Two topics in elementary particle physics. I. Crossing as a group and elimination of exotic channels. II. Real parts of meson-nucleon forward scattering amplitudes.

I. Crossing transformations constitute a group of permutations under which the scattering amplitude is invariant. Using Mandelstem's analyticity, we decompose the amplitude into irreducible representations of this group. The usual quantum numbers, such as isospin or SU(3), are "crossing-invariant". Thus no higher symmetry is generated by crossing itself. However, elimination of certain quantum numbers in intermediate states is not crossing-invariant, and higher symmetries have to be introduced to make it possible. The current literature on exchange degeneracy is a manifestation of this statement. To exemplify application of our analysis, we show how, starting with SU(3) invariance, one can use crossing and the absence of exotic channels to derive the quark-model picture of the tensor nonet. No detailed dynamical input is used.

II. A dispersion relation calculation of the real parts of forward π^±p and K^±p scattering amplitudes is carried out under the assumption of constant total cross sections in the Serpukhov energy range. Comparison with existing experimental results as well as predictions for future high energy experiments are presented and discussed. Electromagnetic effects are found to be too small to account for the expected difference between the π^-p and π⁺p total cross sections at higher energies.

New theories in physics : proceedings of the XI Warsaw Symposium on Elementary Particle Physics, 23-27 May, 1988, Kazimierz, Poland /

Mode of access: Internet.

Introduction to elementary particle physics

Includes bibliography.

Elementary particles under the lens of the black holes

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A simple action for a free fractional spin particle

By studying classical realizations of the sl(2, R-fraktur sign) algebra in a two dimensional phase space (q,π), we have derived a continuous family of new actions for free fractional spin particles in 2 + 1 dimensions. For the case of light-like spin vector (SμSμ = 0), the action is remarkably simple. We show the appearence of the Zitterbewegung in the solutions of the equations of motion, and relate the actions to others in the literature at classical level. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.

Multiplicity and transverse momentum dependence of two- and four-particle correlations in pPb and PbPb collisions

Measurements of two- and four-particle angular correlations for charged particles emitted in pPb collisions are presented over a wide range in pseudorapidity and full azimuth. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 31nb-1, were collected during the 2013 LHC pPb run at a nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV by the CMS experiment. The results are compared to 2.76 TeV semi-peripheral PbPb collision data, collected during the 2011 PbPb run, covering a similar range of particle multiplicities. The observed correlations are characterized by the near-side (|δφ|≈0) associated pair yields and the azimuthal anisotropy Fourier harmonics (vn). The second-order (v2) and third-order (v3) anisotropy harmonics are extracted using the two-particle azimuthal correlation technique. A four-particle correlation method is also applied to obtain the value of v2 and further explore the multi-particle nature of the correlations. Both associated pair yields and anisotropy harmonics are studied as a function of particle multiplicity and transverse momentum. The associated pair yields, the four-particle v2, and the v3 become apparent at about the same multiplicity. A remarkable similarity in the v3 signal as a function of multiplicity is observed between the pPb and PbPb systems. Predictions based on the color glass condensate and hydrodynamic models are compared to the experimental results. © 2013 CERN.

Grand unified mass

A recent article on the unified theory of Elementary Particle Forces by Howard Georgi and Sheldon Glashow (September 1980, page 30) points out that the unification of strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions involves the appearance of particles having almost macroscopic masses of about a nanogram (~1014 GeV). Such superheavy particles seem to be an inevitable feature of most grand unified theories Gravitation is still, however, left out of these various schemes.

