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B. Mele

Publications and source records attributed to B. Mele.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

$Z$-boson decays into an invisible dark photon at the LHC, HL-LHC and future lepton colliders

We study the decay of the $Z$ vector boson into a photon and a massless (invisible) dark photon in high-energy collisions. The photon can be used as trigger for the event, while the dark photon is detected indirectly as missing momentum in the event final state. We investigate the possibility of searching for such a dark photon at the LHC, HL-LHC and future lepton colliders, and compare the respective sensitivities. As expected, the best result is found for the lepton colliders running at the $Z$ mass, FCC-ee and CEPC, with a final sensitivity to branching ratios of order $O(10^{-11})$. We also discuss how to use the photon angular distribution of the events in lepton collisions to discriminate between the dark photon and a pseudo-scalar state like the axion.

hep-ph

$Z$ Boson Decay into Light and Darkness

We study the $Z\rightarrow γ\bar γ$ process in which the $Z$ boson decays into a photon $γ$ and a massless dark photon $\bar γ$, when the latter couples to standard-model fermions via dipole moments. This is a simple yet nontrivial example of how the Landau-Yang theorem---ruling out the decay of a massive spin-1 particle into two photons---is evaded if the final particles can be distinguished. The striking signature of this process is a resonant monochromatic single photon in the $Z$-boson center of mass together with missing momentum. LEP experimental bounds allow a branching ratio up to about 10$^{-6}$ for such a decay. In a simplified model of the dark sector, the dark-photon dipole moments arise from one-loop exchange of heavy dark fermions and scalar messengers. The corresponding prediction for the rare $Z\to γ\bar γ$ decay width can be explored with the large samples of $Z$ bosons foreseen at future colliders.

hep-ph

Hunting down massless dark photons in kaon physics

If dark photons are massless, they couple to standard-model particles only via higher dimensional operators, while the kinetic mixing with photons, which motivates most of the current experimental searches, is absent. We consider the effect of possible flavor-changing magnetic-dipole couplings of massless dark photons in kaon physics. In particular, we study the branching ratio for the process $K^+\rightarrow π^+π^0 \bar γ$ with a simplified-model approach, assuming the chiral quark model to evaluate the hadronic matrix element. Possible effects in the $K^0$-$\bar K^0$ mixing are taken into account. We find that branching ratios up to $O(10^{-7})$ are allowed---depending on the dark-sector masses and couplings. Such large branching ratios for $K^+\rightarrow π^+π^0 \bar γ$ could be of interest for experiments dedicated to rare $K^+$ decays like NA62 at CERN, where $\bar γ$ can be detected as a massless invisible system.

hep-ph

Physics Behind Precision

This document provides a writeup of contributions to the FCC-ee mini-workshop on "Physics behind precision" held at CERN, on 2-3 February 2016.

hep-ph

A SUSY Inspired Simplified Model for the 750 GeV Diphoton Excess

The evidence for a new singlet scalar particle from the 750 GeV diphoton excess, and the absence of any other signal of new physics at the LHC so far, suggest the existence of new coloured scalars. To study this possibility, we propose a supersymmetry inspired simplified model, extending the Standard Model with a singlet scalar and with heavy scalar fields carrying both colour and electric charges -- the `squarks'. To allow the latter to decay, and to generate the dark matter of the Universe, we also add a neutral fermion to the particle content. We show that this model provides a two-parameter fit to the observed diphoton excess consistently with cosmology, while the allowed parameter space is bounded by the consistency of the model. In the context of our simplified model this implies the existence of other supersymmetric particles accessible at the LHC, rendering this scenario falsifiable. If this excess persists, it will imply a paradigm shift in assessing supersymmetry breaking and the role of scalars in low scale physics.

hep-ph

A radiatively improved fermiophobic Higgs boson scenario

The naive fermiophobic scenario is unstable under radiative corrections, due to the chiral-symmetry breaking induced by fermion mass terms. In a recent study, the problem of including the radiative corrections has been tackled via an effective field theory approach. The renormalized Yukawa couplings are assumed to vanish at a high energy scale $Λ$, and their values at the electroweak scale are computed via modified Renormalization Group Equations. We show that, in case a fermiophobic Higgs scenario shows up at the LHC, a linear collider program will be needed to accurately measure the radiative Yukawa structure, and consequently constrain the $Λ$ scale.

