arXiv subjects

Oliver Brein

Publications and source records attributed to Oliver Brein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2013

HiggsBounds-4: Improved Tests of Extended Higgs Sectors against Exclusion Bounds from LEP, the Tevatron and the LHC

We describe the new developments in version 4 of the public computer code HiggsBounds. HiggsBounds is a tool to test models with arbitrary Higgs sectors, containing both neutral and charged Higgs bosons, against the published exclusion bounds from Higgs searches at the LEP, Tevatron and LHC experiments. From the model predictions for the Higgs masses, branching ratios, production cross sections and total decay widths - which are specified by the user in the input for the program - the code calculates the predicted signal rates for the search channels considered in the experimental data. The signal rates are compared to the expected and observed cross section limits from the Higgs searches to determine whether a point in the model parameter space is excluded at 95% confidence level. In this document we present a modification of the HiggsBounds main algorithm that extends the exclusion test in order to ensure that it provides useful results in the presence of one or more significant excesses in the data, corresponding to potential Higgs signals. We also describe a new method to test whether the limits from an experimental search performed under certain model assumptions can be applied to a different theoretical model. Further developments discussed here include a framework to take into account theoretical uncertainties on the Higgs mass predictions, and the possibility to obtain the $χ^2$ likelihood of Higgs exclusion limits from LEP. Extensions to the user subroutines from earlier versions of HiggsBounds are described. The new features are demonstrated by additional example programs.

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arXiv2013

Recent Developments in HiggsBounds and a Preview of HiggsSignals

We report on recent developments in the public computer code HiggsBounds, which confronts arbitrary Higgs sector predictions with 95% C.L. exclusion limits from Higgs searches at the LEP, Tevatron and LHC experiments. We discuss in detail the performance of the Standard Model (SM) likeness test as implemented in the latest version HiggsBounds-3.8.0, whose outcome decides whether a search for a SM Higgs boson can be applied to a model beyond the SM. Furthermore, we give a preview of features in the upcoming version HiggsBounds-4.0.0 and the new program HiggsSignals, which performs a chi-squared test of Higgs sector predictions against the signal rate and mass measurements from Higgs boson analyses at the Tevatron and LHC. This is illustrated with an example where the heavier CP-even Higgs boson of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is considered as an explanation of the LHC Higgs signal at ~126 GeV.

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arXiv2012

vh@nnlo - Higgs Strahlung at hadron colliders

A numerical program for the evaluation of the inclusive cross section for associated Higgs production with a massive weak gauge boson at hadron colliders is described, sigma(pp/pbar p -> HV), V=W,Z. The calculation is performed in the framework of the Standard Model and includes next-to-next-to-leading order QCD as well as next-to-leading order electro-weak effects.

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arXiv2011

Top-Quark Mediated Effects in Hadronic Higgs-Strahlung

Novel contributions to the total inclusive cross section for Higgs-Strahlung in the Standard Model at hadron colliders are evaluated. Although formally of order $α_s^2$, they have not been taken into account in previous NNLO predictions. The terms under consideration are induced by Higgs radiation off top-quark loops and thus proportional to the top-quark Yukawa coupling. At the Tevatron, their effects to HW production are below 1% in the relevant Higgs mass range, while for HZ production, we find corrections between about 1% and 2%. At the LHC, the contribution of the newly evaluated terms to the cross section is typically of the order of 1%-3%. Based on these results, we provide updated predictions for the total inclusive Higgs-Strahlung cross section at the Tevatron and the LHC.

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arXiv2011

HiggsBounds: Confronting Arbitrary Higgs Sectors with Exclusion Bounds from LEP and the Tevatron

HiggsBounds is a computer code that tests theoretical predictions of models with arbitrary Higgs sectors against the exclusion bounds obtained from the Higgs searches at LEP and the Tevatron. The included experimental information comprises exclusion bounds at 95% C.L. on topological cross sections. In order to determine which search topology has the highest exclusion power, the program also includes, for each topology, information from the experiments on the expected exclusion bound, which would have been observed in case of a pure background distribution. Using the predictions of the desired model provided by the user as input, HiggsBounds determines the most sensitive channel and tests whether the considered parameter point is excluded at the 95% C.L. HiggsBounds is available as a Fortran 77 and Fortran 90 code. The code can be invoked as a command line version, a subroutine version and an online version. Examples of exclusion bounds obtained with HiggsBounds are discussed for the Standard Model, for a model with a fourth generation of quarks and leptons and for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with and without CP-violation. The experimental information on the exclusion bounds currently implemented in HiggsBounds will be updated as new results from the Higgs searches become available.

