Measurement of the top quark mass in dileptonic top quark pair decays with √s = 7 TeV ATLAS data

The top quark mass in dileptonic top quark pair decays was measured using 4.7 fb^–1 of √s = 7 TeV proton-proton (pp) collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2011. The event topology is characterized by the presence of two charged leptons, at least two neutrinos and several jets, two of which originate from bottom quarks. Using the template method and the m _?b observable, defined as the average invariant mass of the two charged lepton plus b-jet pairs in each event, the top quark mass is measured to be 173.09 ± 0.64(stat) ± 1.50(syst) GeV. This proceeding is based on a preliminary result, which has been superseded meanwhile.     

Is the CNMSSM more credible than the CMSSM?

“Post-sphaleron baryogenesis”, a fresh and profound mechanism of baryogenesis accounts for the matter–antimatter asymmetry of our present universe in a framework of Pati–Salam symmetry. We attempt here to embed this mechanism in a non-SUSY SO(10) grand unified theory by reviving a novel symmetry breaking chain with Pati–Salam symmetry as an intermediate symmetry breaking step and as well to address post-sphaleron baryogenesis and neutron–antineutron oscillation in a rational manner. The Pati–Salam symmetry based on the gauge group \(\mathrm{SU}(2)_L \times \mathrm{SU}(2)_{R} \times \mathrm{SU}(4)_C\) is realized in our model at \(10^{5}\) – \(10^{6}\)  GeV and the mixing time for the neutron–antineutron oscillation process having \(\Delta B=2\) is found to be \(\tau _{n-\bar{n}} \simeq 10^{8}\) – \(10^{10}\)  s with the model parameters, which is within the reach of forthcoming experiments. Other novel features of the model include low scale right-handed \(W^{\pm }_R\) , \(Z_R\) gauge bosons, explanation for neutrino oscillation data via the gauged inverse (or extended) seesaw mechanism and most importantly TeV scale color sextet scalar particles responsible for an observable \(n\) – \(\bar{n}\) oscillation which may be accessible to LHC. We also look after gauge coupling unification and an estimation of the proton lifetime with and without the addition of color sextet scalars.     

Is the weak interaction constant really constant?

A comparison is made of the probability of the process of two-neutrino double beta decay for ⁸²Se and ⁹⁶Zr in direct (counter) and geochemical experiments. The experimental data for ¹³⁰Te are also analyzed. It is shown that the probability is systematically lower in geochemical experiments, which characterize the probability of (2) decay 10⁹ y ago. It is proposed that this could be due to a change in the weak interaction constant with time. It is proposed that a series of new, precise measurements be performed with the aid of counters and geochemical experiments.     

Measuring the top quark mass in the eµ channel: A study

We describe a simple method to measure the top quark mass in the channel that may be useful in Run II of D? detector. The method is validated by applying it to the Run Ib eμ data.     

Is the “missing mass” really missing?

We have no experimental evidence for the validity of the inverse square law for gravitation at distances significantly larger than the diameter of the solar system. This raises the very real possibility that the missing mass (dark matter) may not exist. Instead, the inverse square law may be breaking down at distances of the order of tens of kiloparsecs. I discuss this possibility within the framework of Scalar-Vector-Tensor (SVT) theories of gravity. It appears to be relatively easy to account for up to approximately 10% of the galactic halo dark matter via SVT theories of gravity. With some fine-tuning of parameters, it is conceivable that all of the dark matter can be accounted for in this way.This essay received an honorable mention from the Gravity Research Foundation for the year 1987.Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under grant #DE-FG03-84ER-40168.     

Probing Higgs boson — and supersymmetry-induced CP violation in top quark production by (un-) polarized electron-positron collisions

We consider, both for unpolarized and longitudinally polarized electron beams, the reaction $e^ + e^ - \to t\bar t$ with subsequent semileptonict and nonleptonic $\bar t$ decay and vice versa and investigate optimized angular correlations which are sensitive to CP non-conservation in the $t\bar t$ production vertex. We calculate these correlations for two-Higgs-doublet extensions and the minimal super-symmetric extension of the Standard Model (SM) with CP violation beyond the Kobayashi-Maskawa phase. While the sensitivity of the optimal correlation for tracing dispersive CP effects is enhanced with longitudinally polarized electron beams, we find that the sensitivity of the best correlation for probing absorptive CP effects is almost independent of the polarization degree.     

Z boson as “the standard candle” for high-precision W boson physics at LHC

In this paper we propose a strategy for measuring the inclusive W boson production processes at LHC. This strategy exploits simultaneously the unique flexibility of the LHC collider in running variable beam particle species at variable beam energies, and the configuration flexibility of the LHC detectors. We propose their concrete settings for a precision measurement of the standard model parameters. These dedicated settings optimise the use of the Z boson and Drell–Yan-pair production processes as “the standard reference candles”. The presented strategy allows one to factorise and to directly measure those of the QCD effects that affect differently the W and Z production processes. It reduces to a level of the impact of uncertainties in the partonic distribution functions (PDFs) and in the transverse momentum of the quarks on the measurement precision. Last but not the least, it reduces by a factor of 10 the impact of systematic measurement errors, such as the energy scale and the measurement resolution, on the W boson production observables.     

Are messages of R-parity violating supersymmetry hidden within top quark signals?

In an R-parity nonconserving supersymmetric theory, the lighter stop can dominantly decay into b&mgr; and btau if R-parity breaking has to explain the neutrino mass and mixing pattern suggested by the data on atmospheric muon neutrinos. This should give rise to dilepton + dijet and single - lepton + jets, signals identical with those of the top quark at the Fermilab Tevatron. One can thus constrain the stop parameter space using the current top search data and can similarly look for the first signals of supersymmetry at the upgraded runs of the Tevatron.     

Is the superconducting order parameter really the macrowave function near TC?

It is often stated that, near T_C, the superconducting order parameter is the macrowave function. We examine this assertion in the following situations: (1) a superconductor subjected to a weak long-wavelength longitudinal field, (2) the non-linear electrodynamics of a local superconductor and (3) Josephson tunneling. For these cases we find that the superconducting order parameter does not reflect the true state of affairs within the superfluid and therefore, cannot always be regarded as the pair wave-function.