arXiv subjects

J. Foley

Publications and source records attributed to J. Foley.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Symanzik flow on HISQ ensembles

We report on a scale determination with gradient-flow techniques on the $N_f = 2 + 1 + 1$ HISQ ensembles generated by the MILC collaboration. The lattice scale $w_0/a$, originally proposed by the BMW collaboration, is computed using Symanzik flow at four lattice spacings ranging from 0.15 to 0.06 fm. With a Taylor series ansatz, the results are simultaneously extrapolated to the continuum and interpolated to physical quark masses. We give a preliminary determination of the scale $w_0$ in physical units, along with associated systematic errors, and compare with results from other groups. We also present a first estimate of autocorrelation lengths as a function of flowtime for these ensembles.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Kaon semileptonic vector form factor and determination of |V_{us}| using staggered fermions

Using staggered fermions and twisted boundary conditions, we calculate the K meson semileptonic decay vector form factor at zero momentum transfer. The HISQ formulation is used for the valence quarks, while the sea quarks are simulated with the asqtad action (MILC N_f=2+1 configurations). For the chiral and continuum extrapolation we use two-loop continuum CHPT, supplemented by partially quenched staggered CHPT at one loop. Our result is f_+^{Kπ}(0) = 0.9667+-0.0023+-0.0033, where the first error is statistical and the second is the sum in quadrature of the systematic uncertainties. This result is the first N_f=2+1 calculation with two lattice spacings and a controlled continuum extrapolation. It is also the most precise result to date for the vector form factor and, although the central value is larger than previous unquenched lattice calculations, it is compatible with them within errors. Combining our value for f_+^{Kπ}(0) with the latest experimental measurements of K semileptonic decays, we obtain |V_{us}| = 0.2238+-0.0009+-0.0005, where the first error is from f_+^{Kπ}(0) and the second one is experimental. As a byproduct of our calculation, we obtain the combination of low-energy constants [C_{12}^r+C_{34}^r-(L_5^r)^2](M_ρ) = (3.62+-1.00)x10^{-6}.

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arXiv2013

Extended hadron and two-hadron operators of definite momentum for spectrum calculations in lattice QCD

Multi-hadron operators are crucial for reliably extracting the masses of excited states lying above multi-hadron thresholds in lattice QCD Monte Carlo calculations. The construction of multi-hadron operators with significant coupling to the lowest-lying multi-hadron states of interest involves combining single hadron operators of various momenta. The design and implementation of large sets of spatially-extended single-hadron operators of definite momentum and their combinations into two-hadron operators are described. The single hadron operators are all assemblages of gauge-covariantly-displaced, smeared quark fields. Group-theoretical projections onto the irreducible representations of the symmetry group of a cubic spatial lattice are used in all isospin channels. Tests of these operators on 24^3 x 128 and 32^3 x 256 anisotropic lattices using a stochastic method of treating the low-lying modes of quark propagation which exploits Laplacian Heaviside quark-field smearing are presented. The method provides reliable estimates of all needed correlations, even those that are particularly difficult to compute, such as eta eta -> eta eta in the scalar channel, which involves the subtraction of a large vacuum expectation value. A new glueball operator is introduced, and the evaluation of the mixing of this glueball operator with a quark-antiquark operator, pi-pi, and eta-eta operators is shown to be feasible.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2013

Leptonic decay-constant ratio f_{K^+}/f_{pi^+} from lattice QCD with physical light quarks

A calculation of the ratio of leptonic decay constants f_{K^+}/f_{π^+} makes possible a precise determination of the ratio of CKM matrix elements |V_{us}|/|V_{ud}| in the Standard Model, and places a stringent constraint on the scale of new physics that would lead to deviations from unitarity in the first row of the CKM matrix. We compute f_{K^+}/f_{π^+} numerically in unquenched lattice QCD using gauge-field ensembles recently generated that include four flavors of dynamical quarks: up, down, strange, and charm. We analyze data at four lattice spacings a ~ 0.06, 0.09, 0.12, and 0.15 fm with simulated pion masses down to the physical value 135 MeV. We obtain f_{K^+}/f_{π^+} = 1.1947(26)(37), where the errors are statistical and total systematic, respectively. This is our first physics result from our N_f = 2+1+1 ensembles, and the first calculation of f_{K^+}/f_{π^+} from lattice-QCD simulations at the physical point. Our result is the most precise lattice-QCD determination of f_{K^+}/f_{π^+}, with an error comparable to the current world average. When combined with experimental measurements of the leptonic branching fractions, it leads to a precise determination of |V_{us}|/|V_{ud}| = 0.2309(9)(4) where the errors are theoretical and experimental, respectively.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Electromagnetic contributions to pseudoscalar masses

