent experimental measurements of the production cross sections of vector boson pairs in association with two jets in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV at the LHC are reported, using data sets recorded by the ATLAS and CMS detectors. Applications to searches for New Physics, as well as prospects for measuring the electroweak vector boson scattering processes with larger data samples, are also summarized.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Simultaneous CTEQ-TEA extraction of PDFs and SMEFT parameters from jet and $t\bar{t}$ data

Recasting phenomenological Lagrangians in terms of SM effective field theory (SMEFT) provides a valuable means of connecting potential BSM physics at momenta well above the electroweak scale to experimental signatures at lower energies. In this work we jointly fit the Wilson coefficients of SMEFT operators as well as the PDFs in an extension of the CT18 global analysis framework, obtaining self-consistent constraints to possible BSM physics effects. Global fits are boosted with machine-learning techniques in the form of neural networks to ensure efficient scans of the full PDF+SMEFT parameter space. We focus on several operators relevant for top-quark pair and jet production at hadron colliders and obtain constraints on the Wilson coefficients with Lagrange Multiplier scans. We find mild correlations between the extracted Wilson coefficients, PDFs, and other QCD parameters, and see indications that these correlations may become more prominent in future analyses based on data of higher precision. This work serves as a new platform for joint analyses of SM and BSM physics based on the CTEQ-TEA framework.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Nuclear-Level Effective Theory of 𝜇 → 𝑒 Conversion

The Mu2e and COMET 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion experiments are expected to significantly advance limits on new sources of charged lepton flavor violation. Almost all theoretical work in the field has focused on just two operators. However, general symmetry arguments lead to a 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion rate with six response functions, each of which, in principle, is observable by varying nuclear properties of targets. We construct a nucleon-level nonrelativistic effective theory (NRET) to clarify the microscopic origin of these response functions and to relate rate measurements in different targets. This exercise identifies three operators and their small parameters that control the NRET operator expansion. We note inconsistencies in past treatments of these parameters. The NRET is technically challenging, involving 16 operators, several distorted electron partial waves, bound muon upper and lower components, and an exclusive nuclear matrix element. We introduce a trick for treating the electron Coulomb effects accurately, which enables us to include all of these effects while producing transition densities whose one-body matrix elements can be evaluated analytically, greatly simplifying the nuclear physics. We derive bounds on operator coefficients from existing and anticipated 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion experiments. We discuss how similar NRET formulations have impacted dark matter phenomenology, noting that the tools this community has developed could be adapted for charged lepton flavor violation studies.

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Event generation with Sherpa 3

Sherpa is a general-purpose Monte Carlo event generator for the simulation of particle collisions in high-energy collider experiments. We summarise new developments, essential features, and ongoing improvements within the Sherpa 3 release series. Physics improvements include higher-order electroweak corrections, simulations of photoproduction and hard diffraction at NLO QCD, heavy-flavour matching in NLO multijet merging, spin-polarised cross section calculations, and a new model of colour reconnections. In addition, the modelling of hadronisation, the underlying event and QED effects in both production and decay has been improved, and the overall event generation efficiency has been enhanced.

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Electroweak Currents from Chiral Effective Field Theory

Since the pioneering work of Weinberg, Chiral Effective Field Theory (EFT) has been widely and successfully utilized in nuclear physics to study many-nucleon interactions and associated electroweak currents. Here, nuclear EFT has now developed into an intense field of research and is applied to study light to medium mass nuclei. In this contribution, we focus on the development of electroweak currents from EFT and present applications to selected nuclear electroweak observables.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Electroweak corrections to the Charm-Top-Quark Contribution to ϵ K

We calculate the leading-logarithmic and next-to-leading-logarithmic electroweak corrections to the charm-top-quark contribution to the effective |ΔS| = 2 Lagrangian, relevant for the parameter ϵ K . We find that these corrections lead to a –0.5% shift in the corresponding Wilson coefficient. Moreover, our calculation removes an implicit ambiguity in the standard-model prediction of ϵ K , by fixing the renormalization scheme of the electroweak input parameters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Distinguishing Charged Lepton Flavor Violation Scenarios with Inelastic 𝜇 → 𝑒 Conversion