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arXiv2011

HiggsBounds 2.0.0: Confronting Neutral and Charged Higgs Sector Predictions with Exclusion Bounds from LEP and the Tevatron

HiggsBounds 2.0.0 is a computer code which tests both neutral and charged Higgs sectors of arbitrary models against the current exclusion bounds from the Higgs searches at LEP and the Tevatron. As input, it requires a selection of model predictions, such as Higgs masses, branching ratios, effective couplings and total decay widths. HiggsBounds 2.0.0 then uses the expected and observed topological cross section limits from the Higgs searches to determine whether a given parameter scenario of a model is excluded at the 95% C.L. by those searches. Version 2.0.0 represents a significant extension of the code since its first release (1.0.0). It includes now 28/53 LEP/Tevatron Higgs search analyses, compared to the 11/22 in the first release, of which many of the ones from the Tevatron are replaced by updates. As a major extension, the code allows now the predictions for (singly) charged Higgs bosons to be confronted with LEP and Tevatron searches. Furthermore, the newly included analyses contain LEP searches for neutral Higgs bosons (H) decaying invisibly or into (non flavour tagged) hadrons as well as decay-mode independent searches for neutral Higgs bosons, LEP searches via the production modes tau+ tau- H and b b-bar H, and Tevatron searches via t t-bar H. Also, all Tevatron results presented at the ICHEP'10 are included in version 2.0.0. As physics applications of HiggsBounds 2.0.0 we study the allowed Higgs mass range for model scenarios with invisible Higgs decays and we obtain exclusion results for the scalar sector of the Randall-Sundrum model using up-to-date LEP and Tevatron direct search results.

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arXiv2011

Introducing HiggsBounds 2.0.0

We introduce version 2.0.0 of the computer program HiggsBounds. The program tests neutral and charged Higgs sectors of new models against the current exclusion bounds from LEP and the Tevatron. As input, it requires a selection of model predictions, such as Higgs masses, branching ratios, effective couplings and total decay widths. The program then uses the expected and observed topological cross section limits from the Higgs searches to determine whether a given parameter scenario of a model is excluded at the 95% C.L. by those searches. Version 2.0.0 includes 39/53 LEP/Tevatron Higgs search analyses, compared to 13/36 in the previous release (1.2.0). Among the newly included analyses are LEP searches for neutral Higgs bosons (H) decaying invisibly or into hadrons, LEP searches via the production modes (tau+ tau- H) and (b b-bar H), Tevatron searches via (t t-bar H), and LEP and Tevatron searches for charged Higgs bosons. Also, all Tevatron results presented at the ICHEP'10 are included in version 2.0.0. In this talk, we explain the basic ideas behind the implementation of HiggsBounds and provide a list of search topologies implemented in version 2.0.0. Furthermore, we apply HiggsBounds 2.0.0 to (a) determine the allowed Higgs mass range for a simple 4th generation model, (b) update/reproduce LEP/Tevatron Higgs exclusion plots for the MSSM m_h-max benchmark scenario, and (c) show exclusion results for the scalar sector of the Randall-Sundrum model.

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arXiv2010

Electroweak and Bottom Quark Contributions to Higgs Boson plus Jet Production

This paper presents predictions for jet pseudorapidity (eta) and transverse momentum (p_T) distributions for the production of the Standard Model Higgs boson in association with a high-p_T hadronic jet. We discuss the contributions of electroweak loops and of bottom-quark parton processes to the cross section. The latter arise in the five-flavour scheme. Predictions for the Tevatron and the Large Hadron Collider with 10 TeV collision energy are presented. For Higgs boson masses of 120 GeV, 160 GeV and 200 GeV, we find the maximal effects of the electroweak contributions to the Higgs plus jet p_T and eta distribution to be -14 % and -5.3 %, respectively, for the Tevatron, and -3 % and -2 %, respectively, for the LHC. For the maximal contribution of bottom-quark parton processes to the p_T and eta distribution, we find +3 % and + 2.5 %, respectively, for the Tevatron, and +3.5 % and +3 %, respectively, for the LHC. A separate study of the Higgs + b-jet cross section demonstrates that a calculational approach which respects the hierarchies of Yukawa couplings yields a leading order cross section prediction which is more accurate in the high-p_T regime than conventional approaches.

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arXiv2007

Distributions for Higgs + jet at hadron colliders: MSSM vs SM

We present pseudorapidity and transverse momentum distributions for the cross section for the production of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in association with a high-p_T hadronic jet, calculated in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We discuss the theoretical predictions for the differential cross sections at the Large Hadron Collider and the Tevatron. In particular, we present the differences in the distributions compared to the Standard Model.

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arXiv2007

Charged Higgs-boson production in association with an electron and a neutrino at electron-positron colliders

We present results of a calculation of the cross section for the production of a charged Higgs boson in association with an electron and a neutrino at electron-positron colliders (e+ e- -> H+ e- nu_e-bar, H- e+ nu_e). We study predictions for the cross section in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and the Two Higgs Doublet Model (THDM), highlighting possible differences. The process is effectively loop-induced in both models. Hence, the cross section is expected to be strongly model-dependent. Most notably, due to the presence of superpartners, the MSSM amplitude contains Feynman graphs of pentagon-type, which are not present in the THDM. This is the first complete one-loop calculation of the cross section for this process in the THDM and the MSSM. For both models, so far, only approximate results with limited ranges of validity were available. Our main aim here is to clarify several open questions in the existing literature on this process. Specifically, we will discuss the validity of the Heavy Fermion loop approximation in both models, and of the Fermion/Sfermion loop approximation in the MSSM.

