SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

Adil Jueid

Publications and source records attributed to Adil Jueid.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Global fits and the search for new physics: past, present and future

In this work, we review the history and current role of global fits in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model~(BSM), including precision tests of the Standard Model (SM). Although BSM global fits were initially focused on minimal supersymmetric models, we describe how fits have evolved in response to new data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and elsewhere, expanding to encompass a broad spectrum of BSM scenarios including non-minimal supersymmetry, axion-like particles, extended Higgs sectors, dark matter models, and effective field theories such as SMEFT. We discuss how the role of global fits has shifted from forecasting possible signals of new physics at the LHC to understanding the impact of null results from LHC run-I and II and the discovery of the Higgs boson, and how interest has shifted from global fits for parameter estimation to comprehensive model comparison. We close by discussing potential trends and future applications, emphasizing the potential for machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance the efficiency of sampling algorithms and comparison between theory and experiment, as well as collaboration and software development.

hep-ph

Deep learning approaches to top FCNC couplings to photons at the LHC

We investigate the sensitivity of the LHC to flavour-changing neutral current interactions involving the top quark and a photon using a model-independent effective field theory framework, focusing on two complementary processes: single top production via $qg \to t\gamma$ and the rare decay $t \to q\gamma$ in top pair events. To enhance signal discrimination, we employ a range of deep learning classifiers, including multi-layer perceptrons, graph attention networks and transformers, and compare them against a traditional cut-based analysis. Our results demonstrate that attention-based architectures, in particular transformer networks, significantly outperform other strategies, yielding up to a factor of five improvement in the expected exclusion limits. In particular, we show that at the high-luminosity LHC, rare top branching ratios can be probed down to values as low as $10^{-6}$. Our results thus highlight the significant potential of attention-based architectures for improving the sensitivity to new physics signatures in top quark processes at colliders.

hep-ph

Progress in ${\cal CP}$ violating top-Higgs coupling at the LHC with Machine Learning

A precise measurement of the top-Higgs coupling is essential in particle physics, as it offers a powerful probe of potential new physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM), particularly scenarios involving ${\cal CP}$ violation, which is a key condition in addressing the problem of baryon asymmetry of the universe. In this article, we review the recent progress in the studies of the the top-Higgs coupling at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We briefly highlight the recent Machine Learning (ML) algorithms being used and their role in constraining the ${\cal CP}$ phase of the top-Higgs coupling with an emphasis on the future potential of beyond-the-traditional methods such as transformers and heterogeneous graphs in these studies.

hep-ph

A Robust Determination of Antinuclei Production from Dark Matter via Weakly Decaying Beauty Hadrons

Recently, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) Collaboration presented tentative evidence for the detection of cosmic antihelion-3 (${}^3\overline{\rm He}$) events, alongside a comparable number of antideuterons ($\overline{\rm D}$). If confirmed, these observations could revolutionize our understanding of cosmic-ray production and propagation and/or serve as compelling indirect evidence for dark matter. Given that the detection of cosmic $\overline{\rm D}$ is already at the limit of AMS-02 sensitivity, explaining the observation of ${}^3\overline{\rm He}$ even within the standard coalescence framework poses a significant challenge. It has recently been shown that a previously overlooked mechanism within the Standard Model of particle physics-namely, the production of antihelion via the displaced-vertex decay of $\bar{\Lambda}_b^0$ baryons-could substantially enhance the ${}^3\overline{\rm He}$ flux arising from dark matter-induced processes. In light of these challenges, we present a tuning of Pythia that is consistent with LEP data on the fragmentation function of $b$ quarks into $b$-hadrons-a critical factor for determining the $\bar{\Lambda}_b^0$ multiplicity-and with ALICE and ALEPH data for the $\overline{\rm D}$ and ${}^3\overline{\rm He}$ spectra, which we employ to determine our coalescence model. Our refined Pythia tuning, in conjunction with our coalescence model, results in a predicted branching ratio for the production of ${}^3\overline{\rm He}$ from $\bar{\Lambda}_b^0$ decays that is consistent with the recent upper limit measured by LHCb. Furthermore, our prediction indicates that the contribution of $\overline{\rm D}$ and ${}^3\overline{\rm He}$ from beauty-hadron decays is negligible relative to the direct production from hadronization.

