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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Nucleon Decays into Light New Particles in Neutrino Detectors

Proton and neutron decays into light new particles 𝑋 can drastically change the experimental signatures and benefit from the complementarity of large water-Cherenkov neutrino detectors such as Super- and Hyper-Kamiokande and tracking detectors such as JUNO and DUNE. The proton decays 𝑝 → ℓ + ⁢𝑋 and 𝑝 → 𝜋 + ⁢𝑋 with 𝑚 𝑋 near phase-space closure lead to charged particles below the Cherenkov threshold, rendering them practically invisible in Super- and Hyper-Kamiokande but not in JUNO and DUNE, which are therefore uniquely positioned for these baryon-number-violating signatures despite their smaller size. As an additional signature, such nucleon decays in the Earth can produce a sizable flux of 𝑋 particles in underground detectors. We present a simple model in which nucleons decay into sub-GeV sterile neutrinos that subsequently decay through active-sterile neutrino mixing, with a promisingly large number of events in Super-Kamiokande even in the seesaw-motivated parameter space.

Baryon & lepton number symmetries↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for cascade decays of charged sleptons and sneutrinos in final states with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠} = 13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for cascade decays of charged sleptons and sneutrinos using final states characterized by three leptons (electrons or muons) and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on a dataset with 140 fb −1 of proton-proton (pp) collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{𝑠} = 13$ TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. This paper focuses on a supersymmetric scenario that is motivated by the muon anomalous magnetic moment observation, dark-mattter relic density abundance, and electroweak naturalness. A mass spectrum involving light Higgsinos and heavier sleptons with a bino at intermediate mass is targeted. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed. This search enables us to place stringent constraints on this model, excluding at the 95% confidence level charged slepton and sneutrino masses up to 450 GeV when assuming a lightest neutralino mass of 100 GeV and mass-degenerate selectrons, smuons and sneutrinos.

extensions of Higgs sector↗
DOE OSTI2024

Model-independent search for pair production of new bosons decaying into muons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

The results of a model-independent search for the pair production of new bosons within a mass range of 0.21 < m < 60 GeV, are presented. This study utilizes events with a four-muon final state. We use two data sets, comprising 41.5 fb −1 and 59.7 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, recorded in 2017 and 2018 by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. The study of the 2018 data set includes a search for displaced signatures of a new boson within the proper decay length range of 0 < cτ < 100 mm. Our results are combined with a previous CMS result, based on 35.9 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected in 2016. No significant deviation from the expected background is observed. Results are presented in terms of a model-independent upper limit on the product of cross section, branching fraction, and acceptance. The findings are interpreted across various benchmark models, such as an axion-like particle model, a vector portal model, the next-to-minimal supersymmetric standard model, and a dark supersymmetric scenario, including those predicting a non-negligible proper decay length of the new boson. In all considered scenarios, substantial portions of the parameter space are excluded, expanding upon prior results.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Custodial symmetry breaking and Higgs boson signatures at the LHC

We discuss the simplest model that predicts a tree-level modification of the ρ parameter from a shift in the W -mass without changing the prediction for the Z mass. This model predicts a new neutral Higgs and two charged Higgses, with very similar masses and suppressed couplings to the Standard Model fermions. We discuss the decay properties of these new scalar bosons, and the main signatures at the Large Hadron Collider. Comparing these signatures for the first time to the latest measurements, we show that while masses around 200 GeV are excluded for some scenarios, over a wide range of model parameter space the new bosons can have a mass close to the electroweak scale without violating existing limits from experimental searches or destroying the agreement with measurements. We investigate the scenario where the new neutral Higgs is fermiophobic and has a large branching ratio into W gauge bosons and/or photons, and show that this could lead to a signal in the diphoton mass spectrum at low Higgs masses. We discuss the different signatures that can motivate new measurements and searches at the Large Hadron Collider. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Searches for Higgs boson production through decays of heavy resonances

