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Aoife Bharucha

Publications and source records attributed to Aoife Bharucha.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Probing the structure of the $B$ meson with $B\to\ell\ell\ell'ν$

We consider the decay $B\to\ell\ell\ell^{\prime}ν$ in QCD factorization for the case of non-zero (but small) $q^2$, taking into account leading power contributions at NLL in $\mathcal{O}(α_s)$ and next-to-leading power corrections at $\mathcal{O}(α_s^0)$. We further incorporate soft contributions obtained from light-cone sum rules, extrapolated from the Euclidean to physical region using once-subtracted dispersion relations. We restrict ourselves to the case $\ell\neq\ell'$ as otherwise the same sign $\ell$ and $\ell'$ cannot be distinguished. We study the sensitivity of the results to the leading moment of the $B$-meson distribution amplitude and discuss the potential to extract this quantity at LHCb and the Belle II experiment.

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arXiv2026

Probing the Phenomenology of Dark Matter from Decoupled Freeze-Out

We consider a model of dark matter where the mediator corresponds to a superposition of a scalar and pseudoscalar, and the scenario where, after reheating, the number densities of the dark sector particles, i.e. the dark matter and the mediators, are negligible. If the coupling of the mediators to the Standard Model is feeble, but the coupling to the dark matter is large enough, the dark sector may reach equilibrium at a temperature distinct from that of the thermal bath. The relic density is then said to be obtained via decoupled freeze out (DFO). We focus on the $s$-wave annihilation scenario, which particularly benefits from the DFO mechanism by evading standard CMB limits while still yielding indirect detection signals. We calculate the relic density by solving a set of four coupled Boltzmann equations for the number densities of the dark sector particles and the energy transfer from the light to dark sector. We finally perform a thorough analysis of experimental bounds on this scenario, namely from indirect detection and the CMB, as well as from BBN, and find that, while there are considerable constraints on the parameter space where the correct relic density is obtained, a viable region remains to be explored.

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arXiv2026

Recent progress in decays of $b$ and $c$ hadrons

In the last ten years there has been great progress in calculations of decays of $B$ and $D$ mesons, and baryons containing a heavy $b$ or $c$ quark. One propelling factor has been the measurement of several anomalies in $b\to s$ and $b\to c$ transitions, these are one of the only signs of physics beyond the Standard Model. The deviations included measurements of branching ratios, angular observables and lepton universality ratios. Another factor is the exclusive-inclusive discrepancy in the determination of the CKM elements $V_{ub}$ and $V_{cb}$. We will first review recent calculations involving $b\to s$ and $c\to u$ transitions that could shed light on the neutral current anomalies. We will then summarise the progress the determination of the CKM elements, $V_{ub}$ and $V_{cb}$. Finally we will discuss the current theoretical status and experimental prospects for the lepton universality ratios in $b\to s$ and $b\to c$ semileptonic decays.

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arXiv2026

On soft contributions to the $B^-\to γ^*$ form factors

The photoleptonic decay $B^-\to γ\ell^-\barν$ is the simplest low-energy process that probes the substructure of the $B$ meson, making it an excellent candidate to determine the parameters of $B$-meson light-cone distribution amplitudes from experimental data. More recently, the decay $B^-\to γ^*(\to \ell'^-\ell'^+)\ell^-\barν$ has received attention as an alternative probe of these parameters. Both decays are described through a common set of hadronic form factors, which if computed within the framework of QCD factorization give rise to the sensitivity to the $B$-meson light-cone distribution amplitudes. Nevertheless, in this case the form factors still receive so-called soft contributions that can only be estimated but not rigorously computed. In this work, we provide results for the QCD factorization expressions for the form factors, including terms at next-to-leading power in the $b$ quark mass and in the photon energy. We further use these results to estimate the soft contributions within a light-cone sum rule setup. Finally, using numerical results obtained from a benchmark model of the light-cone distribution amplitudes, we show that the soft contributions are under significantly better theoretical control at a mildly spacelike photon virtuality.