hep-ph

Reinterpretation and preservation of data and analyses in HEP

Data from particle physics experiments are unique and are often the result of a very large investment of resources. Given the potential scientific impact of these data, which goes far beyond the immediate priorities of the experimental collaborations that obtain them, it is imperative that the collaborations and the wider particle physics community publish and preserve sufficient information to ensure that this impact can be realised, now and into the future. The information to be published and preserved includes the algorithms, statistical information, simulations and the recorded data. This publication and preservation requires significant resources, and should be a strategic priority with commensurate planning and resource allocation from the earliest stages of future facilities and experiments.

hep-ph

CosmiXs: Improved spectra for dark matter indirect detection

The spectra of stable particles produced from dark matter (DM) are one of the most important ingredients to calculate the fluxes for DM indirect detection experiments. At energies above a few GeV, most of the particles are produced following a complex sequence of phenomena including resonance decays, QED and QCD final-state radiation, radiation of weak gauge bosons, hadronization and hadron decays. In this contribution, we discuss improvements on the calculation of the energy spectra at the source using state-of-the-art tools that include effects that were not taken previously into account. We include helicity information of the particles produced in the annihilation channels, which leads to proper inclusion of electroweak radiation during the entire showering history. These effects are taken into account using the Vincia, which is based on the helicity-dependent antenna shower formalism. Off-shell contributions are also taken into account for annihilation channels into $WW$ and $ZZ$ through the four-body processes into fermions and for DM masses below the gauge boson mass. We also revisit the tune of the Lund fragmentation function parameters in Pythia using LEP data at the $Z$-boson pole. The spectra of cosmic messengers are provided for DM masses between 5 GeV and 100 GeV and are publicly distributed in this \href{https://github.com/ajueid/CosmiXs.git}{GitHub repository}.

hep-ph

Nailing down the theoretical uncertainties of $\overline{\rm D}$ spectrum produced from dark matter

The detection of cosmic antideuterons ($\overline{\rm D}$) at kinetic energies below a few GeV/n could provide a smoking gun signature for dark matter (DM). However, the theoretical uncertainties of coalescence models have represented so far one of the main limiting factors for precise predictions of the $\overline{\rm D}$ flux. In this Letter we present a novel calculation of the $\overline{\rm D}$ source spectra, based on the Wigner formalism, for which we implement the Argonne $v_{18}$ antideuteron wavefunction that does not have any free parameters related to the coalescence process. We show that the Argonne Wigner model excellently reproduces the $\overline{\rm D}$ multiplicity measured by ALEPH at the $Z$-boson pole, which is usually adopted to tune the coalescence models based on different approaches. Our analysis is based on Pythia~8 Monte Carlo event generator and the state-of-the-art Vincia shower algorithm. We succeed, with our model, to reduce the current theoretical uncertainty on the prediction of the $\overline{\rm D}$ source spectra to a few percent, for $\overline{\rm D}$ kinetic energies relevant to DM searches with GAPS and AMS, and for DM masses above a few tens of GeV. This result implies that the theoretical uncertainties due to the coalescence process are no longer the main limiting factor in the predictions. We provide the tabulated source spectra for all the relevant DM annihilation/decay channels and DM masses between 5 GeV and 100 TeV, on the CosmiXs github repository (https://github.com/ajueid/CosmiXs.git).

astro-ph.HE

Top quark flavor changing neutral currents at Future Linear Colliders

We discuss the production and the decay of top quark through flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) interaction at future linear colliders. We first discuss the theoretical predictions of top quark FCNC decays into $qH$ and $qZ$ within a class of $t$-channel simplified dark matter models. For the existing bounds on the top quark FCNC interactions at the Large Hadron Collider, we estimate the production rates of top quark through FCNC interactions at future linear colliders for energies from $250$ GeV to $3$ TeV.