The discovery of the Higgs boson has led to new possible signatures for heavy resonance searches at the LHC. Since then, search channels including at least one Higgs boson plus another particle have formed an important part of the program of new physics searches. In this report, the status of these searches by the CMS Collaboration is reviewed. Searches are discussed for resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons, a Higgs and a vector boson, or a Higgs boson and another new resonance. All analyses use proton–proton collision data collected at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV in the years 2016–2018. A combination of the results of these searches is presented together with constraints on different beyond-the-standard model scenarios, including scenarios with extended Higgs sectors, heavy vector bosons and extra dimensions. Studies are shown for the first time by CMS on the validity of the narrow-width approximation in searches for the resonant production of a pair of Higgs bosons. The potential for a discovery at the High Luminosity LHC is also discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing New Physics with Tau Leptons using the CMS Detector

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics is a thoroughly well-tested theory of all electroweak scale phenomena to date—the most recent test being the discovery of the long-predicted Higgs boson. However, there is much evidence to suggest that it is incomplete. On the formal side, the mass of the Higgs particle itself is perplexingly small, while the largest theoretical energy scale of the SM is 17 orders of magnitude larger, a puzzle known as the hierarchy problem. On the experimental side, among other things, the SM lacks a candidate for dark matter, which is now known to play an indispensable role in astrophysical large scale structure formation. Many theories that address the fundamental puzzles of the SM predict the existence of multiple Higgs bosons, including a very light boson that couples preferentially to third-generation fermions. Observation of this new light boson, either directly produced or in the decay of the recently discovered SM Higgs, would provide an unmistakable sign of new dynamics in nature. The research supported by this award used data collected by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to explore boosted di-tau signatures of a new light boson as a tool in the quest to understand the shortcomings of the SM. With a proton-proton collision energy of 13 trillion electron-volts (TeV) and peak instantaneous proton luminosity of over 10^34 collisions per square centimeter per second (cm –2 s –1 ), the LHC is the only facility in the world that could enable this line of research. The research sought to address the hierarchy problem and other shortcomings of the SM through a mixture of LHC data analysis, maintenance of the CMS detector to ensure high quality data, and contributions to the Phase 2 upgrade detector for the upcoming High Luminosity phase of the LHC (HL-LHC).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Anomaly detection search for new resonances decaying into a Higgs boson and a generic new particle $X$ in hadronic final states using $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV $pp$ collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for a heavy resonance $Y$ decaying into a Standard Model Higgs boson $H$ and a new particle $X$ in a fully hadronic final state. The full Large Hadron Collider run 2 dataset of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector from 2015 to 2018 is used and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 . The search targets the high $Y$-mass region, where the $H$ and $X$ have a significant Lorentz boost in the laboratory frame. A novel application of anomaly detection is used to define a general signal region, where events are selected solely because of their incompatibility with a learned background-only model. It is constructed using a jet-level tagger for signal-model-independent selection of the boosted $X$ particle, representing the first application of fully unsupervised machine learning to an ATLAS analysis. Two additional signal regions are implemented to target a benchmark $X$ decay into two quarks, covering topologies where the $X$ is reconstructed as either a single large-radius jet or two smallradius jets. The analysis selects Higgs boson decays into $b$$\overline{b}$, and a dedicated neural-network-based tagger provides sensitivity to the boosted heavy-flavor topology. No significant excess of data over the expected background is observed, and the results are presented as upper limits on the production cross section $σ$ ($pp$ → $Y$ → $XH$ → $q$$\overline{q}$$b$$\overline{b}$) for signals with $m_Y$ between 1.5 and 6 TeV and $m_X$ between 65 and 3000 GeV

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for electroweak-scale dijet resonances using trigger-level analysis with the ATLAS detector in 132 fb −1 of 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV