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arXiv2025

Prospects for sub-EW-scale ALP searches via $γ+b\bar{b}$ signatures at the LHC using jet substructure techniques

The current Large Hadron Collider (LHC) data show no clear indication of new physics and only incremental improvements are anticipated at the energy frontier in the near future. However, while the focus of the LHC has been on constraining TeV scale physics, new particles could still be hiding below the electroweak scale. In order to obtain sensitivity to a new light boson with couplings to SM fermions, a potentially promising decay channel, for resonances with mass $\gtrsim {\cal O}(10)$ GeV, would be the decay to $b\bar b$ pairs. The measurement of such signatures is challenging due to the trigger requirements at the LHC. In this work, we explore the LHC sensitivity to a light pseudoscalar, or axion-like particle (ALP), in the $b\bar{b}$ final state with an associated photon, using jet substructure techniques, in the mass range between 10 GeV and 100 GeV. We obtain projected exclusions on the ALP-fermion coupling in a region of phase space which has not so far been probed by direct searches. We further discuss the impact that lower trigger thresholds may have on the LHC reach.

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arXiv2022

Leptoquark manoeuvres in the dark: a simultaneous solution of the dark matter problem and the $R_{D^{(*)}}$ anomalies

The measured branching fractions of $B$-mesons into leptonic final states derived by the LHCb collaboration hint towards the breakdown of lepton flavour universality. In this work we take at face value the so-called $R_{D^{(*)}}$ observables that are defined as the ratios of neutral $B$-meson charged-current decays into a charged $D$-meson, a charged lepton and a neutrino final state in the tau and muon channels. A well-studied and simple solution to this charged current anomaly is to introduce a scalar leptoquark $S_1$ that couples to the second and third generation of fermions. We investigate how $S_1$ can also serve as a mediator between the Standard Model and a dark sector. We study this scenario in detail and estimate the constraints arising from collider searches for leptoquarks, collider searches for missing energy signals, direct detection experiments and the dark matter relic abundance. We stress that the production of a pair of leptoquarks that decays into different final states (i.e. the commonly called "mixed" channels) provides critical information for identifying the underlying dynamics, and we exemplify this by studying the $t τb ν$ and the resonant $S_1$ plus missing energy channels. We find that direct detection data provides non-negligible constraints on the leptoquark coupling to the dark sector, which in turn affects the relic abundance. We also show that the correct relic abundance can not only arise via standard freeze-out, but also through conversion-driven freeze-out. We illustrate the rich phenomenology of the model with a few selected benchmark points, providing a broad stroke of the interesting connection between lepton flavour violation and dark matter.

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arXiv2021

Disentangling QCD and New Physics in $D^+\toπ^+\ell^+\ell^-$

In this paper we consider the decay $D^+\toπ^+\ell^+\ell^-$, addressing in particular the resonance contributions as well as the relatively large contributions from the weak annihilation diagrams. For the weak annihilation diagrams we include known results from QCD factorisation at low $q^2$ and at high $q^2$, adapting the existing calculation for $B$ decays in the Operator Product Expansion. The hadronic resonance contributions are obtained through a dispersion relation, modelling the spectral functions as towers of Regge-like resonances in each channel, as suggested by Shifman, imposing the partonic behaviour in the deep Euclidean. The parameters of the model are extracted using $e^+e^-\to{\rm (hadrons)}$ and $τ\to {\rm (hadrons)}+ν_τ$ data as well as the branching ratios for the resonant decays $D^+\toπ^+\,R\,(R\to\ell^+\ell^-)$, with $R=ρ$, $ω$, and $ϕ$. We perform a thorough error analysis, and present our results for the Standard Model differential branching ratio as a function of $q^2$. Focusing then on the observables $F_H$ and $A_{\rm FB}$, we consider the sensitivity of this channel to effects of physics beyond the Standard Model, both in a model independent way and for the case of leptoquarks.

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arXiv2020

Reinterpretation of LHC Results for New Physics: Status and Recommendations after Run 2

We report on the status of efforts to improve the reinterpretation of searches and measurements at the LHC in terms of models for new physics, in the context of the LHC Reinterpretation Forum. We detail current experimental offerings in direct searches for new particles, measurements, technical implementations and Open Data, and provide a set of recommendations for further improving the presentation of LHC results in order to better enable reinterpretation in the future. We also provide a brief description of existing software reinterpretation frameworks and recent global analyses of new physics that make use of the current data.

