QCD and Strongly Coupled Gauge Theories: Challenges and Perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.

Next-to-Minimal SOFTSUSY

We describe an extension to the SOFTSUSY program that provides for the calculation of the sparticle spectrum in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), where a chiral superfield that is a singlet of the Standard Model gauge group is added to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) fields. Often, a Z3 symmetry is imposed upon the model. SOFTSUSY can calculate the spectrum in this case as well as the case where general Z3 violating (denoted as ) terms are added to the soft supersymmetry breaking terms and the superpotential. The user provides a theoretical boundary condition for the couplings and mass terms of the singlet. Radiative electroweak symmetry breaking data along with electroweak and CKM matrix data are used as weak-scale boundary conditions. The renormalisation group equations are solved numerically between the weak scale and a high energy scale using a nested iterative algorithm. This paper serves as a manual to the NMSSM mode of the program, detailing the approximations and conventions used.

Dispersive approach to hadronic light-by-light scattering and the muon ɡ − 2

The largest uncertainties in the Standard Model calculation of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (ɡ − 2)μ come from hadronic contributions. In particular, it can be expected that in a few years the subleading hadronic light-by-light (HLbL) contribution will dominate the theory uncertainty. We present a dispersive description of the HLbL tensor. This new, model-independent approach opens up an avenue towards a data-driven determination of the HLbL contribution to the (ɡ − 2)μ.

Right-handed neutrino production rate at T > 160 GeV

The production rate of right-handed neutrinos from a Standard Model plasma at a temperature above a hundred GeV has previously been evaluated up to NLO in Standard Model couplings (g ~ 2/3) in relativistic (M ~ πT) and non-relativistic regimes (M ≫ πT), and up to LO in an ultrarelativistic regime (M ≲ gT). The last result necessitates an all-orders resummation of the loop expansion, accounting for multiple soft scatterings of the nearly light-like particles participating in 1↔2 reactions. In this paper we suggest how the regimes can be interpolated into a result applicable for any right-handed neutrino mass and at all temperatures above 160GeV. The results can also be used for determining the lepton number washout rate in models containing right-handed neutrinos. Numerical results are given in a tabulated form permitting for their incorporation into leptogenesis codes. We note that due to effects from soft Higgs bosons there is a narrow intermediate regime around M ~g 1/2 T in which our interpolation is phenomenological and a more precise study would be welcome.

One-loop SQCD corrections to the decay of top squarks to charm and neutralino in the generic MSSM

In this article we calculate the one-loop supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) corrections to the decay u˜1→cχ˜01 in the minimal supersymmetric standard model with generic flavor structure. This decay mode is phenomenologically important if the mass difference between the lightest squark u˜1 (which is assumed to be mainly stoplike) and the neutralino lightest supersymmetric particle χ˜01 is smaller than the top mass. In such a scenario u˜1→tχ˜01 is kinematically not allowed and searches for u˜1→Wbχ˜01 and u˜1→cχ˜01 are performed. A large decay rate for u˜1→cχ˜01 can weaken the LHC bounds from u˜1→Wbχ01 which are usually obtained under the assumption Br[u˜1→Wbχ01]=100%. We find the SQCD corrections enhance Γ[u˜1→cχ˜01] by approximately 10% if the flavor violation originates from bilinear terms. If flavor violation originates from trilinear terms, the effect can be ±50% or more, depending on the sign of At. We note that connecting a theory of supersymmetry breaking to LHC observables, the shift from the DR¯¯¯¯¯ to the on-shell mass is numerically very important for light stop decays.

Search for nonpointing and delayed photons in the diphoton and missing transverse momentum final state in 8 TeV pp collisions at the LHC using the ATLAS detector

A search has been performed, using the full 20.3  fb −1 data sample of 8 TeV proton-proton collisions collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC, for photons originating from a displaced vertex due to the decay of a neutral long-lived particle into a photon and an invisible particle. The analysis investigates the diphoton plus missing transverse momentum final state, and is therefore most sensitive to pair production of long-lived particles. The analysis technique exploits the capabilities of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter to make precise measurements of the flight direction, as well as the time of flight, of photons. No excess is observed over the Standard Model predictions for background. Exclusion limits are set within the context of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking models, with the lightest neutralino being the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle and decaying into a photon and gravitino with a lifetime in the range from 250 ps to about 100 ns.

Search for pair and single production of new heavy quarks that decay to a ℤ boson and a third-generation quark in pp collisions at √ s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for the production of new heavy quarks that decay to a Z boson and a third-generation Standard Model quark. In the case of a new charge +2/3 quark (T), the decay targeted is T → Zt, while the decay targeted for a new charge −1/3 quark (B) is B → Zb. The search is performed with a dataset corresponding to 20.3 fb−1 of pp collisions at √ s = 8TeV recorded in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Selected events contain a high transverse momentum Z boson candidate reconstructed from a pair of oppositely charged same-flavor leptons (electrons or muons), and are analyzed in two channels defined by the absence or presence of a third lepton. Hadronic jets, in particular those with properties consistent with the decay of a b-hadron, are also required to be present in selected events. Different requirements are made on the jet activity in the event in order to enhance the sensitivity to either heavy quark pair production mediated by the strong interaction, or single production mediated by the electroweak interaction. No significant excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is observed, and lower limits are derived on the mass of vector-like T and B quarks under various branching ratio hypotheses, as well as upper limits on the agnitude of electroweak coupling parameters.

