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A. Sopczak

Publications and source records attributed to A. Sopczak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Overview of ATLAS forward proton detectors: status, performance and new physics results

A key focus of the physics program at the LHC is the study of head-on proton-proton collisions. However, an important class of physics can be studied for cases where the protons narrowly miss one another and remain intact. In such cases, the electromagnetic fields surrounding the protons can interact producing high-energy photon-photon collisions. Alternatively, interactions mediated by the strong force can also result in intact forward scattered protons, providing probes of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In order to aid identification and provide unique information about these rare interactions, the instrumentation to detect and measure protons scattered through very small angles is installed in the beam pipe far downstream of the interaction point. We describe the ATLAS Forward Proton `Roman Pot' detectors (AFP and ALFA), their performance of Tracking and Time-of-Flight detectors, and first results.

hep-ex

Tau trigger at the ATLAS experiment

Many theoretical models, like the Standard Model or SUSY at large tan(beta), predict Higgs bosons or new particles which decay more abundantly to final states including tau leptons than to other leptons. At the energy scale of the LHC, the identification of tau leptons, in particular in the hadronic decay mode, will be a challenging task due to an overwhelming QCD background which gives rise to jets of particles that can be hard to distinguish from hadronic tau decays. Equipped with excellent tracking and calorimetry, the ATLAS experiment has developed tau identification tools capable of working at the trigger level. This contribution presents tau trigger algorithms which exploit the main features of hadronic tau decays and describes the current tau trigger commissioning activities.

hep-ex

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.

hep-ph

Studies of Spin Effects in Charged Higgs Boson Production with an Iterative Discriminant Analysis at the Tevatron and LHC

We report on detailed Monte Carlo comparisons of selection variables to separate tbH+ signal events from the Standard Model ttbar background using an Iterative Discriminant Analysis (IDA) method. While kinematic differences exist between the two processes whenever m(H+).ne.m(W+), the exploration of the spin difference between the charged Higgs and the W+ gauge boson becomes crucial in the particularly challenging case of near degeneracy of the charged Higgs boson mass with the W+ mass. The TAUOLA package is used to decay the tau leptons emerging from the charged Higgs and W+ boson decays taking the spin difference properly into account. We demonstrate that, even if the individual selection variables have limited discriminant power, the IDA method achieves a significant separation between the expected signal and background. For both Tevatron and LHC energies, the impact of the spin effects and H+ mass on the separation of signal and background has been studied quantitatively. The effect of a hard transverse momentum cut to remove QCD background has been studied and it is found that the spin effects remain important. The separation is expressed in purity versus efficiency curves. The study is performed for charged Higgs boson masses between the W+ mass and near the top mass.

hep-ph

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.

hep-ph

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.

hep-ph

Tevatron-for-LHC Report: Higgs

The search for Higgs bosons in both the standard model and its extensions is well under way at the Tevatron. As the integrated luminosity collected increases into the multiple inverse femptobarn range, these searches are becoming very interesting indeed. Meanwhile, the construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its associated experiments at CERN are nearing completion. In this TeV4LHC workshop, it was realized that any experience at the Tevatron with respect to backgrounds, experimental techniques and theoretical calculations that can be verified at the Tevatron which have relevance for future measurements at the LHC were important. Studies and contributions to these efforts were made in three broad categories: theoretical calculations of Higgs production and decay mechanisms; theoretical calculations and discussions pertaining to non-standard model Higgs bosons; and experimental reviews, analyses and developments at both the Tevatron and the upcoming LHC experiments. All of these contributions represent real progress towards the elucidation of the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking.

hep-ph

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.

hep-ph

Scalar Top Study: Detector Optimization

A vertex detector concept of the Linear Collider Flavour Identification (LCFI) collaboration, which studies pixel detectors for heavy quark flavour identification, has been implemented in simulations for c-quark tagging in scalar top studies. The production and decay of scalar top quarks (stops) is particularly interesting for the development of the vertex detector as only two c-quarks and missing energy (from undetected neutralinos) are produced for light stops. Previous studies investigated the vertex detector design in scenarios with large mass differences between stop and neutralino, corresponding to large visible energy in the detector. In this study we investigate the tagging performance dependence on the vertex detector design in a scenario with small visible energy for the International Linear Collider (ILC).

