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D. Zeppenfeld

Publications and source records attributed to D. Zeppenfeld.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2009

Observing Strongly Interacting Vector Boson Systems at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

We explore the potential of the CERN Large Hadron Collider to access a strongly interacting electroweak symmetry breaking sector via weak boson scattering with WWjj, ZZjj and WZjj final states. As examples of models with scalar or vector resonances we concentrate on a scenario with a heavy Higgs boson and on a Warped Higgsless Kaluza-Klein model of narrow spin-one resonances. The signal and the most prominent background processes are evaluated using exact tree-level matrix elements including full off-shell and finite width effects for final states with two tagging jets and four leptons. Using double forward jet-tagging techniques, we derive dedicated cuts on the observable jets and charged leptons to suppress Standard Model backgrounds. We demonstrate that the LHC has substantial sensitivity to strong interactions in the electroweak symmetry breaking sector.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2009

Strongly interacting gauge boson systems at the LHC

We explore the potential of the CERN-LHC to access strongly interacting gauge boson systems via weak-boson scattering processes with W+W-jj, ZZjj, W+Zjj and W-Zjj final states, focusing on the leptonic decay modes of the gauge bosons. Cross sections and kinematic distributions for two representative scenarios of strong interactions in the weak sector and all relevant background processes are computed with fully-flexible parton-level Monte-Carlo programs that allow for the implementation of dedicated selection cuts. We find that models with new resonances give rise to very distinctive distributions of the decay leptons. The perturbative treatment of the signal processes is under excellent control.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2009

VBFNLO: A parton level Monte Carlo for processes with electroweak bosons

VBFNLO is a fully flexible parton level Monte Carlo program for the simulation of vector boson fusion, double and triple vector boson production in hadronic collisions at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant. VBFNLO includes Higgs and vector boson decays with full spin correlations and all off-shell effects. In addition, VBFNLO implements CP-even and CP-odd Higgs boson via gluon fusion, associated with two jets, at the leading-order one-loop level with the full top- and bottom-quark mass dependence in a generic two-Higgs-doublet model. A variety of effects arising from beyond the Standard Model physics are implemented for selected processes. This includes anomalous couplings of Higgs and vector bosons and a Warped Higgsless extra dimension model. The program offers the possibility to generate Les Houches Accord event files for all processes available at leading order.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2009

QCD corrections to charged triple vector boson production with leptonic decay

We compute the O(alpha_s) QCD corrections to charged triple vector boson production at a hadron collider, i.e. the processes pp -> ZZW + X and pp -> WWW + X. Intermediate Higgs boson exchange effects, spin correlations from leptonic vector boson decays, and off-shell contributions are all taken into account. Results are implemented in a fully flexible Monte Carlo program that allows for an easy customization of kinematical cuts and variation of the factorization and renormalization scales. We analyze the dependence of the differential cross sections under scale variations and present distributions where the QCD corrections strongly modify the leading-order results.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2008

QCD Corrections to Vector-Boson Fusion Processes in Warped Higgsless Models

We discuss the signatures of a representative Higgsless model with ideal fermion delocalization in vector-boson fusion processes, focusing on the gold- and silver-plated decay modes of the gauge bosons at the CERN-Large Hadron Collider. For this purpose, we have developed a fully-flexible parton-level Monte-Carlo program, which allows for the calculation of cross sections and kinematic distributions within experimentally feasible selection cuts at NLO-QCD accuracy. We find that Kaluza-Klein resonances give rise to very distinctive distributions of the decay leptons. Similar to the Standard Model case, within the Higgsless scenario the perturbative treatment of the vector-boson scattering processes is under excellent control.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2008

QCD corrections to hadronic WWZ production with leptonic decays

Multi-lepton signatures appear in many new physics searches at the Large Hadron Collider. We here consider WWZ production with subsequent leptonic decay of the three vector bosons as a SM source of multi-lepton events. We have calculated the next-to-leading order QCD corrections for the full $p p\to 6$ lepton production cross sections in hadronic collisions. Results have been implemented in the form of a flexible parton-level Monte-Carlo program which allows to calculate the QCD corrections for arbitrary distributions and acceptance cuts.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Unitarity constraints on MSSM trilinear couplings

For MSSM phenomenology, soft SUSY breaking dimension-three operators are important, in particular the couplings between Higgs bosons and squarks. In scattering processes, perturbative unitarity is violated at modest center-of-mass energy if these couplings are much larger than the masses of the scalar particles involved. Assuming perturbative unitarity, constraints on the trilinear couplings can be determined using a computer program that we have developed.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to W+Z and W-Z production via vector-boson fusion

