arXiv subjects

Tilman Plehn

Publications and source records attributed to Tilman Plehn.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Charged-Higgs Collider Signals with or without Flavor

A charged Higgs boson is a clear signal for an extended Higgs sector, as for example predicted by supersymmetry. Squark mixing can significantly change the pattern of charged-Higgs production and most notably circumvent the chiral suppression for single Higgs production. We evaluate the LHC discovery potential in the light of flavor physics, in the single-Higgs production channel and in association with a hard jet for small and moderate values of tan beta. Thoroughly examining current flavor constraints we find that non-minimal flavor structures can have a sizeable impact, but tend to predict moderate production rates. Nevertheless, charged-Higgs searches will probe flavor structures not accessible to rare kaon, bottom, or charm experiments, and can invalidate the assumption of minimal flavor violation.

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arXiv2008

Measuring Supersymmetry

If new physics is found at the LHC (and the ILC) the reconstruction of the underlying theory should not be biased by assumptions about high--scale models. For the mapping of many measurements onto high--dimensional parameter spaces we introduce SFitter with its new weighted Markov chain technique. SFitter constructs an exclusive likelihood map, determines the best--fitting parameter point and produces a ranked list of the most likely parameter points. Using the example of the TeV--scale supersymmetric Lagrangian we show how a high--dimensional likelihood map will generally include degeneracies and strong correlations. SFitter allows us to study such model--parameter spaces employing Bayesian as well as frequentist constructions. We illustrate in detail how it should be possible to analyze high--dimensional new--physics parameter spaces like the TeV--scale MSSM at the LHC. A combination of LHC and ILC measurements might well be able to completely cover highly complex TeV--scale parameter spaces.

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arXiv2008

Neutralino Dark Matter and Trilepton Searches in the MSSM

Searches for supersymmetry are among the most exciting physics goals at Run II of the Tevatron. In particular, in supersymmetric models with light charginos, neutralinos and sleptons, associated chargino--neutralino production can potentially be observed as multi-lepton events with missing energy. We discuss how, in the generic TeV-scale MSSM, the prospects for these chargino-neutralino searches are impacted by cosmological considerations, namely the neutralino relic abundance and direct detection limits. We also discuss what an observation of chargino-neutralino production at the Tevatron would imply for the prospects of future direct dark matter searches without assuming specific patterns of supersymmetry breaking.

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arXiv2007

Virtual Gravitons at the LHC

Virtual gravitons effects at the LHC in scenarios with large extra dimensions and low-scale gravity are sensitive to the ultraviolet completion of the Kaluza-Klein effective theory. We study implications of a gravitational fixed point at high energies on gravitational Drell-Yan lepton production in hadron collisions. The fixed point behaviour leads to finite LHC cross sections. We determine the reach for the fundamental Planck scale. An observation of these signals might shed light on the fundamental quantum theory of gravity.

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arXiv2007

Same-Sign Charginos and Majorana Neutralinos at the LHC

We demonstrate the possibility of studying weakly interacting new particles in weak boson fusion, using the example of supersymmetric same-sign charginos. This signal could establish the existence of Majorana neutralinos and give access to their electroweak couplings. It can be observed over (supersymmetric) QCD backgrounds provided the charginos are light and not too close to the squark mass. We finally show how same-sign fermion production can be distinguished from same-sign scalars or vectors arising in other models of new physics.

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arXiv2007

Four Generations and Higgs Physics

In the light of the LHC, we revisit the implications of a fourth generation of chiral matter. We identify a specific ensemble of particle masses and mixings that are in agreement with all current experimental bounds as well as minimize the contributions to electroweak precision observables. Higgs masses between 115-315 (115-750) GeV are allowed by electroweak precision data at the 68% and 95% CL. Within this parameter space, there are dramatic effects on Higgs phenomenology: production rates are enhanced, weak-boson-fusion channels are suppressed, angular distributions are modified, and Higgs pairs can we observed. We also identify exotic signals, such as Higgs decay to same-sign dileptons. Finally, we estimate the upper bound on the cutoff scale from vacuum stability and triviality.

