Light-by-light scattering in a photon–photon collider

We studied the feasibility of observing light-by-light scattering in a photon–photon collider based on an existing accelerator complex and a commercially available laser system. We investigated the statistical significance of the signal over the QED backgrounds through a Monte Carlo simulation with a detector model. The study showed that light-by-light scattering can be observed with a statistical significance of eight to ten sigma in a year of operation, depending on the operating conditions.     

Higgs–Palatini inflation and unitarity

In the Higgs inflation scenario the Higgs field is strongly coupled to the Ricci scalar in order to drive primordial inflation. However, in its original form in pure metric formulation of gravity, the ultraviolet (UV) cutoff of the Higgs interactions and the Hubble rate are of the same magnitude, and this makes the whole inflationary evolution dependent of the unknown UV completion of the Higgs sector. This problem, the unitarity violation, plagues the Higgs inflation scenario. In this Letter we show that, in the Palatini formulation of gravitation, Higgs inflation does not suffer from unitarity violation since the UV cutoff lies parametrically much higher than the Hubble rate so that unknown UV physics does not disrupt the inflationary dynamics. Higgs–Palatini inflation, as we call it, is, therefore, UV-safe, minimal and endowed with predictive power.     

125 GeV Higgs,type III seesaw and gauge–Higgs unification

Recently, both the ATLAS and CMS experiments have observed an excess of events that could be the first evidence for a 125 GeV Higgs boson. This is a few GeV below the (absolute) vacuum stability bound on the Higgs mass in the Standard Model (SM), assuming a Planck mass ultraviolet (UV) cutoff. In this Letter, we study some implications of a 125 GeV Higgs boson for new physics in terms of the vacuum stability bound. We first consider the seesaw extension of the SM and find that in type III seesaw, the vacuum stability bound on the Higgs mass can be as low as 125 GeV for the seesaw scale around a TeV. Next we discuss some alternative new physics models which provide an effective ultraviolet cutoff lower than the Planck mass. An effective cutoff Λ?10¹¹ GeV$\Lambda ?{10}^{11}\text{GeV}$ leads to a vacuum stability bound on the Higgs mass of 125 GeV. In a gauge–Higgs unification scenario with five-dimensional flat spacetime, the so-called gauge–Higgs condition can yield a Higgs mass of 125 GeV, with the compactification scale of the extra-dimension being identified as the cutoff scale Λ?10¹¹ GeV$\Lambda ?{10}^{11}\text{GeV}$. Identifying the compactification scale with the unification scale of the SM SU(2) gauge coupling and the top quark Yukawa coupling yields a Higgs mass of 121±2 GeV$121\pm 2\text{GeV}$.     

Resolution of Chern–Simons–Higgs Vortex Equations

It is well known that the presence of multiple constraints of non-Abelian relativisitic Chern–Simons–Higgs vortex equations makes it difficult to develop an existence theory when the underlying Cartan matrix K of the equations is that of a general simple Lie algebra and the strongest result in the literature so far is when the Cartan subalgebra is of dimension 2. In this paper we overcome this difficulty by implicitly resolving the multiple constraints using a degree-theorem argument, utilizing a key positivity property of the inverse of the Cartan matrix deduced in an earlier work of Lusztig and Tits, which enables a process that converts the equality constraints to inequality constraints in the variational formalism. Thus this work establishes a general existence theorem that settles a long-standing open problem in the field regarding the general solvability of the equations.     

A possible minimal gauge–Higgs unification

A possible minimal model of the gauge–Higgs unification based on the higher dimensional spacetime M ⁴⊗(S ¹/Z ₂) and the bulk gauge symmetry SU(3) _C ⊗SU(3) _W ⊗U(1) _X is constructed in some detail. We argue that the Weinberg angle and the electromagnetic current can be correctly identified if one introduces the extra U(1) _X above and a bulk scalar triplet. The VEV of this scalar as well as the orbifold boundary conditions will break the bulk gauge symmetry down to that of the standard model. A new neutral zero-mode gauge boson Z′ exists that gains mass via this VEV. We propose a simple fermion content that is free from all the anomalies when the extra brane-localized chiral fermions are taken into account as well. The issues on recovering a standard model chiral-fermion spectrum with the masses and flavor mixing are also discussed, where we need to introduce the two other brane scalars which also contribute to the Z′ mass in the similar way as the scalar triplet. The neutrinos can get small masses via a type I seesaw mechanism. In this model, the mass of the Z′ boson and the compactification scale are very constrained being, respectively, given in the ranges: 2.7 TeV<m _Z′<13.6 TeV and 40 TeV<1/R<200 TeV.     