We report on the calculation by the MILC Collaboration of the electromagnetic effects on kaon and pion masses. These masses are computed in QCD with dynamical (asqtad staggered) quarks plus quenched photons at three lattice spacings varying from 0.12 to 0.06 fm. The masses are fit to staggered chiral perturbation theory with NLO electromagnetic terms, as well as analytic terms at higher order. We extrapolate the results to physical light-quark masses and to the continuum limit. At the current stage of the analysis, most, but not all, of the systematic errors have been estimated. The main goal is the comparison of kaon electromagnetic splittings to those of the pion, i.e., an evaluation of the corrections to "Dashen's theorem." This in turn will allow us to significantly reduce the systematic errors in our determination of m_u/m_d.

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arXiv2012

Status of the MILC calculation of electromagnetic contributions to pseudoscalar masses

We calculate pseudoscalar masses on gauge configurations containing the effects of 2+1 flavors of dynamical asqtad quarks and quenched electromagnetism. The lattice spacings vary from 0.12 to 0.06 fm. The masses are fit with staggered chiral perturbation theory including NLO electromagnetic terms. We attempt to extract the fit parameters for the electromagnetic contributions, while taking into account the finite volume effects, and extrapolate them to the physical limit.

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arXiv2012

Two-point Correlator Fits on HISQ Ensembles

We present our methods to fit the two point correlators for light, strange, and charmed pseudoscalar meson physics with the highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) action. We make use of the least-squares fit including the full covariance matrix of the correlators and including Gaussian constraints on some parameters. We fit the correlators on a variety of the HISQ ensembles. The lattice spacing ranges from 0.15 fm down to 0.06 fm. The light sea quark mass ranges from 0.2 times the strange quark mass down to the physical light quark mass. The HISQ ensembles also include lattices with different volumes and with unphysical values of the strange quark mass. We use the results from this work to obtain our preliminary results of $f_D$, $f_{D_s}$, $f_{D_s}/f_{D}$, and ratios of quark masses presented in another talk [1].

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arXiv2012

Kaon semileptonic decay form factors with HISQ valence quarks

We report on the status of our kaon semileptonic form factor calculations using the highly-improved staggered quark (HISQ) formulation to simulate the valence fermions. We present results for the form factor f_+^{K π}(0) on the asqtad N_f=2+1 MILC configurations, discuss the chiral-continuum extrapolation, and give a preliminary estimate of the total error. We also present a more preliminary set of results for the same form factor but with the sea quarks also simulated with the HISQ action; these results include data at the physical light quark masses. The improvements that we expect to achieve with the use of the HISQ configurations and simulations at the physical quark masses are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2012

Pseudoscalar meson physics with four dynamical quarks

We present preliminary results for light, strange and charmed pseudoscalar meson physics from simulations using four flavors of dynamical quarks with the highly improved staggered quark (HISQ) action. These simulations include lattice spacings ranging from 0.15 to 0.06 fm, and sea-quark masses both above and at their physical value. The major results are charm meson decay constants f_D, f_{D_s} and f_{D_s}/f_D and ratios of quark masses. This talk will focus on our procedures for finding the decay constants on each ensemble, the continuum extrapolation, and estimates of systematic error.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2012

Refining new-physics searches in B -> D tau nu decay with lattice QCD

The semileptonic decay channel B -> D tau nu is sensitive to the presence of a scalar current, such as that mediated by a charged-Higgs boson. Recently the BaBar experiment reported the first observation of the exclusive semileptonic decay B -> D tau nu, finding an approximately 2-sigma disagreement with the Standard-Model prediction for the ratio R(D)=BR(B->D tau nu)/BR(B->D l nu), where l=e,mu. We compute this ratio of branching fractions using hadronic form factors computed in unquenched lattice QCD and obtain R(D) = 0.316(12)(7), where the errors are statistical and total systematic, respectively. This result is the first Standard-Model calculation of R(D) from ab initio full QCD. Its error is smaller than that of previous estimates, primarily due to the reduced uncertainty in the scalar form factor f_0(q^2). Our determination of R(D) is approximately 1-sigma higher than previous estimates and, thus, reduces the tension with experiment. We also compute R(D) in models with electrically charged scalar exchange, such as the type II two-Higgs doublet model. Once again, our result is consistent with, but approximately 1-sigma higher than, previous estimates for phenomenologically relevant values of the scalar coupling in the type II model. As a byproduct of our calculation, we also present the Standard-Model prediction for the longitudinal polarization ratio P_L (D)= 0.325(4)(3).

