arXiv subjects

Felipe J. Llanes-Estrada

Publications and source records attributed to Felipe J. Llanes-Estrada.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Smearing of causality by compositeness divides dispersive approaches into exact ones and precision-limited ones

Scattering off the edge of a composite particle or finite-range interaction can precede that off its center. An effective theory treatment with pointlike particles and contact interactions must find that the scattered experimental wave is slightly advanced, in violation of causality (the fundamental underlying theory being causal). In practice, partial-wave or other projections of multivariate amplitudes exponentially grow with imaginary E, so that upper complex-plane analyticity is not sufficient to obtain a dispersion relation for them, but only for a slightly modified function (the modified relations additionally connect different J). This limits the maximum precision of certain dispersive approaches to compositeness based on Cauchy's theorem leading to partial-wave dispersion relations. This may be of interest to some dispersive tests of the Standard Model with hadrons, and to unitarization methods used to extend electroweak effective theories. Interestingly, the Inverse Amplitude Method is safe (as the inverse amplitude has the opposite, convergent behavior allowing contour closure). Generically, one-dimensional sum rules such as for the photon vacuum polarization, one-dimensional form factors or the Adler function, to name a few, are not affected by this uncertainty. Likewise, fixed-t dispersion relations were cleverly constructed to avoid it and consequences therefrom are solid.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Heating triangle singularities in heavy ion collisions

We predict that triangle singularities of hadron spectroscopy can be strongly affected in heavy ion collisions. To do it we examine various effects on the singularity-inducing triangle loop of finite temperature in the terminal hadron phase. It appears that peaks seen in central heavy ion collisions are more likely to be hadrons than rescattering effects under two conditions. First, the flight-time of the intermediate hadron state must be comparable to the lifetime of the equilibrated fireball (else, the reaction mostly happens in vacuo after freeze out). Second, the medium effect over the triangle-loop particle mass or width must be sizeable. When these (easily checked) conditions are met, the medium quickly reduces the singularity: at T about 150 MeV, even by two orders of magnitude, acting then as a spectroscopic filter.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Glueballs as the Ithaca of meson spectroscopy

This compact review about gluonium focuses on a slate of theoretical efforts; among the many standing works, I have selected several that are meant to assist in the identification, among ordinary mesons, of the few Yang-Mills glueball configurations that populate the energy region below 3 GeV. This includes $J/ψ$ radiative and vector-meson decays, studies of scalar meson mixing, of high-energy cross sections via the Pomeron and the odderon, glueball decays, etc. The weight of accumulated evidence seems to support the $f_0(1710)$ as having a large (and the largest) glueball component among the scalars, although no single observable by itself is conclusive. Further tests would be welcome, such as exclusive $f_J$ production at asymptotically high $s$ and $t$. No clear experimental candidates for the pseudoscalar or tensor glueball stand out yet, and continuing investigations trying to sort them out will certainly teach us much more about mesons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Assessment of systematic theory uncertainties in IAM unitarization

Effective Field Theories (EFTs) for Goldstone Boson scattering at a low order allow the computation of near--threshold observables in terms of a few coefficients arranged by a counting. As a matter of principle they should make sense up to an energy scale $E\sim 4πF$ but the expansion in powers of momentum violates exact elastic unitarity and renders the derivative expansion unreliable at much lower energies. If new--physics deviations from the Standard Model are found and encoded in low-energy coefficients, perhaps at the LHC, it will be profitable to extend the reach of the EFT to regimes where partial waves are saturating unitarity. The methods known in hadron physics as "Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory" extend the EFT up to its nominal reach or up to the first new physics resonance or structure (if found below that energy reach) in the partial wave amplitude, but they usually have unknown uncertainties. We recapitulate our analysis of the systematic theory uncertainties of the well known Inverse Amplitude Method (IAM).

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

The lightest flavor--singlet qqq baryons as witnesses to color

We present a new computation in a field-theoretical model of Coulomb gauge QCD of the first radial and angular excitations of a qqq system in a SU(3) flavor singlet state, Lambda_S. The traditional motivation for the study is that the absence of flavor singlets in the lowest-lying spectrum is a direct consequence of the color degree of freedom. (The calculation is tested with decuplet baryons Delta(1232) and Omega(1672).) We also analyze decay branching fractions of the flavor singlet baryon for various masses with the simplest effective Lagrangians.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Mixing and $m_q$ dependence of axial vector mesons in the Coulomb gauge QCD model

We discuss pure $q\bar{q}$ axial-vector mesons in the Tamm-Dancoff approximation of the Coulomb-gauge QCD model from NCSU. While recent studies have put emphasis in configuration mixing with open meson-meson channels, we here concentrate on the simpler closed-channel problem and follow the $1^+$ mixing through a wide range of quark masses. We also examine their radial excitations and discuss with them the concept of insensitivity to chiral symmetry breaking.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Resonances in unitarized HEFT at the LHC

Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT) is deployed to study elastic vector-boson scattering at the high LHC energies. The interaction is strong over most of the parameter space, with the minimal Standard Model being a remarkable exception. One-loop HEFT complemented with dispersion relations and the Equivalence Theorem leads to two different unitarization methods which produce analytical amplitudes corresponding to different approximate solutions to the dispersion relations: the Inverse Amplitude method (IAM) and the N/D method. The partial waves obtained can show poles in the second Riemann sheet whose natural interpretation is that of dynamical resonances with masses and widths depending on the starting HEFT parameters. Different unitarizations yield qualitatively, and in many cases quantitatively, very similar results. The amplitudes obtained provide realistic resonant and nonresonant cross sections to be compared with and to be used for a proper interpretation of the LHC data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Hadron matter in neutron stars in view of gravitational wave observations

In this review we highlight a few physical properties of neutron stars and their theoretical treatment inasmuch as they can be useful for nuclear and particle physicists concerned with matter at finite density (and newly, temperature). Conversely, we lay out some of the hadron physics necessary to test General Relativity with binary mergers including at least one neutron star, in view of the event GW170817: neutron stars and their mergers reach the highest matter densities known, offering access to the matter side of Einstein's equations. In addition to minimum introductory material for those interested in starting research in the field of neutron stars, we dedicate quite some effort to a discussion of the Equation of State of hadron matter in view of gravitational wave developments; we address phase transitions and how the new data may help; we show why transport is expected to be dominated by turbulence instead of diffusion through most if not all of the star, in view of the transport coefficients that have been calculated from microscopic hadron physics; and we relate many of the interesting physics topics in neutron stars to the radius and tidal deformability.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2019

nEoS: Neutron Star Equation of State from hadron physics alone

We contribute a publicly available set of tables and code to provide Equations of State (EoS) for matter at neutron star densities. Our EoSes are constrained only by input from hadron physics and fundamental principles, without feedback from neutron star observations, and so without relying on General Relativity. They can therefore be used to test General Relativity itself, as well as modified gravity theories, with neutron star observables, without logical circularity. We have adapted state of the art results from NN chiral potentials for the low--density limit, pQCD results for the asymptotically high-density EoS, and use monotonicity and causality as the only restrictions for intermediate densities, for the EoS sets to remain as model-independent as is feasible today.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

How to identify gluonium states using QCD counting rules

Verifying the existence of bound states of gluons and distinguishing them from conventional quark-antiquark, hybrid or tetraquark states has remained a key problem in QCD. We show that QCD counting rules for the power-law fall-off of production cross sections at high momentum transfer can be used to distinguish gluonium states from conventional hadrons. The valence two-gluon contribution to a 0^+ gluonium bound state has L=0 and thus twist (dimension minus spin of their minimum interpolating operators) tau=2. The competing twist assignments for scalar f_0 mesons have twist tau = 3 for the valence |q qbar > configuration or |qqbar g> in an s-wave, and tau >= 4 for |q qbar qbar q > tetraquarks, etc. Thus, the production cross section for mesons with quark-containing valence wavefunctions relative to glueball production should be suppressed by at least a power of momentum transfer. Distinguishing these processes is feasible in exclusive e^-e^+ --> phi f_0 reactions at 9 and 11 GeV center of mass energy at Belle-II. In the case of single-particle inclusive hadroproduction A B --> C X, the cross section for scalar gluonium production at high transverse momentum p_T and fixed x_T = 2 p_T/sqrt(s) will dominate meson or tetraquark production by at least two powers of p_T.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Collider production of Electroweak resonances from photon-photon states

We estimate production cross sections for 2-body resonances of the Electroweak Symmetry Breaking sector (in $W_LW_L$ and $Z_LZ_L$ rescattering) from $γγ$ scattering. We employ unitarized Higgs Effective Field Theory amplitudes previously computed coupling the two photon channel to the EWSBS. We work in the Effective Photon Approximation and examine both $e^-e^+$ collisions at energies of order 1-2 TeV (as relevant for future lepton machines) and $pp$ collisions at LHC energies. Dynamically generating a spin-0 resonance around 1.5 TeV (by appropriately choosing the parameters of the effective theory) we find that the differential cross section per unit $s$, $p_t^2$ is of order 0.01 fbarn/TeV$^4$ at the LHC. Injecting a spin-2 resonance around 2 TeV we find an additional factor 100 suppression for $p_t$ up to 200 GeV. The very small cross sections put these $γγ$ processes, though very clean, out of reach of immediate future searches.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Using QCD Counting rules to Identify the Production of Gluonium

