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A. Freitas

Publications and source records attributed to A. Freitas.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2008

Determining Heavy Mass Parameters in Supersymmetric SO(10) Models

Extrapolations of soft scalar mass parameters in supersymmetric theories can be used to explore elements of the physics scenario near the grand unification scale. We investigate the potential of this method in the lepton sector of SO(10) which incorporates right-handed neutrino superfields. The method is exemplified in two models by exploring limits on the precision that can be expected from coherent LHC and e+e- collider analyses in the reconstruction of the fundamental scalar mass parameters at the unification scale and of the D-terms related to the breaking of grand unification symmetries. In addition, the mass of the third-generation right-handed neutrino can be estimated in seesaw scenarios. Even though the models are simplified and not intended to account for all aspects of a final comprehensive SO(10) theory, they provide nevertheless a valid base for identifying essential elements that can be inferred on the fundamental high-scale theory from high-energy experiments.

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arXiv2008

Physics Beyond the Standard Model: Supersymmetry

This collection of studies on new physics at the LHC constitutes the report of the supersymmetry working group at the Workshop `Physics at TeV Colliders', Les Houches, France, 2007. They cover the wide spectrum of phenomenology in the LHC era, from alternative models and signatures to the extraction of relevant observables, the study of the MSSM parameter space and finally to the interplay of LHC observations with additional data expected on a similar time scale. The special feature of this collection is that while not each of the studies is explicitely performed together by theoretical and experimental LHC physicists, all of them were inspired by and discussed in this particular environment.

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arXiv2008

Phenomenology of the nMSSM from colliders to cosmology

Low energy supersymmetric models provide a solution to the hierarchy problem and also have the necessary ingredients to solve two of the most outstanding issues in cosmology: the origin of dark matter and baryonic matter. One of the most attractive features of this framework is that the relevant physical processes are related to interactions at the weak scale and therefore may be tested in collider experiments in the near future. This is true for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) as well as for its extension with the addition of one singlet chiral superfield, the so-called nMSSM. It has been recently shown that within the nMSSM an elegant solution to both the problem of baryogenesis and dark matter may be found, that relies mostly on the mixing of the singlet sector with the Higgs sector of the theory. In this work we review the nMSSM model constraints from cosmology and present the associated collider phenomenology at the LHC and the ILC. We show that the ILC will efficiently probe the neutralino, chargino and Higgs sectors, allowing to confront cosmological observations with computations based on collider measurements. We also investigate the prospects for a direct detection of dark matter and the constraints imposed by the current bounds of the electron electric dipole moment in this model.

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arXiv2007

Precision Measurement of a Particle Mass at the Linear Collider

Precision measurement of the stop mass at the ILC is done in a method based on cross-sections measurements at two different center-of-mass energies. This allows to minimize both the statistical and systematic errors. In the framework of the MSSM, a light stop, compatible with electro-weak baryogenesis, is studied in its decay into a charm jet and neutralino, the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle(LSP), as a candidate of dark matter. This takes place for a small stop-neutralino mass difference.

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arXiv2007

Precision Measurements of the Stop Quark Mass at the ILC

Most supersymmetric models predict new particles within the reach of the next generation of colliders. For an understanding of the model structure and the mechanism(s) of electroweak symmetry breaking, it is important to know the masses of the new particles precisely. The measurement of the mass of the scalar partner of the top quark (stop) at an e+e- collider is studied. A relatively light stop is motivated by attempts to explain electroweak baryogenesis and can play an important role in dark matter annihilation. A method is presented which makes use of cross-section measurements near the pair-production threshold as well as at higher center-of-mass energies. It is shown that this method does not only increase the statistical precision, but also reduces the influence of systematic uncertainties, which can be important. Numerical results are presented, based on a realistic event simulation, for two signal selection strategies: using conventional selection cuts, and using an Iterative Discriminant Analysis (IDA). While the analysis of stops is particularly challenging due to the possibility of stop hadronization and fragmentation, the general procedure could be applied to many precision mass measurements.