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

B_s->D_s/B->D Semileptonic Form-Factor Ratios and Their Application to BR(B^0_s->μ^+μ^-)

We calculate form-factor ratios between the semileptonic decays \bar{B}->D^+\ell^-\barν and \bar{B}_s->D_s^+\ell^-\barν with lattice QCD. These ratios are a key theoretical input in a new strategy to determine the fragmentation fractions of the neutral B decays, which are needed for measurements of BR(B^0_s-> μ^+μ^-). We use the MILC ensembles of gauge configurations with 2+1 flavors of sea quarks at two lattice spacings of approximately 0.12 fm and 0.09 fm. We use the model-independent z-parametrization to extrapolate our simulation results at small recoil toward maximum recoil. Our results for the form-factor ratios are $f_0^{(s)}(M^2_π)/f_0^{(d)}(M^2_K) =1.046(44)_{stat.}(15)_{syst.}$ and $f_0^{(s)}(M^2_π)/f_0^{(d)}(M^2_π)=1.054(47)_{stat.}(17)_{syst.}$. In contrast to a QCD sum-rule calculation, no significant departure from U-spin (d<->s) symmetry is observed.

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arXiv2011

A novel algorithm for computing quark propagators for lattice hadron spectroscopy

We report on our progress in computing the excitation spectrum in Lattice QCD. We focus on the isospin 0, 1 and 2 channels using the stochastic LapH algorithm for the quark propagators. For the isospin-0 channel, a new glueball operator constructed from the stochastic LapH operator is included in the variational basis along with the isoscalar meson and pi-pi operators. A representative signal for each channel is presented and the feasibility of extending the calculations to larger lattices is discussed.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2011

Progress Report on Computing Excited-State Hadron Masses in Lattice QCD

Our progress in computing the spectrum of excited baryons and mesons in lattice QCD is described. Sets of spatially-extended hadron operators with a variety of different momenta are used. A new method of stochastically estimating the low-lying effects of quark propagation is utilized which allows reliable determinations of temporal correlations of both single-hadron and multi-hadron operators. The method is tested on the isoscalar mesons in the scalar, pseudoscalar, and vector channels, and on the two-pion system of total isospin I=0,1,2.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2011

Excited-State Hadrons using the Stochastic LapH Method

Progress in computing the spectrum of excited baryons and mesons in lattice QCD is described. Large sets of spatially-extended hadron operators are used. A new method of stochastically estimating the low-lying effects of quark propagation is utilized which allows reliable determinations of temporal correlations of both single-hadron and multi-hadron operators. The method is tested on the eta, sigma, omega mesons.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2010

The excited hadron spectrum in lattice QCD using a new variance reduction method

Progress in calculating the spectrum of excited baryons and mesons in lattice QCD is described. Correlation matrices of sets of spatially-extended hadron operators have been studied and their effectiveness in facilitating the extraction of excited-state energies is demonstrated. First applications of the stochastic LapH method, a new method of estimating the low-lying effects of quark propagation, are presented.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2010

Polarised correlators at finite temperature

QCD undergoes a deconfining transition at high temperature to a "quark-gluon plasma" phase where hadrons may become unbound. In this work, meson correlation functions at non-zero momentum are studied both in the confined and plasma phases using the Maximum Entropy Method. In particular, both the longitudinal and transverse modes of the vector correlation functions are considered. Only in the case of light quarks in the plasma phase, we find that both longitudinal and transverse spectral functions have a non-zero intercept at zero energy.

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arXiv2010

Multi-hadron states in Lattice QCD spectroscopy

The ability to reliably measure the energy of an excited hadron in Lattice QCD simulations hinges on the accurate determination of all lower-lying energies in the same symmetry channel. These include not only single-particle energies, but also the energies of multi-hadron states. This talk deals with the determination of multi-hadron energies in Lattice QCD. The group-theoretical derivation of lattice interpolating operators that couple optimally to multi-hadron states is described. We briefly discuss recent algorithmic developments which allow for the efficient implementation of these operators in software, and present numerical results from the Hadron Spectrum Collaboration.

hep-lat↗

arXiv2010

The excited hadron spectrum in lattice QCD using a new method of estimating quark propagation

Progress in determining the spectrum of excited baryons and mesons in lattice QCD is described. Large sets of carefully-designed hadron operators have been studied and their effectiveness in facilitating the extraction of excited-state energies is demonstrated. A new method of stochastically estimating the low-lying effects of quark propagation is proposed which will allow reliable determinations of temporal correlations of single-hadron and multi-hadron operators.

hep-lat↗