arXiv subjects

Jennifer Kile

Publications and source records attributed to Jennifer Kile.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Monte Carlo Tuning for $e^+e^-\to$ Hadrons and Comparison with Unfolded LEP Data

We perform two tunes of the SHERPA Monte Carlo generator for the generation of $e^+e^-\rightarrow\mbox{hadrons}$ using the publicly-available LEP analyses in Rivet. In each of these tunes, we generate events at $\sqrt{s}=91.25\mbox{ GeV}$ using matrix elements for final states containing up to six partons. In the first, "LO" tune, matrix elements for all final states are generated at leading order; in the second, "NLO" tune, matrix elements for final states with up to four partons are generated at next-to-leading order using BlackHat, while those for states with five and six partons are generated at leading order. The tunes are accomplished using Professor, and comparisons with unfolded LEP1 and LEP2 data are produced with Rivet. We also compare the data with events generated with KK2f interfaced to PYTHIA using the standard ALEPH tune. We find that both SHERPA samples show improvement relative to KK2f for observables related to four-jet final states, while all three samples produce comparable results for event-shape variables. Overall, the agreement with data is best for the LO tune. We provide our tuning parameters and many data-Monte Carlo comparisons.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2018

Simulation of $e^+e^-\rightarrow\mbox{Hadrons}$ and Comparison to ALEPH Data at Full Detector Simulation with an Emphasis on Four-Jet States

We use the SHERPA Monte Carlo generator to simulate the process $e^+e^-\rightarrow\mbox{hadrons}$ using matrix elements with up to six partons in the final state. Two samples of SHERPA events are generated. In the "LO" sample, all final states are generated with leading order matrix elements; in the "NLO" sample, matrix elements for final states with up to four partons are generated at next-to-leading order, while matrix elements for final states with five or six partons are generated at leading order. The resulting samples are then passed through the ALEPH detector simulation. We compare the Monte Carlo samples to each other, to samples generated using the KK2f generator interfaced with PYTHIA, and to the archived ALEPH data at both LEP1 and LEP2 energies. We focus on four-jet observables with particular attention given to dijet masses. The LO and NLO SHERPA samples show significant improvement over the KK2f generation for observables directly related to clustering events into four jets, while maintaining similar performance to KK2f for event-shape variables. We additionally reweight the dijet masses using LEP1 data and find that this greatly improves the agreement between the three Monte Carlo samples at LEP2 energies for these observables.

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arXiv2018

Localized $4σ$ and $5σ$ Dijet Mass Excesses in ALEPH LEP2 Four-Jet Events

We investigate an excess observed in hadronic events in the archived LEP2 ALEPH data. This excess was observed at preselection level during data-MC comparisons of four-jet events when no search was being performed. The events are clustered into four jets and paired such that the mass difference between the two dijet systems is minimized. The excess occurs in the region $M_1+M_2\sim 110\mbox{ GeV}$; about half of the excess is concentrated in the region $M_1\sim 80\mbox{ GeV}$, $M_2\sim 25\mbox{ GeV}$, with a local significance between $4.7σ$ and $5.5σ$, depending on assumptions about hadronization uncertainties. The other half of the events are in a broad excess near $M_1\sim M_2\sim 55\mbox{ GeV}$; these display a local significance of $4.1-4.5σ$. We investigate the effects of changing the SM QCD Monte Carlo sample, the jet-clustering algorithm, and the jet rescaling method. We find that the excess is remarkably robust under these changes, and we find no source of systematic uncertainty that can explain the excess. No analogue of the excess is seen at LEP1.