hep-ph

Boosting probes of CP violation in the top Yukawa coupling with Deep Learning

The precise measurement of the top-Higgs coupling is crucial in particle physics, offering insights into potential new physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) carrying {\cal CP} Violation (CPV) effects. In this paper, we explore the {\cal CP} properties of a Higgs boson coupling with a top quark pair, focusing on events where the Higgs state decays into a pair of $b$-quarks and the top-antitop system decays leptonically. The novelty of our analysis resides in the exploitation of two conditional Deep Learning (DL) networks: a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and a Graph Convolution Network (GCN). These models are trained for selected CPV phase values and then used to interpolate all possible values ranging from $0$ to $\pi/2$. This enables a comprehensive assessment of sensitivity across all {\cal CP} phase values, thereby streamlining the process as the models are trained only once. Notably, the conditional GCN exhibits superior performance over the conditional MLP, owing to the nature of graph-based Neural Network (NN) structures. Specifically, for Higgs top coupling modifier set to 1, with $\sqrt{s}= 13.6$ TeV and integrated luminosity of $3$ ab$^{-1}$ GCN excludes the {\cal CP} phase larger than $5^\circ$ at $95.4\%$ Confidence Level (C.L). Our Machine Learning (ML) informed findings indicate that assessment of the {\cal CP} properties of the Higgs coupling to the $t\bar t$ pair can be within reach of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), quantitatively surpassing the sensitivity of more traditional approaches.

hep-ph

Probing Zee-Babu states at Muon Colliders

The Zee-Babu model is a minimal realization of radiative neutrino mass generation mechanism at the two-loop level. We study the phenomenology of this model at future multi-TeV muon colliders. After imposing all theoretical and low-energy experimental constraints on the model parameters, we find that the Zee-Babu states are expected not to reside below the TeV scale, making it challenging to probe them at the LHC. We first analyze the production rates for various channels, including multi singly-charged and/or doubly-charged scalars at muon colliders. For concreteness, we study several benchmark points that satisfy neutrino oscillation data and other constraints and find that most channels have large production rates. We then analyze the discovery reach of the model using two specific channels: the pair production of singly- and doubly-charged scalars. For the phenomenologically viable scenarios considered in this study, charged scalars with masses up to ${\cal O}(3$--$4)$ TeV can be probed for the center-of-mass energy of $10$ TeV and total luminosity of $10~{\rm ab}^{-1}$.

hep-ph

A novel search strategy for right-handed charged gauge bosons at the Large Hadron Collider

We explore the potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in detecting a signal originating from the production of a heavy $SU(2)_R$ charged gauge boson that then decays into a top-bottom quark pair via the mediation of a right-handed neutrino, $p p \to W_R \to N_R \ell \to (\ell' t b)\ell$. Such a channel, that we study in the context of the minimal Left-Right Symmetric Model, contrasts with conventional smoking-gun signatures targeted experimentally and phenomenologically in which only light quarks are involved. We propose a selection strategy aimed at extracting such a top-bottom signal and we estimate the resulting sensitivity of the LHC to the model. Our results demonstrate the potential impact of such a search and we therefore urge the experimental collaborations to carry out a similar analysis in the light of present and future data.

hep-ph

Dark matter as the trigger of flavor changing neutral current decays of the top quark

We suggest a simplified model that simultaneously addresses the dark-matter problem and give rise to top quark flavor changing neutral current (FCNC) interactions at the one-loop order. The model consists of two extra $SU(2)_L$ gauge singlets: a colored mediator of spin zero ($S$) and a right-handed fermion ($χ$) both are odd under an ad-hoc $Z_2$ symmetry. The right-handed fermion plays the role of the dark-matter candidate. In this model, the presence of the two dark sector particles generates one-loop induced FCNC decays of the top quark into light quarks and bosons such as the gluon, the photon, the $Z$-boson or the Higgs boson. As a case study, we analyze the top quark FCNC decays into light quarks ($u$ or $c$) and a $Z$ or Higgs bosons. We then study the reliable solutions to the dark-matter problem by estimating the regions in the parameter space that are consistent with the \textsc{Planck} measurement of the dark-matter relic density. We also revisit the bounds from the searches of dark matter in events with at least one high-$p_T$ jet and large missing transverse energy at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We then define four benchmark points that are consistent with the existing constraints from collider experiments and cosmology. We finally estimate, for these benchmark scenarios, the rates of a broad range of channels that can be used to probe the connection between the top FCNC transitions and dark matter both at the HL-LHC and a future $100$ TeV collider.

