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Robert Szafron

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Szafron.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Snowmass White Paper: Effective Field Theories for Dark Matter Phenomenology

The quest to discover the nature of dark matter continues to drive many of the experimental and observational frontiers in particle physics, astronomy, and cosmology. While there are no definitive signatures to date, there exists a rich ecosystem of experiments searching for signals for a broad class of dark matter models, at different epochs of cosmic history, and through a variety of processes with different characteristic energy scales. Given the multitude of candidates and search strategies, effective field theory has been an important tool for parametrizing the possible interactions between dark matter and Standard Model probes, for quantifying and improving model-independent uncertainties, and for robust estimation of detection rates in the presence of large perturbative corrections. This white paper summarizes a wide range of effective field theory applications for connecting dark matter theories to experiments.

hep-ph↗

An analysis of Bayesian estimates for missing higher orders in perturbative calculations

With current high precision collider data, the reliable estimation of theoretical uncertainties due to missing higher orders (MHOs) in perturbation theory has become a pressing issue for collider phenomenology. Traditionally, the size of the MHOs is estimated through scale variation, a simple but ad hoc method without probabilistic interpretation. Bayesian approaches provide a compelling alternative to estimate the size of the MHOs, but it is not clear how to interpret the perturbative scales, like the factorisation and renormalisation scales, in a Bayesian framework. Recently, it was proposed that the scales can be incorporated as hidden parameters into a Bayesian model. In this paper, we thoroughly scrutinise Bayesian approaches to MHO estimation and systematically study the performance of different models on an extensive set of high-order calculations. We extend the framework in two significant ways. First, we define a new model that allows for asymmetric probability distributions. Second, we introduce a prescription to incorporate information on perturbative scales without interpreting them as hidden model parameters. We clarify how the two scale prescriptions bias the result towards specific scale choice, and we discuss and compare different Bayesian MHO estimates among themselves and to the traditional scale variation approach. Finally, we provide a practical prescription of how existing perturbative results at the standard scale variation points can be converted to 68%/95% credibility intervals in the Bayesian approach using the new public code MiHO.

hep-ph↗

Logarithmically enhanced Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian contribution to the electron gyromagnetic factor

Contrary to what was previously believed, two-loop radiative corrections to the $g$-factor of an electron bound in a hydrogen-like ion at $\mathcal{O}\left(α^2 (Zα)^5\right)$ exhibit logarithmic enhancement. This previously unknown contribution is due to a long-distance light-by-light scattering amplitude. Taking an effective field theory approach, and using the Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian, we find $Δg = -\left( \fracαπ \right)^2\left(Zα\right)^5 \frac{56 π}{135}\ln Zα$.

hep-ph↗

Large-x resummation of off-diagonal deep-inelastic parton scattering from d-dimensional refactorization

The off-diagonal parton-scattering channels $g+γ^*$ and $q+ϕ^*$ in deep-inelastic scattering are power-suppressed near threshold $x\to 1$. We address the next-to-leading power (NLP) resummation of large double logarithms of $1-x$ to all orders in the strong coupling, which are present even in the off-diagonal DGLAP splitting kernels. The appearance of divergent convolutions prevents the application of factorization methods known from leading power resummation. Employing $d$-dimensional consistency relations from requiring $1/ε$ pole cancellations in dimensional regularization between momentum regions, we show that the resummation of the off-diagonal parton-scattering channels at the leading logarithmic order can be bootstrapped from the recently conjectured exponentiation of NLP soft-quark Sudakov logarithms. In particular, we derive a result for the DGLAP kernel in terms of the series of Bernoulli numbers found previously by Vogt directly from algebraic all-order expressions. We identify the off-diagonal DGLAP splitting functions and soft-quark Sudakov logarithms as inherent two-scale quantities in the large-$x$ limit. We use a refactorization of these scales and renormalization group methods inspired by soft-collinear effective theory to derive the conjectured soft-quark Sudakov exponentiation formula.

hep-ph↗

Leading-logarithmic threshold resummation of Higgs production in gluon fusion at next-to-leading power

We sum the leading logarithms $α_s^n \ln^{2 n-1}(1-z)$, n=1,2,... near the kinematic threshold $z=m_H^2/\hat{s}\to 1$ at next-to-leading power in the expansion in (1-z) for Higgs production in gluon fusion. We highlight the new contributions compared to Drell-Yan production in quark-antiquark annihilation and show that the final result can be obtained to all orders by the substitution of the colour factor $C_F\to C_A$, confirming previous fixed-order results and conjectures. We also provide a numerical analysis of the next-to-leading power leading logarithms, which indicates that they are numerically relevant.