Noncommutative Gravitation as a Gauge Theory of Twisted Poincaré Symmetry

Gravitaation kvanttiteorian muotoilu on ollut teoreettisten fyysikkojen tavoitteena kvanttimekaniikan synnystä lähtien. Kvanttimekaniikan soveltaminen korkean energian ilmiöihin yleisen suhteellisuusteorian viitekehyksessä johtaa aika-avaruuden koordinaattien operatiiviseen ei-kommutoivuuteen. Ei-kommutoivia aika-avaruuden geometrioita tavataan myös avointen säikeiden säieteorioiden tietyillä matalan energian rajoilla. Ei-kommutoivan aika-avaruuden gravitaatioteoria voisi olla yhteensopiva kvanttimekaniikan kanssa ja se voisi mahdollistaa erittäin lyhyiden etäisyyksien ja korkeiden energioiden prosessien ei-lokaaliksi uskotun fysiikan kuvauksen, sekä tuottaa yleisen suhteellisuusteorian kanssa yhtenevän teorian pitkillä etäisyyksillä. Tässä työssä tarkastelen gravitaatiota Poincarén symmetrian mittakenttäteoriana ja pyrin yleistämään tämän näkemyksen ei-kommutoiviin aika-avaruuksiin. Ensin esittelen Poincarén symmetrian keskeisen roolin relativistisessa fysiikassa ja sen kuinka klassinen gravitaatioteoria johdetaan Poincarén symmetrian mittakenttäteoriana kommutoivassa aika-avaruudessa. Jatkan esittelemällä ei-kommutoivan aika-avaruuden ja kvanttikenttäteorian muotoilun ei-kommutoivassa aika-avaruudessa. Mittasymmetrioiden lokaalin luonteen vuoksi tarkastelen huolellisesti mittakenttäteorioiden muotoilua ei-kommutoivassa aika-avaruudessa. Erityistä huomiota kiinnitetään näiden teorioiden vääristyneeseen Poincarén symmetriaan, joka on ei-kommutoivan aika-avaruuden omaama uudentyyppinen kvanttisymmetria. Seuraavaksi tarkastelen ei-kommutoivan gravitaatioteorian muotoilun ongelmia ja niihin kirjallisuudessa esitettyjä ratkaisuehdotuksia. Selitän kuinka kaikissa tähänastisissa lähestymistavoissa epäonnistutaan muotoilla kovarianssi yleisten koordinaattimunnosten suhteen, joka on yleisen suhteellisuusteorian kulmakivi. Lopuksi tutkin mahdollisuutta yleistää vääristynyt Poincarén symmetria lokaaliksi mittasymmetriaksi --- gravitaation ei-kommutoivan mittakenttäteorian saavuttamisen toivossa. Osoitan, että tällaista yleistystä ei voida saavuttaa vääristämällä Poincarén symmetriaa kovariantilla twist-elementillä. Näin ollen ei-kommutoivan gravitaation ja vääristyneen Poincarén symmetrian tutkimuksessa tulee jatkossa keskittyä muihin lähestymistapoihin.

Single top quark events at Fermilab

According to a press release dated 9 March 2009, the two experiments CDF (Collider Detector at Fermilab) and DZero have announced the discovery of ‘single top quark’ events, which represent a spectacular discovery and confirmation of the standard model of elementary particle physics. The results of their findings are now available as preprints which have been submitted for publication in Physical Review Letters1,2.

Acceleration of the Cosmological Expansion as an Effect of Inhomogeneities

The cosmological observations of light from type Ia supernovae, the cosmic microwave background and the galaxy distribution seem to indicate that the expansion of the universe has accelerated during the latter half of its age. Within standard cosmology, this is ascribed to dark energy, a uniform fluid with large negative pressure that gives rise to repulsive gravity but also entails serious theoretical problems. Understanding the physical origin of the perceived accelerated expansion has been described as one of the greatest challenges in theoretical physics today. In this thesis, we discuss the possibility that, instead of dark energy, the acceleration would be caused by an effect of the nonlinear structure formation on light, ignored in the standard cosmology. A physical interpretation of the effect goes as follows: due to the clustering of the initially smooth matter with time as filaments of opaque galaxies, the regions where the detectable light travels get emptier and emptier relative to the average. As the developing voids begin to expand the faster the lower their matter density becomes, the expansion can then accelerate along our line of sight without local acceleration, potentially obviating the need for the mysterious dark energy. In addition to offering a natural physical interpretation to the acceleration, we have further shown that an inhomogeneous model is able to match the main cosmological observations without dark energy, resulting in a concordant picture of the universe with 90% dark matter, 10% baryonic matter and 15 billion years as the age of the universe. The model also provides a smart solution to the coincidence problem: if induced by the voids, the onset of the perceived acceleration naturally coincides with the formation of the voids. Additional future tests include quantitative predictions for angular deviations and a theoretical derivation of the model to reduce the required phenomenology. A spin-off of the research is a physical classification of the cosmic inhomogeneities according to how they could induce accelerated expansion along our line of sight. We have identified three physically distinct mechanisms: global acceleration due to spatial variations in the expansion rate, faster local expansion rate due to a large local void and biased light propagation through voids that expand faster than the average. A general conclusion is that the physical properties crucial to account for the perceived acceleration are the growth of the inhomogeneities and the inhomogeneities in the expansion rate. The existence of these properties in the real universe is supported by both observational data and theoretical calculations. However, better data and more sophisticated theoretical models are required to vindicate or disprove the conjecture that the inhomogeneities are responsible for the acceleration.