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arXiv2015

Lepton-Flavored Dark Matter

In this work, we address two paradoxes. The first is that the measured dark-matter relic density can be satisfied with new physics at O(100 GeV - 1 TeV), while the null results from direct-detection experiments place lower bounds of O(10 TeV) on a new-physics scale. The second puzzle is that the severe suppression of lepton-flavor-violating processes involving electrons, e.g. mu->3e, tau->e mu mu, etc., implies that generic new-physics contributions to lepton interactions cannot exist below O(10 - 100 TeV), whereas the 3.6sigma deviation of the muon g-2 from the standard model can be explained by a new-physics scale < O(1 TeV). Here, we suggest that it may not be a coincidence that both the muon g-2 and the relic density can be satisfied by a new-physics scale < 1 TeV. We consider the possibility of a gauged lepton-flavor interaction that couples at tree level only to mu- and tau-flavored leptons and the dark sector. Dark matter thus interacts appreciably only with particles of mu and tau flavor at tree level and has loop-suppressed couplings to quarks and electrons. Remarkably, if such a gauged flavor interaction exists at a scale O(100 GeV - 1 TeV), it allows for a consistent phenomenological framework, compatible with the muon g-2, the relic density, direct detection, indirect detection, charged-lepton decays, neutrino trident production, and results from hadron and e+e- colliders. We suggest experimental tests for these ideas at colliders and for low-energy observables.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Majorana Physics Through the Cabibbo Haze

We present a model in which the Supersymmetric Standard Model is augmented by the family symmetry $\bs{\m Z_7 \rtimes \m Z_3}$. Motivated by $SO(10)$, where the charge two-thirds and neutral Dirac Yukawa matrices are related, we propose, using family symmetry, a special form for the seesaw Majorana matrix; it contains a squared correlated hierarchy, allowing it to mitigate the severe hierarchy of the quark sector. It is reproduced naturally by the invariant operators of $\bs{\m Z_7 \rtimes \m Z_3}$, with the hierarchy carried by familon fields. In addition to relating the hierarchy of the $ΔI_{\rm w}=1/2$ to the $ΔI_{\rm w}=0$ sector, it contains a Gatto-Sartori-Tonin like relation, predicts a normal hierarchy for Tri-bimaximal and Golden Ratio mixings, and gives specific values for the light neutrino masses.

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arXiv2014

$\mathbf{θ_{13}^{}}$ and The Flavor Ring

We present the results of a numerical search for the Dirac Yukawa matrices of the Standard Model, consistent with the quark and lepton masses and their mixing angles. We assume a diagonal up-quark matrix, natural in $\bs{\m Z_7 \rtimes \m Z_3}$, Bimaximal or Tri-bimaximal seesaw mixing, and $SU(5)$ unification to relate the down-quark and charged lepton Dirac Yukawa matrices using Georgi-Jarlskog mechanisms. The measured value of $θ_{13}$ requires an asymmetric down-quark Yukawa matrix. Satisfying the measured values of both $θ_{13}$ and the electron mass restricts the number of solutions, underlying the importance of the recent measurement of the reactor angle.

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arXiv2013

Flavored Dark Matter: A Review

The current status of flavored dark matter is reviewed. We discuss the main experimental constraints on models of flavored dark matter and survey some possible considerations which are relevant for the constructions of models. We then review the application of existing flavor principles to dark matter, with an emphasis on minimal flavor violation, and discuss implications of flavored dark matter on collider phenomenology.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

$H\rightarrow γγ$ as a Triangle Anomaly: Possible Implications for the Hierarchy Problem