This article reports on a search for dijet resonances using 132 fb −1 of 𝑝⁢𝑝 collision data recorded at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The search is performed solely on jets reconstructed within the ATLAS trigger to overcome bandwidth limitations imposed on conventional single-jet triggers, which would otherwise reject data from decays of sub-TeV dijet resonances. Collision events with two jets satisfying transverse momentum thresholds of 𝑝 T ≥ 85 GeV and jet rapidity separation of |𝑦*| <0.6 are analysed for dijet resonances with invariant masses from 375 to 1800 GeV. A data-driven background estimate is used to model the dijet mass distribution from multijet processes. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on coupling values for a benchmark leptophobic axial-vector 𝑍′ model and on the production cross section for a new resonance contributing a Gaussian-distributed line-shape to the dijet mass distribution.

hadron colliders↗
DOE OSTI2025

Incorporating Physical Priors into Weakly Supervised Anomaly Detection

We propose a new machine-learning-based anomaly detection strategy for comparing data with a background-only reference (a form of weak supervision). The sensitivity of previous strategies degrades significantly when the signal is too rare or there are many unhelpful features. Our prior-assisted weak supervision (PAWS) method incorporates information from a class of signal models to significantly enhance the search sensitivity of weakly supervised approaches. As long as the true signal is in the prespecified class, PAWS matches the sensitivity of a dedicated, fully supervised method without specifying the exact parameters ahead of time. On the benchmark LHC Olympics anomaly detection dataset, our mix of semisupervised and weakly supervised learning is able to extend the sensitivity over previous methods by a factor of 10 in cross section. Furthermore, if we add irrelevant (noise) dimensions to the inputs, classical methods degrade by another factor of 10 in cross section while PAWS remains insensitive to noise. This new approach could be applied in a number of scenarios and pushes the frontier of sensitivity between completely model-agnostic approaches and fully model-specific searches.

artificial neural networks↗
DOE OSTI2025

Combination of searches for singly produced vectorlike top quarks in 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ =13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for the single production of vectorlike top quarks (𝑇) is presented. These analyses are based on proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠}$ = 13 TeV recorded in 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1 . The 𝑇 decay modes considered in this combination are into a top quark and either a Standard Model Higgs boson or a 𝑍 boson (𝑇 → 𝐻⁡𝑡 and 𝑇 → 𝑍⁢𝑡). The individual searches used in the combination are differentiated by the number of leptons (𝑒, 𝜇) in the final state. The observed data are found to be in good agreement with the Standard Model background prediction. Interpretations are provided for a range of masses and couplings of the vectorlike top quark for benchmark models and generalized representations in terms of 95% confidence level limits. For a benchmark signal prediction of a vectorlike top quark SU(2) singlet with electroweak coupling, 𝜅, of 0.5, masses below 2.1 TeV are excluded, resulting in the most restrictive limits to date.

Composite models↗
DOE OSTI2022

Report of the Topical Group on Physics Beyond the Standard Model at Energy Frontier for Snowmass 2021

This is the Snowmass2021 Energy Frontier (EF) Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) report. It combines the EF topical group reports of EF08 (Model-specific explorations), EF09 (More general explorations), and EF10 (Dark Matter at Colliders). The report includes a general introduction to BSM motivations and the comparative prospects for proposed future experiments for a broad range of potential BSM models and signatures, including compositeness, SUSY, leptoquarks, more general new bosons and fermions, long-lived particles, dark matter, charged-lepton flavor violation, and anomaly detection.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tau-jet signatures of vectorlike quark decays to heavy charged and neutral Higgs bosons