One-loop photon–photon scattering in a thermal,deconfining SU(2) Yang–Mills plasma

For a deconfining thermal SU(2) Yang–Mills plasma we discuss the role of (anti)calorons in introducing non-thermal behavior effectively described in terms of Planck’s quantum of action ?$?$. This non-thermality cancels exactly between the ground-state estimate and its free quasiparticle excitations. Kinematic constraints in 4-vertex scattering and the counting of radial loop variables versus the number of independent constraints on them are re-visited. Next, we consider thermal 2→2$2\to 2$ one-loop scattering of the modes remaining massless upon the (anti)caloron induced adjoint Higgs mechanism (thermal ground state after spatial coarse graining). Starting with stringent analytical arguments, we are able to exclude the contribution to photon–photon scattering from diagrams containing at least one three-vertex and, in a next step, a vast majority of all possible configurations involving two four-vertices. By numerical analysis we show that the remaining contribution of the overall S channel is severely suppressed compared those of the T and U channels, meaning that the creation of a pair of massive vector modes by a pair of photons and vice versa practically does not occur in the Yang–Mills plasma. For the T and U channels the domain of loop integration represents less than 10⁻⁷$10^{-7}$ times the volume of the unconstrained integration region. The thus introduced photon–photon correlation should affect the Cosmic Microwave Background’s polarization at low redshift. An adaption of the here-developed methods to the analysis of irreducible bubble diagrams could prove the conjecture of hep-th/0609033 on the termination of the loop expansion of thermodynamical quantities at a finite irreducible order.     

Tunable Fano resonances in silver–silica–silver multilayer nanoshells

We study the plasmonic properties of silver–silica–silver multilayer nanoshells using finite-difference time-domain methods. Silver is a weakly dissipating metal and is able to support higher order resonances compared to strongly dissipating metals like gold. We show that Fano resonances occur even in symmetric cases. Symmetry breaking via the introduction of core offset further enhances these Fano resonance peaks and leads to the appearance of higher order resonances. The optical properties of the multilayer nanoshells are explained using the plasmon hybridization theory and the results are compared to similar multilayer nanoshells with gold core and outer shell.     

The Cauchy Problem for Chern–Simons–Proca–Higgs Equations

We study initial value problems for Chern–Simons–Proca–Higgs equations. We prove that the Cauchy problem is locally well posed under the Lorentz gauge condition. In the case of repulsive potential, the global existence of the solution is proved using the covariant version of the Brezis–Gallouet inequality. In the case of attractive potential, we show that for initial data having negative energy, the solution has a finite time singularity.     

Gradient models of the axion–photon coupling

We establish an extended version of the Einstein–Maxwell-axion model by introducing into the Lagrangian cross-terms, which contain the gradient four-vector of the pseudoscalar (axion) field in convolution with the Maxwell tensor. The gradient model of the axion–photon coupling is applied to cosmology: we analyze the Bianchi-I type Universe with an initial magnetic field, electric field induced by the axion–photon interaction, cosmological constant and dark matter, which is described in terms of the pseudoscalar (axion) field. Analytical, qualitative and numerical results are presented in detail for two distinguished epochs: first, for the early Universe with magnetic field domination; second, for the stage of late-time accelerated expansion.     

Elementary Excitations of a Higgs–Yukawa System

This work investigates the physics of elementary excitations for the so-called relativistic quantum scalar plasma system, also known as the Higgs–Yukawa system. Following the Nemes–Piza–Kerman–Lin many-body procedure, the random-phase approximation (RPA) equations were obtained for this model by linearizing the time-dependent Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov equations of motion around equilibrium. The resulting equations have a closed solution, from which the spectrum of excitation modes are studied. We show that the RPA oscillatory modes give the one-boson and two-fermion states of the theory. The results indicate the existence of bound states in certain regions in the phase diagram. Applying these results to recent Large Hadron Collider observations concerning the mass of the Higgs boson, we determine limits for the intensity of the coupling constant g of the Higgs–Yukawa model, in the RPA mean-field approximation, for three decay channels of the Higgs boson. Finally, we verify that, within our approximations, only Higgs bosons with masses larger than 190 GeV/ $c^2$ can decay into top quarks.     