The Standard Model calculation of $H\rightarrowγγ$ has the curious feature of being finite but regulator-dependent. While dimensional regularization yields a result which respects the electromagnetic Ward identities, additional terms which violate gauge invariance arise if the calculation is done setting $d=4$. This discrepancy between the $d=4-ε$ and $d=4$ results is recognized as a true ambiguity which must be resolved using physics input; as dimensional regularization respects gauge invariance, the $d=4-ε$ calculation is accepted as the correct SM result. However, here we point out another possibility; working in analogy with the gauge chiral anomaly, we note that it is possible that the individual diagrams do violate the electromagnetic Ward identities, but that the gauge-invariance-violating terms cancel when all contributions to $H\rightarrowγγ$, both from the SM and from new physics, are included. We thus examine the consequences of the hypothesis that the $d=4$ calculation is valid, but that such a cancellation occurs. We work in general renormalizable gauge, thus avoiding issues with momentum routing ambiguities. We point out that the gauge-invariance-violating terms in $d=4$ arise not just for the diagram containing a SM $W^{\pm}$ boson, but also for general fermion and scalar loops, and relate these terms to a lack of shift invariance in Higgs tadpole diagrams. We then derive the analogue of "anomaly cancellation conditions", and find consequences for solutions to the hierarchy problem. In particular, we find that supersymmetry obeys these conditions, even if it is softly broken at an arbitrarily high scale.

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arXiv2012

Dark Matter From Weak Polyplets

The addition of new multiplets of fermions charged under the Standard Model gauge group is investigated, with the aim of identifying a possible dark matter candidate. These fermions are charged under $SU(2)\times U(1)$, and their quantum numbers are determined by requiring all new particles to obtain masses via Yukawa couplings and all triangle anomalies to cancel as in the Standard Model; more than one multiplet is required and we refer to such a set of these multiplets as a polyplet. For sufficiently large multiplets, the stability of the dark matter candidate is ensured by an accidental symmetry; for clarity, however, we introduce a model with a particularly simple polyplet structure and stabilize the dark matter by imposing a new discrete symmetry. We then explore the features of this model; constraints from colliders, electroweak precision measurements, the dark matter relic density, and direct detection experiments are considered. We find that the model can accommodate a viable dark matter candidate for large Higgs boson masses; for $m_H\sim 125$ GeV, a subdominant contribution to the dark matter relic density can be achieved.

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arXiv2011

Flavored Dark Matter in Direct Detection Experiments and at LHC

We consider the possibility that dark matter can communicate with the Standard Model fields via flavor interactions. We take the dark matter to belong to a "dark sector" which contains at least two types, or "flavors", of particles and then hypothesize that the Standard Model fields and dark matter share a common interaction which depends on flavor. As, generically, interaction eigenstates and mass eigenstates need not coincide, we consider both flavor-changing and flavor-conserving interactions. These interactions are then constrained by meson decays, kaon mixing, and current collider bounds, and we examine their relevance for direct detection and LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Light Fermionic Dark Matter and its Possible Detection in Neutrino Experiments

We explore the potential for the direct detection of light fermionic dark matter in neutrino detectors. We consider the possible observation of the process $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$, where $f$ is a dark matter fermion, in a model-independent manner. All operators of dimension six or lower which can contribute to this process are listed, and we place constraints on these operators from decays of $f$ which contain $γ$ rays or electrons. One operator is found which is sufficiently weakly constrained that it could give observable interactions in neutrino detectors. We find that Super-Kamiokande can probe the new physics scale for this operator up to $O(100{TeV})$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Light Hidden Fermionic Dark Matter in Neutrino Experiments

We consider, in a model-independent framework, the potential for observing dark matter in neutrino detectors through the interaction $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$, where $f$ is a dark fermion. Operators of dimension six or less are considered, and constraints are placed on their coefficients using the dark matter lifetime and its decays to states which include $γ$ rays or $e^+e^-$ pairs. After these constraints are applied, there remains one operator which can possibly contribute to $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$ in neutrino detectors at an observable level. We then consider the results from the Super-Kamiokande relic supernova neutrino search and find that Super-K can probe the new physics scale of this interaction up to $O(100\mbox{ TeV})$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Hidden MeV-Scale Dark Matter in Neutrino Detectors