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arXiv2018

Next-to-minimal dark matter at the LHC

We examine the collider signatures of a WIMP dark matter scenario comprising a singlet fermion and an SU(2) n-plet fermion, with a focus on n=3 and n=5. The singlet and n-plet masses are of the order of the electroweak scale. The n-plet contains new charged particles which will be copiously pair-produced at the LHC. Small mixing angles and near-degenerate masses, both of which feature naturally in these models, give rise to long-lived particles and their characteristic collider signatures. In particular, the n=5 model can be constrained by displaced lepton searches independently of the mixing angle, generically ruling out 5-plet masses below about 280 GeV. For small mixing angles, we show that there is a parameter range for which the model reproduces the observed thermal relic density but is severely constrained by disappearing track searches in both the n=3 and the n=5 cases. The n=3 model is further constrained by soft di-lepton searches irrespectively of whether any new particles are long-lived.

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arXiv2016

The last refuge of mixed wino-Higgsino dark matter

We delineate the allowed parameter and mass range for a wino-like dark matter particle containing some Higgsino admixture in the MSSM by analysing the constraints from diffuse gamma-rays from the dwarf spheroidal galaxies, galactic cosmic rays, direct detection and cosmic microwave background anisotropies. A complete calculation of the Sommerfeld effect for the mixed-neutralino case is performed. We find that the combination of direct and indirect searches poses significant restrictions on the thermally produced wino-Higgsino dark matter with correct relic density. For $μ>0$ nearly the entire parameter space considered is excluded, while for $μ<0$ a substantial region is still allowed, provided conservative assumptions on astrophysical uncertainties are adopted.

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arXiv2016

$B\to V\ell^+\ell^-$ in the Standard Model from Light-Cone Sum Rules

We present $B_q\toρ$, $B_q\toω$, $B_q\to K^*$, $B_s\to K^*$ and $B_s\to ϕ$ form factors from light-cone sum rules (LCSR) at $\mathcal{O}(α_s)$ for twist-2 and 3 and $\mathcal{O}(α_s^0)$ for twist-4 with updated hadronic input parameters. Three asymptotic light-cone distribution amplitudes of twist-$4$ (and $5$) are determined, necessary for the form factors to obey the equations of motion. It is argued that the latter constrain the uncertainty of tensor-to-vector form factor ratios thereby improving the prediction of zeros of helicity amplitudes of major importance for $B\to K^*\ell\ell$ angular observables. We provide easy-to-use fits to the LCSR results, including the full error correlation matrix, in all modes at low $q^2$ as well as combined fits to LCSR and lattice results covering the entire kinematic range for $B_q\to K^*$, $B_s\to K^*$ and $B_s\to ϕ$. The error correlation matrix avoids the problem of overestimating the uncertainty in phenomenological applications. Using the new form factors and recent computations of non-factorisable contributions we provide Standard Model predictions for $B\to K^*γ$ as well as $B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$ and $B_s\toϕμ^+μ^-$ at low dilepton invariant mass. Employing our $B \to (ρ,ω) $ form factor results we extract the CKM element $|V_\mathrm{ub}|$ from the semileptonic decays $B\to(ρ,ω) \ellν$ and find good agreement with other exclusive determinations.

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arXiv2016

Monojet searches for momentum-dependent dark matter interactions

We consider minimal dark matter scenarios featuring momentum-dependent couplings of the dark sector to the Standard Model. We derive constraints from existing LHC searches in the monojet channel, estimate the future LHC sensitivity for an integrated luminosity of 300 fb$^{-1}$, and compare with models exhibiting conventional momentum-independent interactions with the dark sector. In addition to being well motivated by (composite) pseudo-Goldstone dark matter scenarios, momentum-dependent couplings are interesting as they weaken direct detection constraints. For a specific dark matter mass, the LHC turns out to be sensitive to smaller signal cross-sections in the momentum-dependent case, by virtue of the harder jet transverse-momentum distribution.

