NLO electroweak corrections to Higgs boson production at hadron colliders

Results for the complete NLO electroweak corrections to Standard Model Higgs production via gluon fusion are included in the total cross section for hadronic collisions. Artificially large threshold effects are avoided working in the complex-mass scheme. The numerical impact at LHC (Tevatron) energies is explored for Higgs mass values up to 500 GeV (200 GeV). Assuming a complete factorization of the electroweak corrections, one finds a +5% shift with respect to the NNLO QCD cross section for a Higgs mass of 120 GeV both at the LHC and the Tevatron. Adopting two different factorization schemes for the electroweak effects, an estimate of the corresponding total theoretical uncertainty is computed.     

Light bottom squark and gluino confront electroweak precision measurements

We address the compatibility of a light sbottom (mass approximately 2-5.5 GeV) and a light gluino (mass approximately 12-16 GeV) with electroweak precision measurements. Such light particles have been suggested to explain the observed excess in the b quark production cross section at the Tevatron. The electroweak observables may be affected by the sbottom and gluino through the supersymmetric-QCD (SUSY-QCD) corrections to the Zbb vertex. We examine, in addition to the SUSY-QCD corrections, the gauge boson propagator corrections from the stop which are allowed to be light from the SU(2)(L) symmetry. We find that this scenario is strongly disfavored from electroweak precision measurements.     

Determination of new electroweak parameters at the ILC – sensitivity to new physics

We present a study of the sensitivity of the International Linear Collider (ILC) to electroweak parameters in the absence of a light Higgs boson. In particular, we consider those parameters that have been inaccessible at previous colliders, quartic gauge couplings. Within a generic effective-field theory context we analyze all processes that contain quasi-elastic weak-boson scattering, using complete six-fermion matrix elements in unweighted event samples, fast simulation of the ILC detector, and a multi-dimensional parameter fit of the set of anomalous couplings. The analysis does not rely on simplifying assumptions such as custodial symmetry or approximations such as the equivalence theorem. We supplement this by a similar new study of triple weak-boson production, which is sensitive to the same set of anomalous couplings. Including the known results on triple gauge couplings and oblique corrections, we thus quantitatively determine the indirect sensitivity of the ILC to new physics in the electroweak symmetry-breaking sector, conveniently parameterized by real or fictitious resonances in each accessible spin/isospin channel. PACS 11.30.Qc; 12.39.Fe; 12.60.Fr; 13.66.Jn     

Baryogenesis via density fluctuations with a second-order electroweak phase transition

We consider the presence of cosmic string-induced density fluctuations in the early universe at temperatures below the electroweak phase transition temperature. Resulting temperature fluctuations can restore the electroweak symmetry locally, depending on the amplitude of fluctuations and the background temperature. The symmetry will be spontaneously broken again in a given region as the temperature drops there (for fluctuations with length scales smaller than the horizon), resulting in the production of baryon asymmetry. The time-scale of the transition will be governed by the wavelength of fluctuation and, hence, can be much smaller than the Hubble time. This leads to strong enhancement in the production of baryon asymmetry for a second-order electroweak phase transition as compared to the case when transition happens due to the cooling of the universe via expansion. For a two-Higgs doublet model (with appropriate CP violation), we show that one can get the required baryon asymmetry if fluctuations propagate without getting significantly damped. If fluctuations are damped rapidly, then a volume factor suppresses the baryon production, though it is still 3–4 orders of magnitude larger than the conventional case of second-order transition.     

Strong and electroweak corrections to the production of a Higgs boson+2 jets via weak interactions at the Large Hadron Collider

Radiative corrections of strong and electroweak interactions are presented at next-to-leading order for the production of a Higgs boson plus two hard jets via weak interactions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The calculation includes all weak-boson fusion and quark-antiquark annihilation diagrams as well as the corresponding interferences. The electroweak corrections, which are discussed here for the first time, reduce the cross sections by 5% and thus are of the same order of magnitude as the QCD corrections.     