hep-ph↗

Wino potential and Sommerfeld effect at NLO

We calculate the SU(2)$\times$U(1) electroweak static potential between a fermionic triplet in the broken phase of the Standard Model in the one-loop order (NLO). The one-loop correction provides the leading non-relativistic correction to the large Sommerfeld effect in the annihilation of wino or wino-like dark matter particles $χ^0$. We find sizeable modifications of the $χ^0χ^0$ annihilation cross section and determine the shifts of the resonance locations due to the loop correction to the wino potential.

hep-ph↗

Virtual Delbrück scattering and the Lamb shift in light hydrogen-like atoms

We return to the problem of evaluation of the light-by-light contribution to the energy levels of the hydrogen atom. We find an additional contribution directly related to the Delbrück scattering amplitude. The new correction is larger than the previously included light-by-light terms at order~$α^2 (Zα)^6\ln(Zα)\, m_e$. We consider the effective potential in position space using an effective field theory approach and evaluate light-by-light corrections to the energy levels of states with non-zero orbital momentum as well as to the weighted difference of $s$ states. We also determine the large distance asymptotic behaviour of the effective potential induced by the light-by-light scattering in muonic atoms.

physics.atom-ph↗

Violation of the Kluberg-Stern--Zuber theorem in SCET

A classic result, originally due to Kluberg-Stern and Zuber, states that operators that vanish by the classical equation of motion (eom) do not mix into "physical" operators. Here we show that and explain why this result does not hold in soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) for the renormalization of power-suppressed operators. We calculate the non-vanishing mixing of eom operators for the simplest case of $N$-jet operators with a single collinear field in every direction. The result implies that---for the computation of the anomalous dimension but not for on-shell matrix elements---there exists a preferred set of fields that must be used to reproduce the infrared singularities of QCD scattering amplitudes. We identify these fields and explain their relation to the gauge-invariant SCET Lagrangian. Further checks reveal another generic property of SCET beyond leading power, which will be relevant to resummation at the next-to-leading logarithmic level, the divergence of convolution integrals with the hard matching coefficients. We propose an operator solution that allows to consistently renormalize such divergences.

hep-ph↗

The Lamb shift of the $1s$ state in hydrogen: two-loop and three-loop contributions

We consider the $1s$ Lamb shift in hydrogen and helium ions, a quantity, required for an accurate determination of the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius by means of hydrogen spectroscopy, as well as for precision tests of the bound-state QED. The dominant QED contribution to the uncertainty originates from $α^8m$ external-field contributions (i.e., the contributions at the non-recoil limit). We discuss the two- and three-loop cases and in particular, we revisit calculations of the coefficients $B_{61}, B_{60}, C_{50}$ in standard notation. We have found a missing logarithmic contribution of order $α^2(Zα)^6m$. We have also obtained leading pure self-energy logarithmic contributions of order $α^2(Zα)^8m$ and $α^2(Zα)^9m$ and estimated the subleading terms of order $α^2(Zα)^7m$, $α^2(Zα)^8m$, and $α^2(Zα)^9m$. The determination of those higher-order contributions enabled us to improve the overall accuracy of the evaluation of the two-loop self-energy of the electron. We investigated the asymptotic behavior of the integrand related to the next-to-leading three-loop term (order $α^3(Zα)^5m$, coefficient $C_{50}$ in standard notation) and applied it to approximate integration over the loop momentum. Our result for contributions to the $1s$ Lamb shift for the total three loop next-to-leading term is $(-3.3\pm10.5)(α^3/π^3)(Zα)^5m$. Altogether, we have completed the evaluation of the logarithmic contributions to the $1s$ Lamb shift of order $α^8m$ and reduced the overall $α^8m$ uncertainty by approximately a factor of three for H, D, and He$^+$ as compared with the most recent CODATA compilation.

physics.atom-ph↗

Leading-logarithmic threshold resummation of the Drell-Yan process at next-to-leading power

We resum the leading logarithms $α_s^n \ln^{2 n-1}(1-z)$, $n=1,2,\ldots$ near the kinematic threshold $z=Q^2/\hat{s}\to 1$ of the Drell-Yan process at next-to-leading power in the expansion in $(1-z)$. The derivation of this result employs soft-collinear effective theory in position space and the anomalous dimensions of subleading-power soft functions, which are computed. Expansion of the resummed result leads to the leading logarithms at fixed loop order, in agreement with exact results at NLO and NNLO and predictions from the physical evolution kernel at N$^3$LO and N$^4$LO, and to new results at the five-loop order and beyond.