Consequences of Supersymmetry in the Early Universe

Currently, we live in an era characterized by the completion and first runs of the LHC accelerator at CERN, which is hoped to provide the first experimental hints of what lies beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. In addition, the last decade has witnessed a new dawn of cosmology, where it has truly emerged as a precision science. Largely due to the WMAP measurements of the cosmic microwave background, we now believe to have quantitative control of much of the history of our universe. These two experimental windows offer us not only an unprecedented view of the smallest and largest structures of the universe, but also a glimpse at the very first moments in its history. At the same time, they require the theorists to focus on the fundamental challenges awaiting at the boundary of high energy particle physics and cosmology. What were the contents and properties of matter in the early universe? How is one to describe its interactions? What kind of implications do the various models of physics beyond the Standard Model have on the subsequent evolution of the universe? In this thesis, we explore the connection between in particular supersymmetric theories and the evolution of the early universe. First, we provide the reader with a general introduction to modern day particle cosmology from two angles: on one hand by reviewing our current knowledge of the history of the early universe, and on the other hand by introducing the basics of supersymmetry and its derivatives. Subsequently, with the help of the developed tools, we direct the attention to the specific questions addressed in the three original articles that form the main scientific contents of the thesis. Each of these papers concerns a distinct cosmological problem, ranging from the generation of the matter-antimatter asymmetry to inflation, and finally to the origin or very early stage of the universe. They nevertheless share a common factor in their use of the machinery of supersymmetric theories to address open questions in the corresponding cosmological models.

Geant4 Hadronic Cascade Models and CMS Data Analysis : Computational Challenges in the LHC era

This work belongs to the field of computational high-energy physics (HEP). The key methods used in this thesis work to meet the challenges raised by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) era experiments are object-orientation with software engineering, Monte Carlo simulation, the computer technology of clusters, and artificial neural networks. The first aspect discussed is the development of hadronic cascade models, used for the accurate simulation of medium-energy hadron-nucleus reactions, up to 10 GeV. These models are typically needed in hadronic calorimeter studies and in the estimation of radiation backgrounds. Various applications outside HEP include the medical field (such as hadron treatment simulations), space science (satellite shielding), and nuclear physics (spallation studies). Validation results are presented for several significant improvements released in Geant4 simulation tool, and the significance of the new models for computing in the Large Hadron Collider era is estimated. In particular, we estimate the ability of the Bertini cascade to simulate Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) hadron calorimeter HCAL. LHC test beam activity has a tightly coupled cycle of simulation-to-data analysis. Typically, a Geant4 computer experiment is used to understand test beam measurements. Thus an another aspect of this thesis is a description of studies related to developing new CMS H2 test beam data analysis tools and performing data analysis on the basis of CMS Monte Carlo events. These events have been simulated in detail using Geant4 physics models, full CMS detector description, and event reconstruction. Using the ROOT data analysis framework we have developed an offline ANN-based approach to tag b-jets associated with heavy neutral Higgs particles, and we show that this kind of NN methodology can be successfully used to separate the Higgs signal from the background in the CMS experiment.

Heavy-light mesons on a lattice

Several excited states of Ds and Bs mesons have been discovered in the last six years: BaBar, Cleo and Belle discovered the very narrow states D(s0)*(2317)+- and D(s1)(2460)+- in 2003, and CDF and DO Collaborations reported the observation of two narrow Bs resonances, B(s1)(5830)0 and B*(s2)(5840)0 in 2007. To keep up with experiment, meson excited states should be studied from the theoretical aspect as well. The theory that describes the interaction between quarks and gluons is quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this thesis the properties of the meson states are studied using the discretized version of the theory - lattice QCD. This allows us to perform QCD calculations from first principles, and "measure" not just energies but also the radial distributions of the states on the lattice. This gives valuable theoretical information on the excited states, as we can extract the energy spectrum of a static-light meson up to D wave states (states with orbital angular momentum L=2). We are thus able to predict where some of the excited meson states should lie. We also pay special attention to the order of the states, to detect possible inverted spin multiplets in the meson spectrum, as predicted by H. Schnitzer in 1978. This inversion is connected to the confining potential of the strong interaction. The lattice simulations can also help us understand the strong interaction better, as the lattice data can be treated as "experimental" data and used in testing potential models. In this thesis an attempt is made to explain the energies and radial distributions in terms of a potential model based on a one-body Dirac equation. The aim is to get more information about the nature of the confining potential, as well as to test how well the one-gluon exchange potential explains the short range part of the interaction.

Applications of Gauge/Gravity Duality to QCD and Heavy Ion Collisions

The description of quarks and gluons, using the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), has been known for a long time. Nevertheless, many fundamental questions in QCD remain unanswered. This is mainly due to problems in solving the theory at low energies, where the theory is strongly interacting. AdS/CFT is a duality between a specific string theory and a conformal field theory. Duality provides new tools to solve the conformal field theory in the strong coupling regime. There is also some evidence that using the duality, one can get at least qualitative understanding of how QCD behaves at strong coupling. In this thesis, we try to address some issues related to QCD and heavy ion collisions, applying the duality in various ways.