We study 4 b + 2 τ and 4 b + 1 τ signatures of heavy neutral and charged Higgs bosons originating from cascade decays of pair-produced new quarks. Decays of vectorlike quarks through heavy Higgses can easily dominate in the two Higgs doublet model of type-II, and the studied signatures are common to many possible decay chains. We design search strategies for these final states and discuss the mass ranges of heavy Higgs bosons and new quarks that can be explored at the Large Hadron Collider as functions of branching ratios in a model independent way. We further combine the results with a similar study focusing on decays which lead to a 6 b final state and interpret the sensitivity to charged and neutral Higgs bosons and vectorlike quarks in the type-II two Higgs doublet model. We find that the LHC reach for their masses extends to well above 2 TeV in the case of an SU(2) doublet quark and to at least 1.8 TeV for a bottom-like SU(2) singlet quark in the whole range of tan β between 1 and 50.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search for singly produced vectorlike top partners in multilepton final states with 139 fb −1 of 𝑝⁢𝑝 collision data at √𝑠 =13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for the single production of a vectorlike top partner (𝑇) with mass greater than 1 TeV decaying into a 𝑍 boson and a top quark is presented, using the full Run 2 dataset corresponding to 139 fb −1 of 𝑝⁢𝑝 collisions at √𝑠 =13 TeV, collected in 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The targeted final state is characterized by the presence of a pair of electrons or muons with opposite-sign charges which form a 𝑍-boson candidate, as well as by the presence of 𝑏-tagged jets and forward jets. Events with exactly two or at least three leptons are categorized into two independently optimized analysis channels. No significant excess above the background expectation is observed and the results from the two channels are statistically combined to set exclusion limits at 95% confidence level on the masses and couplings of 𝑇. The results are interpreted in several benchmark scenarios to set limits on the mass and universal coupling strength (𝜅) of the vectorlike quark. For singlet 𝑇 quarks, 𝜅 values between 0.22 and 0.64 are excluded for masses between 1000 and 1975 GeV. For 𝑇 quarks in the doublet scenario, where the production cross section is much lower, 𝜅 values between 0.54 and 0.88 are excluded for masses between 1000 and 1425 GeV.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Portal matter models of kinetic mixing with two light dark gauge bosons

The kinetic mixing (KM) portal mandates the existence of at least one new gauge boson, the dark photon (DP) based on the group 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 , which mixes with the Standard Model (SM) photon via loops of other new heavy particles carrying both SM and dark charges called portal matter (PM). Arguments exist based on the renormalization group equations running of the 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 gauge coupling suggesting that at higher scales 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 becomes part of a more complex non-Abelian group, a simple example being just the SM-like 𝐺 𝐷 =𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2)𝐼 ×𝑈⁢(1) 𝑌 𝐼 . In our past analyses, it was always assumed that 𝐺 𝐷 broke in a SM-like manner directly to the DP’s 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 which then subsequently broke at low energies ≲1 GeV. However, this need not be the case, and 𝐺 𝐷 can instead break to 𝑈⁢(1) 𝑇 3⁢𝐼 ×𝑈⁢(1) 𝑌 𝐼 , with 𝑇 3⁢𝐼 being the diagonal generator of 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐼 , now producing two light gauge bosons which obtain masses at the ≲1 GeV scale. In this paper, we explore the phenomenology of a very simple realization of this kind of alternative setup employing non-Abelian KM and having a minimal, leptonlike PM sector, demonstrating its distinctive nature in comparison to the previously examined symmetry breaking path. The effects of interference between these gauge bosons on thermal dark matter annihilation, the production of new heavy gauge, and Higgs and PM states at colliders, as well as the corresponding signatures for the light dark gauge bosons are examined. Collider signatures of this setup are found to be particularly challenging.

extensions of Higgs sector↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cascade decays of heavy Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks in two Higgs doublet models

