arXiv subjects

Emanuele Bagnaschi

Publications and source records attributed to Emanuele Bagnaschi.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

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.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Full two-loop QCD corrections to the Higgs mass in the MSSM with heavy superpartners

We improve the determination of the Higgs-boson mass in the MSSM with heavy superpartners, by computing the two-loop threshold corrections to the quartic Higgs coupling that involve both the strong and the electroweak gauge couplings. Combined with earlier results, this completes the calculation of the two-loop QCD corrections to the quartic coupling at the SUSY scale. We also compare different computations of the relation between the quartic coupling and the pole mass of the Higgs boson at the EW scale. We find that the numerical impact of the new corrections on the prediction for the Higgs mass is modest, but comparable to the accuracy of the Higgs-mass measurement at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

MSSM Higgs Boson Searches at the LHC: Benchmark Scenarios for Run 2 and Beyond

We propose six new benchmark scenarios for Higgs boson searches in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. Our calculations follow the recommendations of the LHC Higgs Cross Section Working Group, and benefit from recent developments in the predictions for the Higgs-boson masses and mixing. All of the proposed scenarios are compatible with the most recent results from Run 2 of the LHC. In particular, they feature a scalar with mass and couplings compatible with those of the observed Higgs boson, and a significant portion of their parameter space is allowed by the limits from the searches for SUSY particles and additional Higgs bosons. We define a scenario where all SUSY particles are relatively heavy, and two scenarios with light colorless SUSY particles (charginos, neutralinos and, in one case, staus). In addition, we present two scenarios featuring alignment without decoupling, realized with either the lighter or the heavier scalar being SM-like, and a scenario with CP violation.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Enabling rootless Linux Containers in multi-user environments: the udocker tool

Containers are increasingly used as means to distribute and run Linux services and applications. In this paper we describe the architectural design and implementation of udocker, a tool which enables the user to execute Linux containers in user mode. We also present a few practical applications, using a range of scientific codes characterized by different requirements: from single core execution to MPI parallel execution and execution on GPGPUs.

cs.SE↗

arXiv2018

Lepton-pair production in association with a $b\bar{b}$ pair and the determination of the $W$ boson mass

We perform a study of lepton-pair production in association with bottom quarks at the LHC based on the predictions obtained at next-to-leading order in QCD, both at fixed order and matched with a QCD parton shower. We consider a comprehensive set of observables and estimate the associated theoretical uncertainties by studying the dependence on the perturbative QCD scales (renormalisation, factorisation and shower) and by comparing different parton-shower models (Pythia8 and Herwig++) and matching schemes (MadGraph5_aMC@NLO and POWHEG). Based on these results, we propose a simple procedure to include bottom-quark effects in neutral-current Drell-Yan production, going beyond the standard massless approximation. Focusing on the inclusive lepton-pair transverse-momentum distribution $p_{\bot}^{l^+l^-}$, we quantify the impact of such effects on the tuning of the simulation of charged-current Drell-Yan observables and the $W$-boson mass determination.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Improved determination of the Higgs mass in the MSSM with heavy superpartners

We present several advances in the effective field theory calculation of the Higgs mass in MSSM scenarios with heavy superparticles. In particular, we compute the dominant two-loop threshold corrections to the quartic Higgs coupling for generic values of the relevant SUSY-breaking parameters, including all contributions controlled by the strong gauge coupling and by the third-family Yukawa couplings. We also study the effects of a representative subset of dimension-six operators in the effective theory valid below the SUSY scale. Our results will allow for an improved determination of the Higgs mass and of the associated theoretical uncertainty.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Matching uncertainties in the prediction of the Higgs boson transverse momentum in the SM and beyond

We present the results of our recent study (arXiv:1510.08850) of the theoretical uncertainties that affect the predictions for the Higgs-boson transverse-momentum in gluon fusion when fixed- and all-order results are matched. Our investigation consists of a twofold analysis: first we present a detailed comparison of two recently introduced prescriptions for the determination of the matching scale (arXiv:1409.0531, arXiv:1505.00735), then we apply the results of these methods to three widely used matching frameworks, namely the aMC@NLO and POWHEG Monte Carlo approaches and analytic resummation. The results of our study are applied to the production of the SM Higgs boson and of the neutral Higgs bosons of the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model in a variety of scenarios.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

The Higgs transverse momentum distribution in gluon fusion as a multiscale problem

We consider Higgs production in gluon fusion and in particular the prediction of the Higgs transverse momentum distribution. We discuss the ambiguities affecting the matching procedure between fixed order matrix elements and the resummation to all orders of the terms enhanced by $\log(p_T^H/m_H)$ factors. Following a recent proposal (Grazzini et al., hep-ph/1306.4581), we argue that the gluon fusion process, computed considering two active quark flavors, is a multiscale problem from the point of view of the resummation of the collinear singular terms. We perform an analysis at parton level of the collinear behavior of the $\mathcal{O}(α_s)$ real emission amplitudes; relying on the collinear singularities structure of the latter, we derive an upper limit to the range of transverse momenta where the collinear approximation is valid. This scale is then used as the value of the resummation scale in the analytic resummation framework or as the value of the $h$ parameter in the POWHEG-BOX code. A variation of this scale can be used to generate an uncertainty band associated to the matching procedure. Finally, we provide a phenomenological analysis in the Standard Model, in the Two Higgs Doublet Model and in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In the two latter cases, we provide an ansatz for the central value of the matching parameters not only for a Standard Model-like Higgs boson, but also for heavy scalars and in scenarios where the bottom quark may play the dominant role.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Vacuum stability and supersymmetry at high scales with two Higgs doublets