The possibility of direct detection of light fermionic dark matter in neutrino detectors is explored from a model-independent standpoint. We consider all operators of dimension six or lower which can contribute to the interaction $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$, where $f$ is a dark Majorana or Dirac fermion. Constraints on these operators are then obtained from the $f$ lifetime and its decays which produce visible $γ$ rays or electrons. We find one operator which would allow $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$ at interesting rates in neutrino detectors, as long as $m_f \lesssim m_π$. The existing constraints on light dark matter from relic density arguments, supernova cooling rates, and big-bang nucleosynthesis are then reviewed. We calculate the cross-section for $\bar{f} p \to e^+ n$ in neutrino detectors implied by this operator, and find that Super-K can probe the new physics scale $Λ$ for this interaction up to ${\cal O}(100 {TeV})$

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Model-Independent Constraints on Lepton-Flavor-Violating Decays of the Top Quark

The imminent start of the Large Hadron Collider, which is expected to produce $\sim 10^8$ $t\bar{t}$ pairs per year, provides an unprecedented opportunity for top physics. As the top quark is widely expected to be rather sensitive to effects of new physics, a detailed study of its properties, including rare decays, is called for. A possible, experimentally distinctive decay is the case where a top decays to a light quark and a flavor-violating lepton-antilepton pair. We use an effective operator analysis to place model-independent bounds on contributions to the decays $t\to u e^{\pm} μ^{\mp}$ and $t\to c e^{\pm} μ^{\mp}$. We enumerate the dimension-six operators which contribute to these decays and which are invariant under the Standard Model gauge group. We separate these operators into two classes, one with operators where the top quark belongs to an SU(2) doublet and thus can contribute at tree level to low-energy processes, and one class with operators where the top quark is a right-handed singlet and can only contribute to low-energy processes via loop diagrams. We use $B$ and $K$ decays to place limits on the coefficients of some of these operators, but find that several remain unconstrained and could potentially make observable contributions to top decay.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

Fermionic Effective Operators and Higgs Production at a Linear Collider

We study the possible contributions of dimension six operators containing fermion fields to Higgs production at a 500 GeV or 1 TeV $e^+e^-$ linear collider. We show that -- depending on the production mechanism -- the effects of such operators can be kinematically enhanced relative to Standard Model (SM) contributions. We determine constraints on the operator coefficients implied by existing precision electroweak measurements and the scale of neutrino mass. We find that even in the presence of such constraints, substantial deviations from SM Higgs production cross-sections are possible. We compare the effects of fermionic operators with those associated with purely bosonic operators that have been previously discussed in the literature.

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arXiv2006

Constraints on Muon Decay Parameters from Neutrino Mass

We derive model-independent constraints on chirality-changing terms in the muon decay Lagrangian using limits on neutrino mass. We consider all dimension-six operators invariant under the gauge symmetry of the Standard Model which contribute to either a Dirac neutrino mass or muon decay. Taking an upper limit on neutrino mass of 1 eV, we derive limits on the contributions of chirality-changing operators to the Michel parameters four orders of magnitude tighter than the current experimental constraints. We also identify two operators which, due to their flavor structure, are not constrained by neutrino mass. If near-future experiments find contributions to muon decay from these operators, it could indicate interesting flavor structure in physics beyond the SM.

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arXiv2006

Neutrino Mass Implications for Muon Decay Parameters

We use the scale of neutrino mass to derive model-independent naturalness constraints on possible contributions to muon decay Michel parameters from new physics above the electroweak symmetry-breaking scale. Focusing on Dirac neutrinos, we obtain a complete basis of effective dimension four and dimension six operators that are invariant under the gauge symmetry of the Standard Model and that contribute to both muon decay and neutrino mass. We show that -- in the absence of fine tuning -- the most stringent bounds on chirality-changing operators relevant to muon decay arise from one-loop contributions to neutrino mass. The bounds we obtain on their contributions to the Michel parameters are four or more orders of magnitude stronger than bounds previously obtained in the literature. We also show that there exist chirality-changing operators that contribute to muon decay but whose flavor structure allows them to evade neutrino mass naturalness bounds. We discuss the implications of our analysis for the interpretation of muon decay experiments.

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