Leading Electroweak Corrections to the Neutral Higgs Boson Production at the Fermilab Tevatron

We calculate the leading electroweak corrections to the light neutral Higgs boson production via qq → WH at the Fermilab Tevatron in both the standard model and the minimal supersymmetric model, which arise from the top-quark and Higgs boson loop diagrams. We found that the leading electroweak corrections can exceed the QCD corrections for favorable values of the parameters in the MSSM, but such corrections are only about -2%~-4% in the SM, which are much smaller than the QCD corrections. For the mass region of 90 < mh, < 120 GeV, the leading electroweak corrections can reach -20% for large tan β, and these corrections may be observable at a high luminosity Tevatron; at the least, new constraints on the tan β can be established.     

Method for simulating electroweak top-quark production events in the NLO approximation: SingleTop event generator

A new method for simulating electroweak top-quark production processes is described along with its computer realization in the SingleTop event generator. Special attention is paid to the correct combination of events from two parts of the main t-channel production process: 2 → 2 with a b quark in the initial state and 2 → 3, where an additional b quark appears in the final state. Integration of these two contributions enables the generation of event samples including the first correction to the leading perturbation order, avoiding the double-counting problem and negative-weight events. The SingleTop generator is based on the complete set of the tree Feynman diagrams calculated by the CompHEP package.     

Testing the electroweak phase transition in scalar extension models at lepton colliders

We study the electroweak phase transition in three scalar extension models beyond the Standard Model.Assuming new scalars are decoupled at some heavy scale, we use the covariant derivative expansion method to derive all of the dimension-6 effective operators, whose coefficients are highly correlated in a specific model. We provide bounds to the complete set of dimension-6 operators by including the electroweak precision test and recent Higgs measurements. We find that the parameter space of strong first-order phase transitions(induced by the |H|~6 operator)can be probed extensively in Zh production at future electron-positron colliders.     

Anomalous four-fermion processes in electron-positron collisions

This paper studies the electroweak production of all possible four-fermion collisions with non-standard triple gauge boson couplings. All CP conserving couplings are considered. It is an extension of the methods and strategy, which were recently used for the Standard Model electroweak production of four-fermion final states. Since the fermions are taken to be massless the matrix elements can be evaluated efficiently, but certain phase space cuts have to be imposed to avoid singularities. Experimental cuts are of a similar nature. With the help of the constructed event generator a number of illustrative results is obtained for W-pair production. These show on one hand the distortions of the Standard Model angular distributions caused by either off-shell effects or initial state radiation. On the other hand, also the modifications of distributions due to anomalous couplings are presented, considering either signal diagrams or all diagrams.     

Electroweak tri-boson couplings at LEP II and beyond

Possible non-standard model couplings of electroweak vector bosons are studied inW pair production ine ⁺ e ^? collisions. Helicity amplitudes are calculated in a factorized formalism; the choice of helicity basis suggested by this formalism is shown to increase sensitivity of angular correlations to anomalous couplings. In the course of this analysis, the chi-squared test for finite data samples is more carefully formulated. BothCP-conserving andCP-violating couplings are considered.     

Implications of e+e- → μ+μ-, e+e- at PETRA/PEP energies on electroweak theories

The implication of measurements of μ pair production and Bhabha scattering at PETRA/PEP energies on electroweak theories are analysed in terms of single gauge boson as well as multi weak boson theories.     

Topological Dark Matter from the Theory of Composite Electroweak Symmetry Breaking

The lightest electroweak baryon as a topological object is investigated by using a general effective Lagrangian of composite electroweak symmetry breaking and the spin-independent electroweak baryon-nucleon scattering cross section is calculated. We explicitly show the masses of the electroweak baryons and the cross section as functions of the Peskin-Takeuchi S parameter and the ratio of the masses of axial-vector and vector composite bosons. We find that it is acceptable to regard the electroweak baryon as a dark matter candidate and the even number of technicolor is favored.     