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arXiv2016

Threshold enhancement of diphoton resonances

The data collected by the LHC collaborations at an energy of 13 TeV indicates the presence of an excess in the diphoton spectrum that would correspond to a resonance of a 750 GeV mass. The apparently large production cross section is nevertheless very difficult to explain in minimal models. We consider the possibility that the resonance is a pseudoscalar boson $A$ with a two--photon decay mediated by a charged and uncolored fermion having a mass at the $\frac12 M_A$ threshold and a very small decay width, $\ll 1$ MeV; one can then generate a large enhancement of the $Aγγ$ amplitude which explains the excess without invoking a large multiplicity of particles propagating in the loop, large electric charges and/or very strong Yukawa couplings. The implications of such a threshold enhancement are discussed in two explicit scenarios: i) the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in which the $A$ state is produced via the top quark mediated gluon fusion process and decays into photons predominantly through loops of charginos with masses close to $\frac12 M_A$ and ii) a two Higgs doublet model in which $A$ is again produced by gluon fusion but decays into photons through loops of vector--like charged heavy leptons. We also comment on a minimal scenario in which the $A$ state couples only to photons through a heavy lepton loop and is both produced and decays through this coupling. In all these scenarios, while the mass of the charged fermion has to be adjusted to be extremely close to half of the $A$ resonance mass, the small total widths are naturally obtained if only suppressed three-body decay channels occur. Finally, the implications of some of these scenarios for dark matter are discussed.

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arXiv2014

En-gauging Naturalness

The discovery of a 125.5 GeV Higgs with standard model-like couplings and naturalness considerations motivate gauge extensions of the MSSM. We analyse two variants of such an extension and carry out a phenomenological study of regions of the parameter space satisfying current direct and indirect constraints, employing state-of-the art two-loop RGE evolution and GMSB boundary conditions. We find that due to the appearance of non-decoupled D-terms it is possible to obtain a 125.5 GeV Higgs with stops below 2 TeV, while the uncolored sparticles could still lie within reach of the LHC. We compare the contributions of the stop sector and the non-decoupled D-terms to the Higgs mass, and study their effect on the Higgs couplings. We further investigate the nature of the next-to lightest supersymmetric particle, in light of the GMSB motivated searches currently being pursued by ATLAS and CMS.

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arXiv2013

Determining MSSM parameters via chargino production at the LC: a one-loop analysis

Very precise measurements of masses and cross sections are expected to be achievable with a future linear collider. With such an accuracy one must incorporate loop corrections in order to make meaningful predictions for the underlying new physics parameters. For the electroweakino sector, this involves fitting one-loop predictions to expected measurements of the cross section and forward-backward asymmetry for chargino pair production and of the accessible chargino and neutralino masses. We consider two scenarios with characteristic features, chosen taking recent LHC SUSY and Higgs searches into account. Our analysis allows the accurate determination of the desired parameters and, additionally, access to stop sector parameters that enter via loop corrections.

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arXiv2013

Consistent on shell renormalisation of electroweakinos in the complex MSSM: LHC and LC predictions

We extend the formalism developed in Ref. [20] for the renormalisation of the chargino-neutralino sector to the most general case of the MSSM with complex parameters. We show that products of imaginary parts arising from MSSM parameters and from absorptive parts of loop integrals can already contribute to predictions for physical observables at the one-loop level, and demonstrate that the consistent treatment of such contributions gives rise to non-trivial structure, either in the field renormalisation constants or the corrections associated with the external legs of the considered diagrams. We furthermore point out that the phases of the parameters in the chargino-neutralino sector do not need to be renormalised at the one-loop level, and demonstrate that the appropriate choice for the mass parameters used as input for the on-shell conditions depends both on the process and the region of MSSM parameter space under consideration. As an application, we compute the complete one-loop results in the MSSM with complex parameters for the process h(a) to chi(i)+chi(j)- (Higgs-propagator corrections have been incorporated up to the two-loop level), which may be of interest for SUSY Higgs searches at the LHC, and for chargino pair-production at an e+e- Linear Collider, e+e- to chi(i)+chi(j)-. We investigate the dependence of the theoretical predictions on the phases of the MSSM parameters, analysing in particular the numerical relevance of the absorptive parts of loop integrals.

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arXiv2013

One-loop effects on MSSM parameter determination via chargino production at the LC

At a future linear collider, very precise measurements, typically with errors of <1%, are expected to be achievable. Such an accuracy yields sensitivity to quantum corrections, which therefore must be incorporated into theoretical calculations in order to determine the underlying new physics parameters from linear collider measurements. In the context of the chargino--neutralino sector of the minimal supersymmetric standard model, this involves fitting one-loop predictions to prospective measurements of cross sections, forward-backward asymmetries and the accessible chargino and neutralino masses. Taking recent results from LHC SUSY and Higgs searches into account, we consider three phenomenological scenarios, each displaying characteristic features. Our analysis demonstrates how an accurate determination of the desired parameters is possible, and could additionally provide access to the stop masses and mixing angle.

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