hep-ph

From the LHC to Future Colliders

Discoveries at the LHC will soon set the physics agenda for future colliders. This report of a CERN Theory Institute includes the summaries of Working Groups that reviewed the physics goals and prospects of LHC running with 10 to 300/fb of integrated luminosity, of the proposed sLHC luminosity upgrade, of the ILC, of CLIC, of the LHeC and of a muon collider. The four Working Groups considered possible scenarios for the first 10/fb of data at the LHC in which (i) a state with properties that are compatible with a Higgs boson is discovered, (ii) no such state is discovered either because the Higgs properties are such that it is difficult to detect or because no Higgs boson exists, (iii) a missing-energy signal beyond the Standard Model is discovered as in some supersymmetric models, and (iv) some other exotic signature of new physics is discovered. In the contexts of these scenarios, the Working Groups reviewed the capabilities of the future colliders to study in more detail whatever new physics may be discovered by the LHC. Their reports provide the particle physics community with some tools for reviewing the scientific priorities for future colliders after the LHC produces its first harvest of new physics from multi-TeV collisions.

hep-ph

Proceedings of the Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC PART II

These proceedings collect the presentations given at the first three meetings of the INFN "Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC", held at the Frascati National Laboratories in 2006. The first part of these proceedings contains pedagogical introductions to several basic topics of both theoretical and experimental high pT LHC physics. The second part collects more specialised presentations.

hep-ph

Proceedings of the Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC PART I

These proceedings collect the presentations given at the first three meetings of the INFN "Workshop on Monte Carlo's, Physics and Simulations at the LHC", held at the Frascati National Laboratories in 2006. The first part of these proceedings contains pedagogical introductions to several basic topics of both theoretical and experimental high pT LHC physics. The second part collects more specialised presentations.

hep-ph

Ultra High Energy Particle Astronomy, Neutrino Masses and Tau Airshowers

Ultra High Energy (UHE) neutrino Astronomy and relic Neutrino masses may play a key role in solving the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) puzzle within the Z-Showering model. Tau air-shower originated by UHE neutrino in matter may probe and amplify this expected UHE neutrino Astronomy. The discover of upcoming and horizontal tau air-showers (UPTAUs, HORTAUs), born by UHE, nu_tau interacting inside mount chains or along Earth Crust crown masses at the Horizons edges, will greatly amplify the single UHE nu_tau track. Observing UPTAUs and HORTAUs along their line of showering, from higher balloons or satellites, at Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) energies above 10^19 eV, may test a calorimeter mass exceeding 150 km^3 (water equivalent). Observing Horizontal Shower by EUSO will probe even larger ring areas generated in huge terrestrial volumes larger than 2360 km^3. These highest GZK energies nu_tau astronomy are well tuned to test the needed abundant nu fluence in GZK Z-Showering model where ZeV (above 10^21 eV) Ultra High Energy neutrinos hit on relic light (near 0.1-3 eV masses) anti-neutrinos, in hot dark matter halos, creating boosted UHE Z bosons. Their nucleon decay in flight may born secondaries observed on Earth atmosphere as UHECR. The wide EUSO acceptance may test easily Z-showering fluxes as well as GZK neutrinos at their minimal granted fluence. The rare (78) observed upcoming terrestrial gamma flashes observed by BATSE satellite during last decade may be also be traces of such UPTAUs and HORTAUs.

astro-ph

Gravitational decays of heavy particles in large extra dimensions

In the framework of quantum gravity propagating in large extra dimensions, we analyze the inclusive radiative emission of Kaluza-Klein spin-2 gravitons in the two-fermions decays of massive gauge bosons, heavy quarks, Higgs bosons, and in the two-massive gauge bosons decay of Higgs bosons. We provide analytical expressions for the square modulus of amplitudes summed over polarizations, and numerical results for the widths and branching ratios. The corresponding decays in the Z, top quark, and Higgs boson sectors of the standard model are analyzed in the light of present and future experiments.

hep-ph

New scalar resonances from sneutrino-Higgs mixing in supersymmetry with small lepton number (R-parity) violation

We consider new s-channel scalar exchanges in top quark and massive gauge-bosons pair production in e+e- collisions, in supersymmetry with a small lepton number violation. We show that a soft bilinear lepton number violating term in the scalar potential which mixes the Higgs and the slepton fields can give rise to a significant scalar resonance enhancement in e+e- -> ZZ, W+W- and in e+e- -> t t(bar). The sneutrino-Higgs mixed state couples to the incoming light leptons through its sneutrino component and to either the top quark or the massive gauge bosons through its Higgs component. Such a scalar resonance in these specific production channels cannot result from trilinear Yukawa-like R-parity violation alone, and may, therefore, stand as strong evidence for the existence of R-parity violating bilinears in the supersymmetric scalar potential. We use the LEP2 measurements of the WW and ZZ cross-sections to place useful constrains on this scenario, and investigate the expectations for the sensitivity of a future linear collider to these signals. We find that signals of these scalar resonances, in particular in top-pair production, are well within the reach of linear colliders in the small lepton number violation scenario.