We present the calculation of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections to electroweak p p -> e+ nu_e mu+ mu- jj and p p -> e- nubar_e mu+ mu- jj production at the CERN LHC in the form of a fully flexible parton-level Monte Carlo program. The QCD corrections to the total cross sections are modest, changing the leading-order results by less than 10%. At the Born level, the shape of kinematic distributions can depend significantly on the choice of factorization scale. This theoretical uncertainty is strongly reduced by the inclusion of the next-to-leading order QCD corrections.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2007

Higgs plus two jet production via gluon fusion as a signal at the CERN LHC

Higgs boson production in association with two tagging jets will be mediated by electroweak vector boson fusion and by gluon fusion processes at the CERN LHC. The characteristic distributions for the gluon fusion process are analyzed for the $H\to W^+W^-$ signal at $m_H=160$ GeV, with subsequent leptonic decay of the $W$-pair. The dominant backgrounds from top-quark pair production, $WWjj$ production and vector boson fusion processes can be suppressed to a level of $S/B\approx 1/4$, yielding a highly significant gluon fusion signal with 30 fb$^{-1}$. Analysis of the azimuthal angle correlations of the two jets provides for a direct measurement of the CP-nature of the $Htt$ Yukawa coupling which is responsible for the effective $Hgg$ vertex.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Anomalous Higgs boson couplings in vector boson fusion at the CERN LHC

Deviations from SM expectations in the Higgs sector can be parameterized by an effective Lagrangian. The corresponding anomalous couplings have been implemented in a Monte Carlo program for Higgs production in vector boson fusion, at NLO QCD accuracy. It allows to study anomalous coupling effects for production and decay of the Higgs boson. We analyze deviations allowed by LEP data and study a new azimuthal angle variable which directly measures the interference between CP-even, CP-odd and SM couplings.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Monte Carlo studies of the jet activity in Higgs + 2 jet events

Tree-level studies have shown in the past that kinematical correlations between the two jets in Higgs+2-jet events are direct probes of the Higgs couplings, e.g. of their CP nature. In this paper we explore the impact of higher-order corrections on the azimuthal angle correlation of the two leading jets and on the rapidity distribution of extra jets. Our study includes matrix-element and shower MC effects, for the two leading sources of Higgs plus two jet events at the CERN LHC, namely vector-boson and gluon fusion. We show that the discriminating features present in the previous leading-order matrix element studies survive.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

A standard format for Les Houches Event Files

A standard file format is proposed to store process and event information, primarily output from parton-level event generators for further use by general-purpose ones. The information content is identical with what was already defined by the Les Houches Accord five years ago, but then in terms of Fortran commonblocks. This information is embedded in a minimal XML-style structure, for clarity and to simplify parsing.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

QCD Corrections to Vector Boson Pair Production via Weak Boson Fusion

NLO-QCD corrections to vector boson pair production via weak boson fusion have recently been calculated and implemented into flexible parton-level Monte-Carlo programs. These allow for the computation of cross sections and kinematical distributions within realistic experimental cuts. We summarize the basic elements of the calculation and review phenomenological results for the LHC.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2006

Higgs + 2 Jets as a Probe for CP Properties

Azimuthal angle correlations of the jets in Hjj events at the LHC provide a probe of the CP nature of Higgs couplings to gauge bosons. In weak boson fusion the HWW and HZZ couplings are tested. Gluon fusion processes probe the tensor structure of the effective Hgg vertex and thus the CP nature of the dominant quark couplings.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2004

Determination of Higgs-boson couplings at the LHC

We investigate the determination of Higgs boson couplings to gauge bosons and fermions at the LHC from data on Higgs boson production and decay. We demonstrate that very mild theoretical assumptions, which are valid in general multi-Higgs doublet models, are sufficient to allow the extraction of absolute values of the couplings rather than just ratios of the couplings. For Higgs masses below 200 GeV we find accuracies of 10-40% for the Higgs couplings and the total Higgs boson width after several years of LHC running. The sensitivity of the Higgs coupling measurements to deviations from the Standard Model predictions is studied for an MSSM scenario.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2004

QCD corrections to vector boson fusion processes

NLO QCD corrections to H, W and Z production via vector boson fusion have recently been calculated in the form of flexible parton level Monte Carlo programs. This allows for the calculation of distributions and cross sections with cuts at NLO accuracy. Some features of the calculation, as well as results for the LHC, are reviewed.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2004

Extracting Higgs boson couplings from LHC data

We show how LHC Higgs boson production and decay data can be used to extract gauge and fermion couplings of Higgs bosons. We show that very mild theoretical assumptions, which are valid in general multi-Higgs doublet models, are sufficient to allow the extraction of absolute values for the couplings rather than just ratios of the couplings. For Higgs masses below 200 GeV we find accuracies of 10-40% for the Higgs boson couplings and total width after several years of LHC running. Slightly stronger assumptions on the Higgs gauge couplings even lead to a determination of couplings to fermions at the level of 10-20%. We also study the sensitivity to deviations from SM predictions in several supersymmetric benchmark scenarios as a subset of the analysis.

hep-ph↗