hep-ph

Cosmological domain walls from the breaking of $\mathbf{S_4}$ flavor symmetry

In this work, we delve into the often-overlooked cosmological implications of spontaneous breaking of non-Abelian discrete groups, specifically focusing on the formation of domain walls in the case of $S_{4}$ flavor symmetry. In particular, we investigate three interesting breaking patterns of the $S_4$ group and study the structure of the domain walls in the broken phase for three possible residual symmetries. The presentation of domain walls in the case of multiple vacua is usually complicated, which therefore implies that most of the analyzes only approximate their presentation. Here, we propose a subtle way to represent the $S_{4}$ domain wall networks by presenting the vacua in each breaking pattern as vectors with their components corresponding to their coordinates in the flavon space. Then, through the properties of the obtained vectors, we find that the domain wall networks can be represented by Platonic or Archimedean solids where the vertices represent the degenerate vacua while the edges correspond to the domain walls that separate them. As an illustration, we propose a type-II seesaw model that is based on the $S_{4}$ flavor symmetry, and study its phenomenological implications on the neutrino sector. To solve the domain wall problem within this toy model, we consider an approach based on high-dimensional effective operators induced by gravity that explicitly break the structure of the induced vacua favoring one vacuum over the others.

hep-ph

CosmiXs: Cosmic messenger spectra for indirect dark matter searches

The energy spectra of particles produced from dark matter (DM) annihilation or decay are one of the fundamental ingredients to calculate the predicted fluxes of cosmic rays and radiation searched for in indirect DM detection. We revisit the calculation of the source spectra for annihilating and decaying DM using the Vincia shower algorithm in Pythia to include QED and QCD final state radiation and diagrams for the Electroweak (EW) corrections with massive bosons, not present in the default Pythia shower model. We take into account the spin information of the particles during the entire EW shower and the off-shell contributions from massive gauge bosons. Furthermore, we perform a dedicated tuning of the Vincia and Pythia parameters to LEP data on the production of pions, photons, and hyperons at the $Z$ resonance and discuss the underlying uncertainties. To enable the use of our results in DM studies, we provide the tabulated source spectra for the most relevant cosmic messenger particles, namely antiprotons, positrons, $γ$ rays and the three neutrino flavors, for all the fermionic and bosonic channels and DM masses between 5 GeV and 100 TeV, on https://github.com/ajueid/CosmiXs.git.

astro-ph.HE

Boosting dark matter searches at muon colliders with Machine Learning: the mono-Higgs channel as a case study

The search for dark-matter (DM) candidates at high-energy colliders is one of the most promising avenues to understand the nature of this elusive component of the universe. Several searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have strongly constrained a wide range of simplified models. The combination of the bounds from the LHC with direct-detection experiments exclude the most minimal scalar singlet DM model. To address this, Lepton portal DM models are suitable candidates where DM is predominantly produced at lepton colliders since the DM candidate only interacts with the lepton sector through a mediator that carries a lepton number. In this work, we analyse the production of DM pairs in association with a Higgs boson decaying into two bottom quarks at future muon colliders in the framework of the minimal lepton portal DM model. It is found that the usual cut-based analysis methods fail to probe heavy DM masses for both the resolved (where the decay products of the Higgs boson can be resolved as two well-separated small-$R$ jets) and the merged (where the Higgs boson is clustered as one large-$R$ jet). We have then built a search strategy based on Boosted-Decision Trees (BDTs). We have optimised the hyperparameters of the BDT model to both have a high signal-to-background ratio and to avoid overtraining effects. We have found very important enhancements of the signal significance with respect to the cut-based analysis by factors of $8$--$50$ depending on the regime (resolved or merged) and the benchmark points. Using this BDT model on a one-dimensional parameter space scan we found that future muon colliders with $\sqrt{s}=3$ TeV and ${\cal L} = 1~{\rm ab}^{-1}$ can exclude DM masses up to $1$ TeV at the $95\%$ CL.

hep-ph

Exploring lepton flavor violation phenomena of the $Z$ and Higgs bosons at electron-proton colliders