hep-ph

Measuring the SUSY Breaking Scale at the LHC in the Slepton NLSP Scenario of GMSB Models

We report a study on the measurement of the SUSY breaking scale sqrt(F) in the framework of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GMSB) models at the LHC. The work is focused on the GMSB scenario where a stau is the next-to-lightest SUSY particle (NLSP) and decays into a gravitino with lifetime c*tau_NLSP in the range 0.5 m to 1 km. We study the identification of long-lived sleptons using the momentum and time of flight measurements in the muon chambers of the ATLAS experiment. A realistic evaluation of the statistical and systematic uncertainties on the measurement of the slepton mass and lifetime is performed, based on a detailed simulation of the detector response. Accessible range and precision on sqrt(F) achievable with a counting method are assessed. Many features of our analysis can be extended to the study of different theoretical frameworks with similar signatures at the LHC.

hep-ph

Sgoldstino events in top decays at LHC

We study top-quark decays in models with light sgoldstinos. The off-diagonal entries in the squark mass matrices can lead to FCNC top two-body decays into sgoldstinos and u(c) quarks. We compute the rates for these decays and discuss the corresponding signatures that could manifest the presence of sgoldstinos in top decays at LHC. We expect that a supersymmetry breaking scale $\sqrt{F}$ up to a scale of order 10 TeV could be probed through this process, for a maximal squark mixing with the third generation. Justified by our preliminary analysis, a thorough study of the corresponding signal versus background and systematics in the LHC environment would be most welcome, in order to accurately assess the potential of this promising process in determining $\sqrt{F}$.

hep-ph

Sneutrino-Higgs mixing in WW and ZZ production in supersymmetry with R-parity violation

We consider new s-channel scalar exchanges in e+e- -> ZZ,W+W- in supersymmetry with a small lepton number violation. We show that a small bilinear R-parity violating term which leads to sneutrino--Higgs mixing can give rise to a significant scalar resonance enhancement in e+e- -> ZZ,W+W-. We use the LEP2 measurements of the WW and ZZ cross-sections to place useful constraints on this scenario. We also find, under conservative assumptions on the relevant parameter space involved, that such an exchange of the sneutrino-like admixture in e+e- -> ZZ,W+W- may be accessible to a 500 GeV e+e- collider.

hep-ph

SUSY Long-Lived Massive Particles: Detection and Physics at the LHC

We draw a possible scenario for the observation of massive long-lived charged particles at the LHC detector ATLAS. The required flexibility of the detector triggers and of the identification and reconstruction systems are discussed. As an example, we focus on the measurement of the mass and lifetime of long-lived charged sleptons predicted in the framework of supersymmetric models with gauge-mediated supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking. In this case, the next-to-lightest SUSY particle can be the light scalar partner of the tau lepton, possibly decaying slowly into a gravitino. A wide region of the SUSY parameters space was explored. The accessible range and precision on the measurement of the SUSY breaking scale parameter sqrt(F) achievable with a counting method are assessed.

hep-ph

Neutralinos and the Origin of Radio Halos in Clusters of Galaxies

We assume that the supersymmetric lightest neutralino is a good candidate for the CDM and explore the possibility to produce diffuse radio emission from high-energy electrons arising from the neutralino annihilation in galaxy clusters whose intracluster medium is filled with a large-scale magnetic field. We show that these electrons fit the population of seed relativistic electrons postulated in many models for the origin of cluster radio halos. For magnetic fields with central values $3 ÷30$ $μ$G (depending on the DM profile), the population of seed relativistic electrons from neutralino annihilation can fit the radio halo spectra of Coma and 1E0657-56. The shape and the frequency extension of the radio halo spectra are connected with the mass and physical composition of the neutralino. A pure-gaugino neutralino with mass $M_χ \geq 80$ GeV can reasonably fit the spectra of both Coma and 1E0657-56. This model provides a number of extra predictions that make it definitely testable. On the one hand, it agrees with the observations that {\it (i)} the radio halo is centered on the cluster dynamical center, usually coincident with the X-ray center, {\it (ii)} the radio halo surface brightness is similar to the X-ray one, and {\it (iii)} the monochromatic radio luminosity at 1.4 GHz correlates strongly with the IC gas temperature. On the other hand, the model predicts that radio halos should be present in every cluster, which is not actually observed, although the predicted radio halo luminosities can change by a large amount ($\sim 10^2 ÷10^6$), depending on the amplitude and the structure of the IC magnetic field. Also, neutral pions arising from neutralino annihilation should give rise to substantial gamma-ray emission that could be tested by the next generation gamma-ray experiments.

astro-ph