hep-ph↗

Light-by-light-scattering contributions to the Lamb shift in light muonic atoms

We consider one-loop light-by-light-scattering contributions to the Lamb shift of the $1s, 2s, 2p$ states in light muonic hydrogen like atoms at $Z\leq10$. The contributions are of the order $α^5m_μ$ (with diverse dependence on the nuclear charge $Z$). Those include the contributions of the so-called Wichmann-Kroll potential ($α(Zα)^4m_μ$), the virtual Delbrück scattering ($α^2(Zα)^3m_μ$), etc. The results are obtained in a nonrelativistic approximation. For the calculation of the virtual-Delbrück-scattering contribution, we have constructed an effective potential in the coordinate space which may be applied to other calculations in muonic atoms.

physics.atom-ph↗

Anomalous dimension of subleading-power ${N}$-jet operators II

We continue the investigation of the anomalous dimension of subleading-power $N$-jet operators. In this paper, we focus on the operators with fermion number one in each collinear direction, corresponding to quark (antiquark) initiated jets in QCD. We investigate the renormalization effects induced by the soft loop and compute the one-loop mixing of time-ordered products involving power-suppressed SCET Lagrangian insertions into $N$-jet currents through soft loops. We discuss fermion number conservation in collinear directions and provide explicit results for the collinear anomalous dimension matrix of the currents. The Feynman rules for the power-suppressed SCET interactions in the position-space formalism are collected in an appendix.

hep-ph↗

Subleading-power N-jet operators and the LBK amplitude in SCET

We construct a complete and minimal basis of subleading-power N-jet operators in position-space soft-collinear effective theory (SCET) and discuss how the Low-Burnett-Kroll amplitude is recovered in this framework. We begin a systematic investigation of the anomalous dimension of next-to-leading power N-jet operators in view of resummation of logarithmically enhanced terms in partonic cross sections and discuss the explicit result at the one-loop order for fermion-number two N-jet operators at the second order in the power expansion parameter of SCET.

hep-ph↗

Two-loop binding corrections to the electron gyromagnetic factor

We compute corrections to the gyromagnetic factor of an electron bound in a hydrogen-like ion at order alpha^2(Z alpha)^5. This result removes a major uncertainty in predictions for silicon and carbon ions, used to determine the atomic mass of the electron.

physics.atom-ph↗

Anomalous dimension of subleading-power N-jet operators

We begin a systematic investigation of the anomalous dimension of subleading power N-jet operators in view of resummation of logarithmically enhanced terms in partonic cross sections beyond leading power. We provide an explicit result at the one-loop order for fermion-number two N-jet operators at the second order in the power expansion parameter of soft-collinear effective theory.

hep-ph↗

Enhanced electromagnetic correction to the rare $B$-meson decay $B_{s,d} \to μ^+ μ^-$

We investigate electromagnetic corrections to the rare $B$-meson leptonic decay $B_{s,d} \to μ^+μ^-$ from scales below the bottom-quark mass $m_b$. Contrary to QCD effects, which are entirely contained in the $B$-meson decay constant, we find that virtual photon exchange can probe the $B$-meson structure, resulting in a "non-local annihilation" effect. We find that this effect gives rise to a dynamical enhancement by a power of $m_b/Λ_{\rm QCD}$ and by large logarithms. The impact of this novel effect on the branching ratio of $B_{s,d}\toμ^+μ^-$ is about $1\%$, of the order of the previously estimated non-parametric theoretical uncertainty, and four times the size of previous estimates of next-to-leading order QED effects due to residual scale dependence. We update the Standard Model prediction to $\overline{\cal B}(B_s \to μ^+μ^-)_{\rm SM} = (3.57 \pm 0.17) \cdot 10^{-9}$.

hep-ph↗

Light-by-light scattering in the Lamb shift and the bound electron g factor

We compute an $\mathcal{O}\left(α^2(Zα)^6\right)$ contribution to the hydrogen-atom Lamb shift arising from the light-by-light scattering. Analogous diagrams, with one atomic electric field insertion replaced by an external magnetic field, contribute to the gyromagnetic factor of the bound electron at $\mathcal{O}\left(α^2(Zα)^4\right)$. We also calculate the contribution to the gyromagnetic factor from the muon magnetic loop.

physics.atom-ph↗