We study cascade decays of heavy neutral Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks. We focus on scenarios where decay modes into pairs of vectorlike quarks are not kinematically open which extends the sensitivity of the LHC to larger masses. Assuming only mixing with the third family of standard model quarks the new decay modes of heavy Higgs bosons are: H → t 4 t → Wbt, Ztt, htt and H → b 4 b → Wtb, Zbb, hbb, where t 4 (b 4 ) is the new up-type (down-type) quark mass eigenstate. In the numerical analysis we assume the CP even Higgs boson in the two Higgs doublet model type-II but the signatures are relevant for many other scenarios. We identify the region of the parameter space where these decay modes are significant or can even dominate, and thus they provide the best opportunities for the simultaneous discovery of a new Higgs boson and vectorlike quarks. We further explore the reach of the High Luminosity LHC for two representative decay modes,t 4 → Zt → ℓℓt and b 4 → Zb → ℓℓb, and found that cross sections at a 0.1 fb level can be probed with simple cut based analyses. We also find that the rates for Higgs cascade decays can be much larger than the rates for a single production of vectorlike quarks. Furthermore, the reach for vectorlike quarks in Higgs cascade decays and pair production extends to comparable masses.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

A theory of dark pions

We present a complete model of a dark QCD sector with light dark pions, broadly motivated by hidden naturalness arguments. The dark quarks couple to the Standard Model via irrelevant Z- and Higgs-portal operators, which encode the low-energy effects of TeV-scale fermions interacting through Yukawa couplings with the Higgs field. The dark pions, depending on their CP properties, behave as either composite axion-like particles (ALPs) mixing with the Z or scalars mixing with the Higgs. The dark pion lifetimes fall naturally in the most interesting region for present and proposed searches for long-lived particles, at the LHC and beyond. This is demonstrated by studying in detail three benchmark scenarios for the symmetries and structure of the theory. Within a coherent framework, we analyze and compare the GeV-scale signatures of flavor-changing meson decays to dark pions, the weak-scale decays of Z and Higgs bosons to hidden hadrons, and the TeV-scale signals of the ultraviolet theory. New constraints are derived from B decays at CMS and from Z-initiated dark showers at LHCb, focusing on the displaced dimuon signature. We also emphasize the strong potential sensitivity of ATLAS and CMS to dark shower signals with large multiplicities and long lifetimes of the dark pions. As a key part of our phenomenological study, we perform a new data-driven calculation of the decays of a light ALP to exclusive hadronic Standard Model final states. The results are provided in a general form, applicable to any model with arbitrary flavor-diagonal couplings of the ALP to fermions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Discovering Elusive Dynamics Across Frontiers (Final Technical Report)

Profound puzzles, such as the nature of dark matter, the origins of the electroweak scale, the mechanism behind the small neutrino mass, and the strong CP problem, suggested new physics beyond the Standard Model and drove the particle physics program in search of the associated new particles. Despite extensive searches, conventional realizations of new physics have not yet provided conclusive evidence. This raised the serious possibility that new dynamics might be more elusive, perhaps due to a richer gauge and matter structure than previously considered. Notably, the existence of dark matter and advancements in understanding the naturalness problem urged exploration into sectors with complex gauge and matter structures. Through experiments like the LHC, DUNE, and small-scale experiments, the robust US HEP program played a critical role in pursuing these well-motivated but under-explored scenarios for new physics. I explored these physics opportunities in depth, focusing on novel searches and significant improvements in parameter space coverage. The elusive dynamics revealed rich information about the underlying theory and were essential in identifying observable opportunities. Understanding the observable consequences required a deep comprehension of the theory, which I also developed. The proposal included essential components aimed at coherently increasing our knowledge in well-motivated elusive dynamics models. Through research on high-quality axions, composite neutrinos, the Higgs boson as a portal to hidden strong dynamics, and new scalar potentials to generate alternative electroweak phase transitions, I focused on identifying new signatures and parameter regions in plausible elusive dynamics models. The exploration emphasized generic possibilities motivated by broad classes of elusive dynamics models. These signatures were not effectively probed previously due to various challenges such as triggering, background suppression, or experimental design. My research involved close interaction with experimental colleagues to overcome these difficulties, leveraging new theoretical and experimental possibilities. These efforts included identifying new observables such as timing information and substructure in calorimetries, new multiple-hit techniques, new scattering events, and new resonance searches in liquid argon detectors. This work created a positive feedback loop: theory and experimental work inspired each other, revealing new exciting opportunities that supported both programs.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