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arXiv2007

Distributions for MSSM Higgs boson + jet production at hadron colliders

We present pseudorapidity and transverse momentum distributions for the cross section for the production of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in association with a high-p_T hadronic jet, calculated in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). We discuss the theoretical predictions for the differential cross sections at the Large Hadron Collider and the Tevatron for the most common benchmark scenarios.

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arXiv2007

On MSSM charged Higgs boson production in association with an electroweak W boson at electron positron colliders

We present a calculation of the cross section for the process e+ e- --> W+/- H-/+ in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and the Two Higgs Doublet Model (THDM). We study the basic features of the MSSM prediction for some distinctive parameter scenarios. We find large effects from virtual squarks for scenarios with large mixing in the stop sector which can lead to a cross section vastly different from a THDM with identical Higgs sector parameters. We investigate this interesting behaviour in more detail by thoroughly scanning the MSSM parameter space for regions of large cross section. For a charged Higgs boson too heavy to be pair-produced at such a machine, it turns out that a large MSSM cross section with a good chance of observation is linked to a squark mass scale below 600 GeV and a considerable amount of mixing in either the stop and sbottom sector.

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arXiv2006

Towards a Realistic MSSM Prediction for Neutrino-nucleon Deep-inelastic Scattering

We discuss the radiative corrections to charged and neutral current deep-inelastic neutrino--nucleon scattering in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). In particular, we study deviations, delta_R^nu(nu-bar), from the Standard Model prediction for the ratios of neutral- to charged-current cross sections, taking into account all sources for deviations in the MSSM, i.e. different contributions from virtual Higgs bosons and virtual superpartners. Our calculation includes the full q^2 dependence of the one-loop amplitudes, parton distribution functions and a NuTeV-inspired process kinematics. We present results of a scan of delta_R^nu(nu-bar) over the relevant MSSM parameter space.

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arXiv2005

Enhancement of W+/- H-/+ Production at Hadron Colliders in the Two Higgs Doublet Model

We discuss the associated W+/- H-/+ production at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The dependence of the hadronic cross section on the Higgs sector parameters is investigated in detail in the framework of the general Two Higgs Doublet Model (THDM). We study the possible enhancement of the THDM prediction for the cross section compared to the prediction of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We find regions in the THDM parameter space where the THDM prediction can exceed the one of the MSSM by two orders of magnitude. These regions of large cross section are in agreement with theoretical bounds on the model, derived from the requirement of vacuum stability and perturbative unitarity, and are not excluded by experimental constraints.

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arXiv2004

Adaptive scanning - a proposal how to scan theoretical predictions over a multi-dimensional parameter space efficiently

A method is presented to exploit adaptive integration algorithms using importance sampling, like VEGAS, for the task of scanning theoretical predictions depending on a multi-dimensional parameter space. Usually, a parameter scan is performed with emphasis on certain features of a theoretical prediction. Adaptive integration algorithms are well-suited to perform this task very efficiently. Predictions which depend on parameter spaces with many dimensions call for such an adaptive scanning algorithm.

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arXiv2004

Production of Neutral Higgs + Jet at the LHC in the SM and the MSSM

The cross section prediction for the production of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in association with a high-p_T hadronic jet is presented in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and compared to the SM case. Prospects for the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are discussed.

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arXiv2003

NNLO QCD corrections to the Higgs-strahlung processes at hadron colliders

We implement, at next-to-next-to-leading order, the QCD corrections to Standard Model Higgs boson production in association with vector bosons at hadron colliders, $q\bar{q} \to HV$ with $V=W,Z$. They consist of the two--loop corrections to the Drell--Yan process for the production of off-shell vector bosons, $q\bar{q} \to V^*$, and in the case of $Z$ final states, of the additional contribution from heavy-quark loop mediated processes, in particular $gg \to HZ$. For the Higgs boson masses relevant at the Tevatron and the LHC, $M_H \lsim 200$--300 GeV, the two-loop corrections are small, increasing the production cross sections by less than 5% and 10%, respectively; the scale dependence is reduced to a level of less than a few per cent. This places these processes among the most theoretically clean Higgs boson production channels at hadron colliders.

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arXiv2003

MSSM Higgs bosons associated with high-pT jets at hadron colliders

The cross section for the production of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in association with a high-pT hadronic jet, calculated in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), is presented. The expectations for the hadronic cross section at the Large Hadron Collider are discussed using reasonable kinematical cuts. In particular the contributions from superpartner loops to the cross section and their dependence on the parameters of the MSSM are investigated and found to be significant. Comparisons show that the production rate for h0 + jet in the MSSM can differ widely from the corresponding standard-model prediction.

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