We investigate the stability of the electroweak vacuum for two-Higgs doublet models with a supersymmetric UV completion. The supersymmetry breaking scale is taken to be of the order of the grand unification scale. We first study the case where all superpartners decouple at this scale. We show that contrary to the Standard Model with one Higgs doublet, matching to the supersymmetric UV completion is possible if the low-scale model contains two Higgs doublets. In this case vacuum stability and experimental constraints point towards low values of tan(beta) < 2 and pseudoscalar masses of at least about a TeV. If the higgsino superpartners of the Higgs fields are also kept light, the conclusions are similar and essentially independent of the higgsino mass. Finally, if all gauginos are also given electroweak-scale masses (split supersymmetry with two Higgs doublets), the model cannot be matched to supersymmetry at very high scales when requiring a 125 GeV Higgs. Light neutral and charged higgsinos therefore emerge as a promising signature of a supersymmetric UV completion of the Standard Model at the grand unification scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Resummation ambiguities in the Higgs transverse-momentum spectrum in the Standard Model and beyond

We study the prediction for the Higgs transverse momentum distribution in gluon fusion and focus on the problem of matching fixed- and all-order perturbative results. The main sources of matching ambiguities on this distribution are investigated by means of a twofold comparison. On the one hand, we present a detailed qualitative and quantitative comparison of two recently introduced algorithms for determining the matching scale. On the other hand, we apply the results of both methods to three widely used approaches for the resummation of logarithmically enhanced contributions at small transverse momenta: the MC@NLO and POWHEG Monte Carlo approaches, and analytic resummation. While the three sets of results are largely compatible in the low-pT region, they exhibit sizable differences at large pT. We show that these differences can be significantly reduced by suitable modifications of formally subleading terms in the Monte Carlo implementations. We apply our study to the Standard Model Higgs boson and to the neutral Higgs bosons of the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model for representative scenarios of the parameter space, where the top- and bottom-quark diagrams enter the cross section at different strength.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Estimation of uncertainties from missing higher orders in perturbative calculations

In this proceeding we present the results of our recent study (hep-ph/1409.5036) of the statistical performances of two different approaches, Scale Variation (SV) and the Bayesian model of Cacciari and Houdeau (CH)(hep-ph/1105.5152) (which we also extend to observables with initial state hadrons), to the estimation of Missing Higher-Order Uncertainties (MHOUs)(hep-ph/1307.1843) in perturbation theory. The behavior of the models is determined by analyzing, on a wide set of observables, how the MHOU intervals they produce are successful in predicting the next orders. We observe that the Bayesian model behaves consistently, producing intervals at $68\%$ Degree of Belief (DoB) comparable with the scale variation intervals with a rescaling factor $r$ larger than $2$ and closer to $4$. Concerning SV, our analysis allows the derivation of a heuristic Confidence Level (CL) for the intervals. We find that assigning a CL of $68\%$ to the intervals obtained with the conventional choice of varying the scales within a factor of two with respect to the central scale could potentially lead to an underestimation of the uncertainties in the case of observables with initial state hadrons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

An extensive survey of the estimation of uncertainties from missing higher orders in perturbative calculations

We consider two approaches to estimate and characterise the theoretical uncertainties stemming from the missing higher orders in perturbative calculations in Quantum Chromodynamics: the traditional one based on renormalisation and factorisation scale variation, and the Bayesian framework proposed by Cacciari and Houdeau. We estimate uncertainties with these two methods for a comprehensive set of more than thirty different observables computed in perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics, and we discuss their performance in properly estimating the size of the higher order terms that are known. We find that scale variation with the conventional choice of varying scales within a factor of two of a central scale gives uncertainty intervals that tend to be somewhat too small to be interpretable as 68% confidence-level-heuristic ones. We propose a modified version of the Bayesian approach of Cacciari and Houdeau which performs well for non-hadronic observables and, after an appropriate choice of the relevant expansion parameter for the perturbative series, for hadronic ones too.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Higgs Mass and Unnatural Supersymmetry

Assuming that supersymmetry exists well above the weak scale, we derive the full one-loop matching conditions between the SM and the supersymmetric theory, allowing for the possibility of an intermediate Split-SUSY scale. We also compute two-loop QCD corrections to the matching condition of the Higgs quartic coupling. These results are used to improve the calculation of the Higgs mass in models with high-scale supersymmetry or split supersymmetry, reducing the theoretical uncertainty. We explore the phenomenology of a mini-split scenario with gaugino masses determined by anomaly mediation. Depending on the value of the higgsino mass, the theory predicts a variety of novel possibilities for the dark-matter particle.

hep-ph↗