physics.ins-det

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).

hep-ph

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.

hep-ph

Toward High Precision Higgs-Boson Measurements at the International Linear e+e- Collider

This report reviews the properties of Higgs bosons in the Standard Model (SM) and its various extensions. We give an extensive overview about the potential of the ILC operated at centre-of-mass energies up to 1 TeV (including the gamma gamma option) for the determination of the Higgs boson properties. This comprises the measurement of the Higgs boson mass, its couplings to SM fermions and gauge bosons, and the determination of the spin and the CP quantum numbers of the Higgs. The extensions of the SM that are analyzed in more detail are heavy SM-like Higgs bosons, heavy Higgs bosons in the framework of Supersymmetry (SUSY) and further exotic scenarios. We review recent theoretical developments in the field of Higgs boson physics. The important question what the ILC can contribute to Higgs boson physics after the LHC, the LHC/ILC interplay and synergy is discussed. The impact of Higgs boson physics on cosmology in several SUSY frameworks is analyzed. The impact of the accelerator and dector performance on the precision of measurements are discussed in detail. We propose a strategy to optimize future analyses. Open questions arising for the various topics are listed, further topics of study and corresponding roadmaps are suggested.

hep-ph

Analysis of Stops With Small Stop-Neutralino Mass Difference at a LC

A compelling framework to explain dark matter and electroweak baryogenesis is supersymmetry with light scalar top quarks (stops) and a small mass difference between the stop and the lightest neutralino. In this work, the stop detection capability at the ILC for small mass differences between the stop and the neutralino is studied. The analysis is based on a fast and realistic detector simulation. Significant sensitivity for mass differences down to 5 GeV is obtained. It is discussed how the relevant parameters of the scalar tops can be extracted and used to compute the dark matter density in the universe.

hep-ph

Analyzing the Scalar Top Co-Annihilation Region at the ILC

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model opens the possibility of electroweak baryogenesis provided that the light scalar top quark (stop) is lighter than the top quark. In addition, the lightest neutralino is an ideal candidate to explain the existence of dark matter. For a light stop with mass close to the lightest neutralino, the stop-neutralino co-annihilation mechanism becomes efficient, thus rendering the predicted dark matter density compatible with observations. Such a stop may however remain elusive at hadron colliders. Here it is shown that a future linear collider provides a unique opportunity to detect and study the light stop. The production of stops with small stop-neutralino mass differences is studied in a detailed experimental analysis with a realistic detector simulation including a CCD vertex detector for flavor tagging. Furthermore, the linear collider, by precision measurements of superpartner masses and mixing angles, also allows to determine the dark matter relic density with an accuracy comparable to recent astrophysical observations.

hep-ph

A Test Facility for the International Linear Collider at SLAC End Station A, for Prototypes of Beam Delivery and IR Components

The SLAC Linac can deliver damped bunches with ILC parameters for bunch charge and bunch length to End Station A. A 10Hz beam at 28.5 GeV energy can be delivered there, parasitic with PEP-II operation. We plan to use this facility to test prototype components of the Beam Delivery System and Interaction Region. We discuss our plans for this ILC Test Facility and preparations for carrying out experiments related to collimator wakefields and energy spectrometers. We also plan an interaction region mockup to investigate effects from backgrounds and beam-induced electromagnetic interference.

physics.ins-det

The Higgs Working Group: Summary Report 2003

Theoretical progress in Higgs boson production and background processes is discussed with particular emphasis on QCD corrections at and beyond next-to-leading order as well as next-to-leading order electroweak corrections. The residual theoretical uncertainties of the investigated processes are estimated in detail. Moreover, recent investigations of the MSSM Higgs sector and other extensions of the SM Higgs sector are presented. The potential of the LHC and a high-energy linear e+e- collider for the measurement of Higgs couplings is analyzed.

hep-ph