The Mu2e and COMET experiments are expected to improve existing limits on charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) by roughly 4 orders of magnitude. 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion experiments are typically optimized for electrons produced without nuclear excitation, as this maximizes the electron energy and minimizes backgrounds from the free decay of the muon. Here we argue that Mu2e and COMET will be able to extract additional constraints on CLFV from inelastic 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion, given the 27 Al target they have chosen and backgrounds they anticipate. We describe CLFV scenarios in which inelastic CLFV can induce measurable distortions in the near-endpoint spectrum of conversion electrons, including cases where certain contributing operators cannot be probed in elastic 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion. We extend the nonrelativistic EFT treatment of elastic 𝜇 → 𝑒 conversion to include the new nuclear operators needed for the inelastic process, evaluate the associated nuclear response functions, and describe several new-physics scenarios where the inelastic process can provide additional information on CLFV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Signs of nonmonotonic finite-volume corrections to 𝑔 𝐴

We study finite-volume (FV) corrections to determinations of 𝑔 𝐴 via lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) using analytic results and numerical analysis. We observe that 𝑆⁢𝑈⁡(2) heavy Baryon chiral perturbation theory does not provide an unambiguous prediction for the sign of the FV correction, which is not surprising when one also considers large-𝑁 𝑐 constraints on the axial couplings. We further show that nonmonotonic FV corrections are naturally allowed when one considers either including explicit Δ-resonance degrees of freedom or one works to higher orders in the chiral expansion. We investigate the potential impact of these FV corrections with a precision study of 𝑔 𝐴 using models of FV corrections that are monotonic and nonmonotonic. Using lattice QCD data that is approximately at the 1% level of precision, we do not see significant evidence of nonmonotonic corrections. Looking forward to the next phase of lattice QCD calculations, we estimate that calculations that are between the 0.1% and 1% level of precision may be sensitive to these FV artifacts. Finally, we present an update of the CalLat prediction of 𝑔 𝐴 in the isospin limit with subpercent precision, 𝑔$^{QCD}_{𝐴}$ = 1.2674⁢(96).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Higgs decays at NLO in the SMEFT

The calculation of precise predictions for Higgs decays is a necessary ingredient for determining Higgs properties at the LHC and future colliders. We compute all two- and three- body Higgs decays at next-to-leading order (NLO) in both QCD and electroweak interactions using the dimension-6 Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Results for four-body Higgs decays that are accurate to NLO QCD/electroweak order in the SMEFT are obtained using the narrow width approximation. Our results are contained in a flexible Monte Carlo program, NEWiSH, that is publicly available and we illustrate the impact of the NLO electroweak corrections for HL-LHC, Tera-Z, and Higgstrahlung projections.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Electroweak Symmetry Restoration and Radiation Amplitude Zeros

In high-energy collisions far above the electroweak scale, the effects of electroweak symmetry breaking are expected to become parametrically small 𝛿∼𝑀 𝑊 /𝐸. This defines the extent to which the electroweak gauge symmetry is restored: (i) the physics of the transverse gauge bosons and fermions is described by a massless theory in the unbroken phase; (ii) the longitudinal gauge bosons behave like the Goldstone bosons and join the Higgs boson to restore the unbroken O(4) symmetry in the original Higgs sector. Using the unique feature of the radiation amplitude zeros in gauge theory, we propose to study the electroweak symmetry restoration quantitatively by examining the processes for the gauge boson pair production 𝑊 ± ⁢𝛾,𝑊 ± ⁢𝑍, and 𝑊 ±⁢ 𝐻 at the LHC and muon colliders.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

XXVIIth International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions (SUSY 2019) (Final Report)