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arXiv2007

Astro Unparticle Physics

We investigate the effects of all flavor blind CP-conserving unparticle operators on 5th force experiments, stellar cooling, supernova explosions and compare the limits with each other and with those obtainable from collider experiments. In general, astrophysical bounds are considerably stronger, however they depend strongly on the dimension d_U of the unparticle operator. While for d_U=1, 5th force experiments yield exceedingly strong bounds, the bounds from stellar and supernova cooling are more comparable for d_U=2, with stellar cooling being most restrictive. Bounds on vectorial unparticle couplings are generally stronger than those on scalar ones.

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arXiv2007

Radiative corrections to co-annihilation processes

In co-annihilation scenarios, the weakly interacting dark matter particle (WIMP) is close in mass to another particle that can decay into the WIMP. As a result, both particles freeze out at roughly the same time in the early universe, and both contribute to the effective dark matter annihilation cross-section. Since the heavier particle does not need to be weakly interacting, the co-annihilation processes are in general subject to sizeable radiative corrections. Here this is analyzed for the example of neutralino-stop co-annihilation in supersymmetry. The leading QCD corrections are calculated and it is found that they have a large effect on the effective annihilation cross-section, reaching more than 50% in some regions of parameter space.

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arXiv2007

Supersymmetric large tan(beta) corrections to DeltaM_(d,s) and B_(d,s) -> mu+mu- revisited

We point out that in the minimal supersymmetric standard model terms from the mixing of Higgs and Goldstone bosons which are connected to the renormalization of tan(beta) via Slavnov-Taylor identities give rise to corrections that do not vanish in the limit where the supersymmetric particles are much heavier than the Higgs bosons. These additional contributions have important phenomenological implications as they can lead to potentially large supersymmetric effects in DeltaM_d and to a significant increase of DeltaM_s relative to the standard model prediction for a light pseudoscalar Higgs A0. We calculate all the missing one-loop pieces and combine them with the known effective non-holomorphic terms to obtain improved predictions for the B_(d,s)-anti-B_(d,s) mass differences DeltaM_(d,s) and the branching ratios of B_(d,s) -> mu+mu- in the large tan(beta) regime of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with minimal flavor violation.

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arXiv2006

Small Visible Energy Scalar Top Iterative Discriminant Analysis for Different Center-of-Mass Energies

Light scalar top quarks with a small mass difference with respect to the neutralino mass are of particular cosmological interest. This study uses an Iterative Discriminant Analysis method to optimize the expected selection efficiency at a International Linear Collider (ILC). A previous study at sqrt(s)=260 GeV with 50 fb-1 has been extended to sqrt(s)=500 GeV with 500 fb-1, and results from both studies are compared.

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arXiv2006

Electroweak two-loop corrections to the effective weak mixing angle

Recently exact results for the complete electroweak two-loop contributions to the effective weak mixing angle were published. This paper illustrates the techniques used for this computation, in particular the methods for evaluating the loop diagrams and the proper definition of Z-pole observables at next-to-next-to-leading order. Numerical results are presented in terms of simple parametrization formulae and compared in detail with a previous result of an expansion up to next-to-leading order in the top-quark mass. Finally, an estimate of the remaining theoretical uncertainties from unknown higher-order corrections is given.

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arXiv2006

Testing the SUSY-QCD Yukawa coupling in a combined LHC/ILC analysis

In order to establish supersymmetry (SUSY) at future colliders, the identity of gauge couplings and the corresponding Yukawa couplings between gauginos, sfermions and fermions needs to be verified. Here a first phenomenological study for determining the Yukawa coupling of the SUSY-QCD sector is presented, using a method which combines information from LHC and ILC.