The empirical identification of bound states of gluons has remained a central goal of hadron spectroscopy. We suggest an experimentally challenging, but model--independent way to assess which zero charge, isospin-zero mesons have a large gluonium light-front wavefunction component in the quark and gluon Fock space of QCD. Our method exploits QCD counting rules which relate the power-law fall-off of production amplitudes at high momentum transfer to the meson's twist (dimension minus spin of its minimum interpolating operators). Scalar $0^+$ glueballs composed of two valence gluons with zero internal orbital angular momentum have twist $τ=2$. In contrast, quark-antiquark $|q \bar q \rangle $ scalar mesons have twist $τ\ge 3$ since they have nonzero orbital angular momentum, and multi-quark states such as $|q q \bar q \bar q \rangle$ tetraquarks yield twist $τ\ge 4$. Thus, the production cross section for both $|q\bar{q}\rangle$ and $|qq\bar{q}\bar{q}\rangle$ mesons will be suppressed by at least one power of momentum transfer relative to glueball production. For example, in single inclusive particle hadroproduction $ A B \to C X$, the cross section for glueball production at high transverse momentum $p_T$ and fixed $x_T = 2 {p_T\over \sqrt s} $ will dominate higher twist mesons by at least two powers of $p_T$. Similarly, in exclusive production processes at large CM energy and fixed CM angle, the glueball rate dominates by a power of $s$: we illustrate the method with a simple reaction, $e^-e^+ \to ϕf_0$ where the $f_0$ can be tested to be a glueball versus another type of scalar meson.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Chiral symmetry breaking for fermions charged under large Lie groups

We reexamine the dynamical generation of mass for fermions charged under various Lie groups with equal charge and mass at a high Grand Unification scale, extending the Renormalization Group Equations in the perturbative regime to two-loops and matching to the Dyson-Schwinger Equations in the strong coupling regime.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Unitarized HEFT for strongly interacting longitudinal electroweak gauge bosons with resonances

Higgs Effective Field Theory can be used to study vector-boson elastic scattering at the high energies relevant for the LHC. For most of the parameter space, the scattering is strongly interacting, with the minimal Standard Model being a remarkable exception. From its one-loop treatment complemented with dispersion relations and the Equivalence Theorem, we derive two different unitarization methods which produce analytical amplitudes corresponding to different approximate solutions to the dispersion relations: the Inverse Amplitude method (IAM) and the N/D method. The partial waves obtained can show poles in the second Riemann sheet whose natural interpretation is that of dynamical resonances with masses and widths a function of the starting HEFT parameters. We compare the different unitarizations and we find that they are qualitatively, and in many cases quantitatively, very similar. However, for different reason it is more interesting to use one of the two methods depending on the particular channel for WW, ZZ, WZ, Zh, Wh or hh scattering. In this note we briefly describe the possible I and J channels for these reactions and give the unitarization method of choice in each case. The amplitudes obtained provide realistic resonant and nonresonant cross sections to be compared with and to be used for a proper interpretation of the LHC data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Shannon entropy and particle decays

We deploy Shannon's information entropy to the distribution of branching fractions in a particle decay. This serves to quantify how important a given new reported decay channel is, from the point of view of the information that it adds to the already known ones. Because the entropy is additive, one can subdivide the set of channels and discuss, for example, how much information the discovery of a new decay branching would add; or subdivide the decay distribution down to the level of individual quantum states (which can be quickly counted by the phase space). We illustrate the concept with some examples of experimentally known particle decay distributions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Resonant production of Wh and Zh at the LHC

We examine the production of Wh and Zh pairs at the LHC in the context of a Strongly Interacting Symmetry Breaking Sector of the Standard Model. Our description is based on a non-linear Higgs Effective Theory, including only the Standard Model particles. We focus on its scalar sector (Higgs boson h and electroweak Goldstones associated to $W_L^\pm$ and $Z_L$), which is expected to give the strongest beyond Standard Model rescattering effects. The range of the effective theory is extended with dispersion-relation based unitarization, and compared to the alternative extension with explicit axial-vector resonances. We estimate the Wh and Zh production cross-section, where an intermediate axial-vector resonance is generated for certain values of the chiral couplings. We exemplify our analysis with a benchmark axial-vector with $M_A=3$ TeV. Interestingly enough, these different approaches provide essentially the same prediction. Finally we discuss the sensitivity of ATLAS and CMS to such resonances.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Collider phenomenology of HEFT and new Wh and Zh resonances

We report computations of the production cross-section of longitudinal electroweak and Higgs boson pairs within Effective Field Theory for the Electroweak sector (including the Higgs). We have recently reported theoretical studies of gauge boson-gauge boson and Higgs-Higgs resonance production with various quantum numbers. We are now focusing on gauge boson-Higgs boson two-body axial-vector resonances and show a typical cross section. At last, we point out that photon-photon production has also been studied (in $e^-e^+$ as well as pp machines), as this is a very clean process allowing access to scalar and tensor resonances.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Shannon entropy and hadronic decays

How much information is added to the Review of Particle Physics when a new decay branching ratio of a hadron is measured and reported? This is quantifiable by Shannon's information entropy $S(i) =-\sum_{f}BR_{(i\longrightarrow f)}\log BR_{(i\longrightarrow f)}$ that takes as input the experimental branching ratios (BR) of the decay distribution of particle i. It may be used at two levels, against the distribution of decay-channel probabilities, or against the distribution of individual quantum-state probabilities (integrating the phase space of those states provides the former). We illustrate the concept with some examples.

hep-ph↗