Higgs bosons in the left–right model

The model with the gauge group, containing one bidoublet and two triplets in the Higgs sector, is considered. The link between the constants determining the physical Higgs boson interactions and the neutrino oscillation parameters is found. It is shown that the observation of the ultrahigh-energy neutrinos with the help of the processes , gives us information on the singly charged Higgs bosons. The processes of the doubly charged Higgs bosons production, , are investigated. From the point of view of detecting the neutral Higgs bosons the process of the electron–muon recharge is studied. Received: 29 January 1999 / Revised version: 20 September 1999 / Published online: 3 February 2000     

Heavy neutral MSSM Higgs bosons at the photon linear collider — a comparison of two analyses

Measurement of the heavy neutral MSSM Higgs bosons H and A production in the process γγ → A/H → b at the Photon Linear Collider [1,2] has been considered in two independent analyses for the parameter range corresponding to the so-called ‘LHC wedge’. Significantly different conclusions were obtained; signal-to-background ratio 36 vs. 2. Here assumptions and results of these two analyses are compared. We have found that differences in the final results are mainly due to different assumptions on γγ-luminosity spectra, jet definitions and selection cuts.      

Quasinormal resonances of near-extremal Kerr–Newman black holes

We study analytically   the fundamental resonances of near-extremal, slowly rotating Kerr–Newman black holes. We find a simple analytic expression for these black-hole quasinormal frequencies in terms of the black-hole physical parameters: ω=mΩ−2iπTBH(l+1+n)$\omega =m\Omega -2i\pi T_{\mathrm{BH}}(l+1+n)$, where TBH$T_{\mathrm{BH}}$ and Ω are the temperature and angular velocity of the black hole. The mode parameters l and m   are the spheroidal harmonic index and the azimuthal harmonic index of a co-rotating mode, respectively. This analytical formula is valid in the regime ℑω?ℜω?M⁻¹$\Im \omega ?\Re \omega ?M^{\mathrm{-1}}$, where M is the black-hole mass.     

Vortex condensation in the dual Chern–Simons–Higgs model

The contribution of nontrivial vacuum (topological) excitations, more specifically vortex configurations of the self-dual Chern–Simons–Higgs model, to the functional partition function is considered. By using a duality transformation, we arrive at a representation of the partition function in terms of which explicit vortex degrees of freedom are coupled to a dual gauge field. By matching the obtained action to a field theory for the vortices, the physical properties of the model in the presence of vortex excitations are then studied. In terms of this field theory for vortices in the self-dual Chern–Simons–Higgs model, we determine the location of the critical value for the Chern–Simons parameter below which vortex condensation can happen in the system. The effects of self-energy quantum corrections to the vortex field are also considered.     

Electric-field-modified Feshbach resonances in ultracold atom–molecule collision

We present a detailed analysis of near zero-energy Feshbach resonances in ultracold collisions of atom and molecule,taking the He–PH system as an example, subject to superimposed electric and magnetic static fields. We find that the electric field can induce Feshbach resonance which cannot occur when only a magnetic field is applied, through couplings of the adjacent rotational states of different parities. We show that the electric field can shift the position of the magnetic Feshbach resonance, and change the amplitude of resonance significantly. Finally, we demonstrate that, for narrow magnetic Feshbach resonance as in most cases of ultracold atom–molecule collision, the electric field may be used to modulate the resonance, because the width of resonance in electric field scale is relatively larger than that in magnetic field scale.     

Surface versus volume emissions in photon–hadron correlations

High-p _T photon–hadron correlations are studied within the next-to-leading order (NLO) perturbative QCD parton model with modified parton-jet fragmentation functions due to jet quenching in high-energy A+A collisions. In central A+A collisions, the away-side hadrons with large z _T=p _T ^h /p _T ^γ are controlled mainly by the surface emission of the gamma-jet events, while a small z _T region will be volume emission bias. In other words, gamma jets for a small-z _T region probe the dense matter deeper than those gamma jets for a large-z _T region, so the small-z _T gamma jets are found to be slightly more sensitive to the properties of the dense matter than the large-z _T gamma jets.     

Magnetic tuning of exciton–photon resonance in II–VI microcavities

We demonstrate the effectiveness of the giant Zeeman effect in II–VI semimagnetic semiconductors to tune the exciton resonance of quantum wells onto the Fabry–Pérot resonance of a microcavity. A large oscillator strength of 3 × 10¹³cm⁻²per quantum well is deduced from the measured 10.6 meV vacuum Rabi splitting.