arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Arcadi Santamaria.
Using the recent four-loop calculations of the QCD beta-function and the three-loop matching coefficients we study the induced error in $α_s(m_Z)$ obtained from $α_s(m_tau)$ due to the evolution procedure. We show that, when consistent matching and running is used at this order, these errors are pushed below 0.0005 in $α_s(m_Z)$.
The basic box and phase space integrals needed to compute at second order the three-jet decay rate of the Z-boson into massive quarks are presented in this paper. Dimensional Regularization is used to regularize the infrared divergences that appear in intermediate steps. Finally, the cancellation of these divergences among the virtual and the real contributions is showed explicitly.
We present the first results of next-to-leading order QCD corrections to three jet heavy quark production at LEP including mass effects. Among other applications, this calculation can be used to extract the bottom quark mass from LEP data, and therefore to test the running of masses as predicted by QCD.
We discuss some applications of the effective quantum field theory to the description of the physics beyond the Standard Model. We consider two different examples. In the first one we derive, at the one-loop level, an effective lagrangian for an extension of the Standard Model with a charged scalar singlet by ``integrating out'' the heavy scalar. In the second example we illustrate the use of general effective theories at the loop level.
Using effective field theory techniques we discuss the QCD corrections to the large-$m_t$ contributions to the process $Z\rightarrow b \bar b$. In particular we obtain the $\a$ correction to the non-universal $\log m_t$ contribution to the $Zb\bar b$ vertex.
We consider the possibility of extracting the bottom quark mass from LEP data. The inclusive decay rate for $\zbb +\cdots$ is obtained at order $\as$ by summing up the one-loop two-parton decay rate to the tree-level three-parton rate. We calculate the decay width of the $Z$-boson into two and three jets containing the $b$-quark including complete quark mass effects. In particular, we give analytic results for a slight modification of the JADE clustering algorithm. We also study the angular distribution with respect to the angle formed between the gluon and the quark jets, which has a strong dependence on the quark mass. The impact of higher order QCD corrections on these observables is briefly discussed. Finally, we present numerical results for some popular jet-clustering algorithms and show that, indeed, these three-jet observables are very sensitive to the $b$-quark mass and well suited for its determination at LEP.
The contributions of non-standard four-neutrino contact interactions to electroweak observables are considered at the one-loop level by using the effective quantum field theory. The analysis is done in terms of three unknown parameters: the strength of the non-standard neutrino interactions, $\tilde{F}$, an additional derivative coupling needed to renormalize the divergent contributions that appear when the four-neutrino interactions are used at the loop level and a non-standard non-derivative $Z$-${\barν} ν$ coupling. Then, the precise measurements of the invisible width of the $Z$-boson at LEP and the data on the neutrino deep-inelastic scattering yield the result $\tilde{F} = (-100 \pm 140) G_F$. Assuming that there are no unnatural cancellations between the contributions of the three effective couplings a much stronger bound is obtained: $\abs{\tilde{F}}\ltap~ 2 G_F$, which is a factor 200 better than the one obtained in previous analyses based on tree level calculations.
We study several problems related to the construction and the use of effective Lagrangians by considering an extension of the standard model that includes a heavy scalar singlet coupled to the leptonic doublet. Starting from the full renormalizable model, we build an effective field theory by integrating out the heavy scalar. A local effective Lagrangian (up to operators of dimension six) is obtained by expanding the one-loop effective action in inverse powers of the heavy mass. This is done by matching some Green functions calculated with both the full and the effective theories. Using this simple example we study the renormalization of effective Lagrangians in general and discuss how they can be used to bound new physics. We also discuss the effective Lagrangian after spontaneous symmetry breaking, and the use of the standard model classical equations of motion to rewrite it in different forms. The final effective Lagrangian in the physical basis is well suited to the study of the phenomenology of the model, which we comment on briefly. Finally, as an example of the use of our effective field theory, we consider the leptonic flavour-changing decay of the $Z$ boson in the effective theory and compare the results obtained with the full model calculation.
The use of MS-like renormalization schemes in QCD requires an implementation of nontrivial matching conditions across thresholds, a fact often overlooked in the literature. We shortly review the use of these matching conditions in QCD and check explicitly that the prediction for $α_s(M_Z)$, obtained by running the strong coupling constant from the $M_τ$ scale, does not substantially depend on the exact value of the matching point chosen in crossing the $b$-quark threshold when the appropriate matching conditions are taken into account.
We present a method to find the number of real and imaginary observable parameters coming from the Yukawa sector in an arbitrary gauge theory. The method leads naturally to a classification of Yukawa couplings according to their symmetries and suggests a new parametrization of masses and mixings that is useful to study the behaviour of Yukawa couplings under the renormalization group. We apply it to some examples based on the Standard Model with Yukawa couplings obeying various chiral symmetries. We also show how our method of parameter counting can be used in some models with an enlarged leptonic sector.