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arXiv2006

Phenomenology of Mirror Fermions in the Littlest Higgs Model with T-Parity

Little Higgs models are an interesting alternative to explain electroweak symmetry breaking without fine-tuning. Supplemented with a discrete symmetry (T-parity) constraints from electroweak precision data are naturally evaded and also a viable dark matter candidate is obtained. T-parity implies the existence of new (mirror) fermions in addition to the heavy gauge bosons of the little Higgs models. In this paper we consider the effects of the mirror fermions on the phenomenology of the littlest Higgs model with T-parity at the LHC. We study the most promising production channels and decay chains for the new particles. We find that the mirror fermions have a large impact on the magnitude of signal rates and on the new physics signatures. Realistic background estimates are given.

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arXiv2006

Small Visible Energy Scalar Top Iterative Discriminant Analysis

Light scalar top quarks with a small mass difference with respect to the neutralino mass are of particular cosmological interest. This study uses an Iterative Discriminant Analysis method to optimize the expected selection efficiency at a International Linear Collider (ILC).

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arXiv2006

Collider searches and cosmology in the MSSM with heavy scalars

In a variety of supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, the scalar partners of the quarks and leptons are predicted to be very heavy and beyond the reach of next-generation colliders. For instance, the realization of electroweak baryogenesis in supersymmetry requires new sources of CP-violation, which can only be naturally accommodated with electric dipole moment constraints if the first and second generation scalar fermions are beyond the TeV scale. Also in focus-point supersymmetry and split supersymmetry the scalar fermions are very heavy. In this work, the phenomenology of scenarios with electroweak baryogenesis and in the focus point region at the LHC and ILC is studied, which becomes challenging due to the presence of heavy scalar fermions. Implications for the analysis of baryogenesis and dark matter are deduced. It is found that precision measurements of superpartner properties allow an accurate determination of the dark matter relic density in both scenarios, while important but only incomplete information about the baryogenesis mechanism can be obtained.

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arXiv2006

Bosonic Corrections to The Effective Weak Mixing Angle at O(alpha^2)

We present the complete bosonic contributions to the effective weak mixing angle, $\seff$, at the two-loop level in the electroweak interactions. We find their size to be about three times smaller than inferred from simple estimates from lower orders. In particular, for a Higgs boson mass, $M_H$, of 100 GeV they amount to $4 \times 10^{-6}$, and drop down by about an order of magnitude for $M_H = 200$ GeV. We estimate the intrinsic error of the theory prediction of $\seff$ to be $4.7 \times 10^{-5}$.

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arXiv2006

Scalar Top Quark Studies with Various Visible Energies

The precision determination of scalar top quark properties will play an important role at a future International Linear Collider (ILC). Recent and ongoing studies are discussed for different experimental topologies in the detector. First results are presented for small mass differences between the scalar top and neutralino masses. This corresponds to a small expected visible energy in the detector. An ILC will be a unique accelerator to explore this scenario. In addition to finding the existence of light stop quarks, the precise measurement of their properties is crucial for testing their impact on the dark matter relic abundance and the mechanism of electroweak baryogenesis. Significant sensitivity for mass differences down to 5 GeV are obtained. The simulation is based on a fast and realistic detector simulation. A vertex detector concept of the Linear Collider Flavor Identification (LCFI)collaboration, which studies pixel detectors for heavy quark flavour identification, is implemented in the simulations for c-quark tagging. The study extends simulations for large mass differences (large visible energy) for which aspects of different detector simulations, the vertex detector design, and different methods for the determination of the scalar top mass are discussed. Based on the detailed simulations we study the uncertainties for the dark matter density predictions and their estimated uncertainties from various sources. In the region of parameters where stop-neutralino co-annihilation leads to a value of the relic density consistent with experimental results, as precisely determined by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), the stop-neutralino mass difference is small and the ILC will be able to explore this region efficiently.

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arXiv2006

Les Houches "Physics at TeV Colliders 2005'' Beyond the Standard Model working group: summary report

The work contained herein constitutes a report of the "Beyond the Standard Model'' working group for the Workshop "Physics at TeV Colliders", Les Houches, France, 2-20 May, 2005. We present reviews of current topics as well as original research carried out for the workshop. Supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric models are studied, as well as computational tools designed in order to facilitate their phenomenology.

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