Supersymmetry (SUSY) is one of most elegant extensions of the Standard Model (SM) and explains the puzzles of the SM by providing a candidate to explain the dark matter content of the universe, allowing scientists to understand the origin of the electroweak scale requiring the top mass to be around 170 GeV and leading to the unification of forces at a grand unified scale. Further the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) predicts the Higgs boson mass to be less than 135 GeV. The discovery of the Higgs Boson with mass around 125 GeV at the LHC has provided a major support to SUSY ideas. Searches for SUSY are ongoing at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Direct and indirect dark matter experiments are searching for a particle dark matter candidate which arises most naturally in SUSY models. Proton decay predicted by SUSY grand unified theories is being searched for at deep underground experiments. In addition, recent advances in neutrino and dark matter physics, observational astrophysics, precision cosmology and the promising new window into the cosmos opened by the direct detection of gravitational waves, have brought new ideas on the potential connections between new fundamental particles and our understanding of their impact on the early universe and its evolution. At present, the major questions include: Is SUSY still the best candidate for models beyond the SM? Do we have any well motivated alternative to SUSY? Have we exhausted all possibilities to search for new physics at high and low energy scales? XXVIIth International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions (SUSY 2019), hosted by Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi during May 20-24, 2019, provided a unique venue to discus and understand the status of SUSY, connection between particle physics and cosmology, supersymmetry and its alternative, Higgs sector, neutrino sector, flavor sector, dark matter, electroweak phase transition, astroparticle physics, gravitational waves and string theory. Discussion of results from the LHC, recent neutrino experiments and observations, direct and indirect dark matter detection experiments, detection of gravitational waves, data from particle colliders, as well as measurements of the CMB and Large Scale Structure were an integral part of SUSY 2019. To ensure the younger participants will benefit from the conference the most, the conference was preceded by the 4 day long pre-SUSY summer school for graduate students and postdocs. The invited speakers were leading scientists in the fields of SUSY interest. The school took place on Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi campus during the week prior the SUSY 2019 conference (May 15 – 18, 2019). Since its inception in 1993, SUSY has become one of the most important and widely attended international meetings in high energy physics, devoted to new ideas in fundamental particle physics. SUSY 2019 brought together approximately 250 scientists, theorists, phenomenologists, experimentalists and cosmologists, (including over 60 graduate students and 70 postdocs) representing 22 nations: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States. SUSY 2019 provided a stimulating venue for the exchange of scientific ideas among experts in dark matter, neutrino physics, particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The following scientific topics were delivered during SUSY 2019 in form of 44 plenary talks and over 200 parallel talks: Unification of Forces; Electroweak, Top and Higgs Physics; Precision Calculations and MC tools; BSM in Flavor Physics; Neutrino Masses: Models and Phenomenology; Cosmology and Gravitational Waves; Dark Matter, Astroparticle Physics; Formal Field Theory and Strings; Alternatives to Supersymmetry; Quantum Information: Machine Learning/Big Data. 28 talks were given during the pre-SUSY program related to the following topics: Neutrino Physics; Big Data; Collider Physics & SUSY; String Phenomenology; Cosmology; Dark Matter; SUSY Models and Phenomenology

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

First Observation of Cyclotron Radiation from MeV-Scale e ± following Nuclear β Decay

We present an apparatus for detection of cyclotron radiation yielding a frequency-based β ± kinetic energy determination in the 5 keV to 2.1 MeV range, characteristic of nuclear β decays. The cyclotron frequency of the radiating β particles in a magnetic field is used to determine the β energy precisely. Our work establishes the foundation to apply the cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) technique, developed by the Project 8 Collaboration, far beyond the 18-keV tritium endpoint region. We report initial measurements of β – ’s from 6 He and β + ’s from 19 Ne decays to demonstrate the broadband response of our detection system and assess potential systematic uncertainties for β spectroscopy over the full (MeV) energy range. To our knowledge, this is the first direct observation of cyclotron radiation from individual highly relativistic β’s in a waveguide. Furthermore, this work establishes the application of CRES to a variety of nuclei, opening its reach to searches for new physics beyond the TeV scale via precision β-decay measurements.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Measurement of the sodium and iodine scintillation quenching factors across multiple NaI(Tl) detectors to identify systematics

The amount of light produced by nuclear recoils in scintillating targets is strongly quenched compared to that produced by electrons. A precise understanding of the quenching factor is particularly interesting for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMP) searches and coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering ( CE ν NS ) measurements since both rely on nuclear recoils, whereas energy calibrations are more readily accessible from electron recoils. There is a wide variation among the current measurements of the quenching factor in sodium iodide (NaI) crystals, especially below 10 keV, the energy region of interest for dark matter and CE ν NS studies. A better understanding of the quenching factor in NaI(Tl) is of particular interest for resolving the decades-old puzzle in the field of dark matter between the null results of most WIMP searches and the claim for dark matter detection by the DAMA/LIBRA collaboration. In this work, we measured sodium and iodine quenching factors for five small NaI(Tl) crystals grown with similar thallium concentrations and growth procedures. Unlike previous experiments, multiple crystals were tested, with measurements made in the same experimental setup to control systematic effects. The quenching factors agree in all crystals we investigated, and both sodium and iodine quenching factors are smaller than those reported by DAMA/LIBRA. The dominant systematic effect was due to the electron equivalent energy calibration originating from the nonproportional behavior of the NaI(Tl) light yield at lower energies, potentially the cause for the discrepancies among the previous measurements. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