We comprehensively study the potential for discovering lepton flavor violation (LFV) phenomena associated with the $Z$ and Higgs bosons at the LHeC and FCC-he. Our meticulous investigation reveals the remarkable suitability of electron-proton colliders for probing these rare new physics signals. This is due to the distinct advantages they offer, including negligible pileups, minimal QCD backgrounds, electron-beam polarization $P_e$, and the capability of distinguishing the charged-current from neutral-current processes. In our pursuit of LFV of the $Z$ boson, we employ an innovative indirect probe, utilizing the $t$-channel mediation of the $Z$ boson in the process $p e^- \to j τ^-$. For LFV in the Higgs sector, we scrutinize direct observations of the on-shell decays of $H\to e^+τ^-$ and $H\to μ^\pmτ^\mp$ through the charged-current production of $H$. Focusing on $H\to e^+τ^-$ proves highly efficient due to the absence of positron-related backgrounds in the charged-current modes at electron-proton colliders. Through a dedicated signal-to-background analysis with the boosted decision tree algorithm, we demonstrate that the LHeC with the total integrated luminosity of $1{\,{\rm ab}^{-1}}$ can put significantly lower $2σ$ bounds than the HL-LHC with $3{\,{\rm ab}^{-1}}$. Specifically, we find ${\rm{Br}}(Z\to eτ)< 2.2 \times 10^{-7}$, ${\rm{Br}}(H\to eτ) <1.7 \times 10^{-4} $, and ${\rm{Br}}(H\to μτ) < 1.0 \times 10^{-4}$. Furthermore, our study uncovers the exceptional precision of the FCC-he in measuring the LFV signatures of the $Z$ and Higgs bosons, which indicates the potential for future discoveries in this captivating field.

hep-ph

The Strong Force meets the Dark Sector: a robust estimate of QCD uncertainties for anti-matter dark matter searches

In dark-matter annihilation channels to hadronic final states, stable particles -- such as positrons, photons, antiprotons, and antineutrinos -- are produced via complex sequences of phenomena including QED/QCD radiation, hadronisation, and hadron decays. These processes are normally modelled by Monte Carlo event generators whose limited accuracy imply intrinsic QCD uncertainties on the predictions for indirect-detection experiments like Fermi-LAT, Pamela, IceCube or AMS-02. In this article, we perform a complete analysis of QCD uncertainties in antimatter spectra from dark-matter annihilation, based on parametric variations of the Pythia 8 event generator. After performing several retunings of light-quark fragmentation functions, we define a set of variations that span a conservative estimate of the QCD uncertainties. We estimate the effects on antimatter spectra for various annihilation channels and final-state particle species, and discuss their impact on fitted values for the dark-matter mass and thermally-averaged annihilation cross section. We find dramatic impacts which can go up to $\mathcal{O}(40)$ GeV for uncertainties on the dark-matter mass and up to $\mathcal{O}(10\%)$ for the annihilation cross section. We provide the spectra in tabulated form including QCD uncertainties and code snippets to perform fast dark-matter fits, in this https://github.com/ajueid/qcd-dm.github.io.git repository.

hep-ph

Impact of QCD uncertainties on antiproton spectra from dark-matter annihilation

Dark-matter particles that annihilate or decay can undergo complex sequences of processes, including strong and electromagnetic radiation, hadronisation, and hadron decays, before particles that are stable on astrophysical time scales are produced. Antiprotons produced in this way may leave footprints in experiments such as AMS--02. Several groups have reported an excess of events in the antiproton flux in the rigidity range of $10$--$20$ GV. However, the theoretical modeling of baryon production is not straightforward and relies in part on phenomenological models in Monte Carlo event generators. In this work, we assess the impact of QCD uncertainties on the spectra of antiprotons from dark-matter annihilation. As a proof-of-principle, we show that for a two-parameter model that depends only on the thermally-averaged annihilation cross section ($\langle σv \rangle$) and the dark-matter mass ($M_χ$), QCD uncertainties can affect the best-fit mass by up to $\sim 14 \%$ (with large uncertainties for large DM masses), depending on the choice of $M_χ$ and the annihilation channel ($b\bar{b}$ or $W^+ W^-$), and $\langle σv \rangle$ by up to $\sim 10\%$. For comparison, changes to the underlying diffusion parameters are found to be within $1\%$--$5\%$, and the results are also quite resilient to the choice of cosmic-ray propagation model. These findings indicate that QCD uncertainties need to be included in future DM analyses. To facilitate full-fledged analyses, we provide the spectra in tabulated form including QCD uncertainties and code snippets to perform mass interpolations and quick DM fits. The code can be found in this \href{https://github.com/ajueid/qcd-dm.github.io.git}{github} repository.

hep-ph