Bino-driven electroweak baryogenesis with highly suppressed electric dipole moments

It is conventional wisdom that successful electroweak baryogenesis in the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) is in tension with the non-observation of electric dipole moments (EDMs), since the level of CP-violation responsible for electroweak baryogenesis is believed to generate unavoidably large EDMs. We show that CP-violation in the bino–Higgsino sector of the MSSM can account for successful electroweak baryogenesis without inducing large EDMs. This observation weakens the correlation between electroweak baryogenesis and EDMs, and makes the bino-driven electroweak baryogenesis scenario the least constrained by EDM limits. Taking this observation together with the requirement of a strongly first-order electroweak phase transition, we argue that a bino-driven scenario with a light stop is the most phenomenologically viable MSSM electroweak baryogenesis scenario.     

LePaProGen—lepton pair production generator

A Monte Carlo generator “LePaProGen” for simulation of lepton pair production at hadron colliders is presented. Higher order electroweak radiative effects are implemented. A new algorithm for selection of the optimal phase space parameterization is applied.     

Top quark production in extended BESS model

We study top production at Tevatron collider in the extended BESS model, which is an effective lagrangian parametrization of a dynamical symmetry breaking of the electroweak symmetry. The existence of a colored octet of gauge vector bosons can increase top production at a rate still consistent with recent experimental data and lead to distorsions in the transverse momentum spectrum of the top.     

Effects of a non-standardW ± magnetic moment inW ± production via deep inelastice −P scattering

We calculate the production of charged bosons in deep inelastice ^?P scattering in the context of an electroweak model in which the vector boson self interactions may be different from those prescribed by the electroweak standard model. We present results which show the dependence of the cross section on the anomalous magnetic dipole moment κ of theW ^±. We find for energies available at HERA that even small deviations from the standard model value of κ imply observable deviations in theW ^± production rates. We also show that the contributions from heavy boson exchange diagrams are very important.     

Topological Dark Matter from the Theory of Composite Electroweak Symmetry Breaking

The lightest electroweak baryon as a topological object is investigated by using a general effective Lagrangian of composite electroweak symmetry breaking and the spin-independent electroweak baryon-nucleon scattering cross section is calculated. We explicitly show the masses of the electroweak baryons and the cross section as functions of the Peskin-Takeuchi S parameter and the ratio of the masses of axial-vector and vector composite bosons. We find that it is acceptable to regard the electroweak baryon as a dark matter candidate and the even number of technicolor is favored.     

NLO event generation for chargino production at the ILC

We present a Monte Carlo event generator for simulating chargino pair production at the International Linear Collider (ILC) at next-to-leading order in the electroweak couplings. By properly resumming photons in the soft and collinear regions, we avoid negative event weights, so the program can simulate physical (unweighted) event samples. Photons are explicitly generated throughout the range where they can be experimentally resolved. Inspecting the dependence on the cutoffs separating the soft and collinear regions, we evaluate the systematic errors due to soft and collinear approximations. In the resummation approach, the residual uncertainty can be brought down to the per-mil level, coinciding with the expected statistical uncertainty at the ILC. PACS 12.15.Lk; 13.40.Ks; 13.66.Hk; 14.80.Ly     

Electroweak radiative corrections to the top quark decay

The top quark, once produced, should be an important window to the electroweak symmetry breaking sector. We compute electroweak radiative corrections to the decay processt→b+W ⁺ in order to extract information on the Higgs sector and to fix the background in searches for a possible new physics contribution. The large Yukawa coupling of the top quark induces a new form factor through vertex corrections and causes discrepancy from the tree-level longitudinalW-boson production fraction, but the effect is of order 1% or less form _H<1 TeV.     

Threshold behaviour of top production in e+e− annihilation

Implications of electroweak interactions on the threshold behaviour of top production are analyzed. Weak decays of densely spaced high radial excitations of toponium lead to a form of the cross section below threshold that is difficult to distinguish from continuum production. We study the contribution of the vector and axial-vector current to the continuum and calculate the rate for Z decays into top particles as a function of the top quark mass, including QCD corrections.