Search for long-lived neutral particles decaying into lepton jets in proton-proton collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Several models of physics beyond the Standard Model predict neutral particles that decay into final states consisting of collimated jets of light leptons and hadrons (socalled “lepton jets”). These particles can also be long-lived with decay length comparable to, or even larger than, the LHC detectors’ linear dimensions. This paper presents the results of a search for lepton jets in proton-proton collisions at the centre-of-mass energy of √s = 8TeV in a sample of 20.3 fb−1 collected during 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Limits on models predicting Higgs boson decays to neutral long-lived lepton jets are derived as a function of the particle’s proper decay length.

Measurement of Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel in pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the production processes of the recently discovered Higgs boson is performed in the two-photon final state using 4.5  fb −1 of proton-proton collisions data at s √ =7  TeV and 20.3  fb −1 at s √ =8  TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The number of observed Higgs boson decays to diphotons divided by the corresponding Standard Model prediction, called the signal strength, is found to be μ=1.17±0.27 at the value of the Higgs boson mass measured by ATLAS, m H =125.4  GeV . The analysis is optimized to measure the signal strengths for individual Higgs boson production processes at this value of m H . They are found to be μ ggF =1.32±0.38 , μ VBF =0.8±0.7 , μ WH =1.0±1.6 , μ ZH =0.1 +3.7 −0.1 , and μ tt ¯ H =1.6 +2.7 −1.8 , for Higgs boson production through gluon fusion, vector-boson fusion, and in association with a W or Z boson or a top-quark pair, respectively. Compared with the previously published ATLAS analysis, the results reported here also benefit from a new energy calibration procedure for photons and the subsequent reduction of the systematic uncertainty on the diphoton mass resolution. No significant deviations from the predictions of the Standard Model are found.

Fiducial and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production measured in the four-lepton decay channel in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production in the H →ZZ* → 4ℓ decay channel are presented. The cross sections are determined within a fiducial phase space and corrected for detection efficiency and resolution effects. They are based on 20.3 fb−1 of pp collision data, produced at √s = 8 TeV centre-of-mass energy at the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector. The differential measurements are performed in bins of transverse momentum and rapidity of the four-lepton system, the invariant mass of the subleading lepton pair and the decay angle of the leading lepton pair with respect to the beam line in the four-lepton rest frame, as well as the number of jets and the transverse momentum of the leading jet. The measured cross sections are compared to selected theoretical calculations of the Standard Model expectations. No significant deviation from any of the tested predictions is found. c

Search for new resonances in Wѵ and ℤѵ final states in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This Letter presents a search for new resonances decaying to final states with a vector boson produced in association with a high transverse momentum photon, Vγ, with V=W(→ℓν)or Z(→ℓ+ℓ−), where ℓ =e or μ. The measurements use 20.3fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of √s=8TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are found, and production cross section limits are set at 95% confidence level. Masses of the hypothetical aT and ωT states of a benchmark Low Scale Technicolor model are excluded in the ranges [275, 960] GeVand [200, 700] ∪[750, 890] GeV, respectively. Limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a singlet scalar resonance decaying to Zγ final states have also been obtained for masses below 1180 GeV.

Search for new particles in events with one lepton and missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a search for new particles in events with one lepton (electron or muon) and missing transverse momentum using 20.3 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at TeX = 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess beyond Standard Model expectations is observed. A W ′ with Sequential Standard Model couplings is excluded at the 95% confidence level for masses up to 3.24 TeV. Excited chiral bosons (W *) with equivalent coupling strengths are excluded for masses up to 3.21 TeV. In the framework of an effective field theory limits are also set on the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross-section as well as the mass scale M * of the unknown mediating interaction for dark matter pair production in association with a leptonically decaying W.

Measurements of spin correlation in top-antitop quark events from proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

Measurements of spin correlation in top quark pair production are presented using data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC with proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6  fb −1 . Events are selected in final states with two charged leptons and at least two jets and in final states with one charged lepton and at least four jets. Four different observables sensitive to different properties of the top quark pair production mechanism are used to extract the correlation between the top and antitop quark spins. Some of these observables are measured for the first time. The measurements are in good agreement with the Standard Model prediction at next-to-leading-order accuracy.

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at √s=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 8TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4 (stat.) +3.2 −2.9 (syst.) ±1.2 (lumi) fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4 GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations.

Search for contact interactions and large extra dimensions in the dilepton channel using proton-proton collisions at s√ = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is conducted for non-resonant new phenomena in dielectron and dimuon final states, originating from either contact interactions or large extra spatial dimensions. The LHC 2012 proton–proton collision dataset recorded by the ATLAS detector is used, corresponding to 20 fb−1 at √ s = 8 TeV. The dilepton invariant mass spectrum is a discriminating variable in both searches, with the contact interaction search additionally utilizing the dilepton forward-backward asymmetry. No significant deviations from the Standard Model expectation are observed. Lower limits are set on the ℓℓqq contact interaction scale ʌ between 15.4 TeVand 26.3 TeV, at the 95%credibility level. For large extra spatial dimensions, lower limits are set on the string scale MS between 3.2 TeV to 5.0 TeV.