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arXiv2007

MadGraph/MadEvent v4: The New Web Generation

We present the latest developments of the MadGraph/MadEvent Monte Carlo event generator and several applications to hadron collider physics. In the current version events at the parton, hadron and detector level can be generated directly from a web interface, for arbitrary processes in the Standard Model and in several physics scenarios beyond it (HEFT, MSSM, 2HDM). The most important additions are: a new framework for implementing user-defined new physics models; a standalone running mode for creating and testing matrix elements; generation of events corresponding to different processes, such as signal(s) and backgrounds, in the same run; two platforms for data analysis, where events are accessible at the parton, hadron and detector level; and the generation of inclusive multi-jet samples by combining parton-level events with parton showers. To illustrate the new capabilities of the package some applications to hadron collider physics are presented: 1) Higgs search in pp \to H \to W^+W^-: signal and backgrounds. 2) Higgs CP properties: pp \to H jj$in the HEFT. 3) Spin of a new resonance from lepton angular distributions. 4) Single-top and Higgs associated production in a generic 2HDM. 5) Comparison of strong SUSY pair production at the SPS points. 6) Inclusive W+jets matched samples: comparison with the Tevatron data.

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arXiv2007

Maximum Significance at the LHC and Higgs Decays to Muons

We present a new way to define and compute the maximum significance achievable for signal and background processes at the LHC, using all available phase space information. As an example, we show that a light Higgs boson produced in weak--boson fusion with a subsequent decay into muons can be extracted from the backgrounds. The method, aimed at phenomenological studies, can be incorporated in parton--level event generators and accommodate parametric descriptions of detector effects for selected observables.

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arXiv2006

Spins in Gluino Decays

To unambiguously claim that we see a gluino at the LHC we need to prove its fermionic nature. Looking only at angular correlations we can distinguish a universal extra dimensional interpretation of a gluino cascade decay (assuming a bosonic heavy gluon) from supersymmetry. In addition to the known lepton--hadron asymmetries we also use of purely hadronic correlations in the gluino--sbottom decay chain.

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arXiv2006

It's a Gluino!

For a long time it has been known that the like-sign dilepton signature can help establish the existence of a gluino at the LHC. To unambiguously claim that we see a strongly interacting Majorana fermion -- which we could call a gluino -- we need to prove that the particle responsible for the like-sign dilepton events is indeed a fermion. Using only angular correlations in the same gluino decay cascade which is used to measure its mass, we show how to distinguish a universal extra dimensional interpretation with a bosonic heavy gluon from supersymmetry with a fermionic gluino. Assuming a supersymmetric interpretation, we show how the same angular correlations can be used to study the left--right nature of the sfermions appearing in the decay chain.

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arXiv2005

QCD Radiation in the Production of High s-hat Final States

In the production of very heavy final states - high Mandelstam s-hat - extra QCD radiation can play a significant role. By comparing several different parton shower approximations to results obtained with fixed-order perturbation theory, we quantify the degree to which these approaches agree (or disagree), focussing on initial state radiation above pT = 50 GeV, for top pair production at the Tevatron and at the LHC, and for SUSY pair production at the LHC. Special attention is paid to ambiguities associated with the choice of the maximum value of the ordering variable in parton shower models.

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arXiv2005

The Quartic Higgs Coupling at Hadron Colliders

The quartic Higgs self-coupling is the final measurement in the Higgs potential needed to fully understand electroweak symmetry breaking. None of the present or future colliders are known to be able to determine this parameter. We study the chances of measuring the quartic self-coupling at hadron colliders in general and at the VLHC in particular. We find the prospects challenging.

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arXiv2005

Associated Production of a Top Quark and a Charged Higgs Boson

We compute the inclusive and differential cross sections for the associated production of a top quark along with a charged Higgs boson at hadron colliders to next-to-leading order (NLO) in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and in supersymmetric QCD. For small Higgs boson masses we include top quark pair production diagrams with subsequent top quark decay into a bottom quark and a charged Higgs boson. We compare the NLO differential cross sections obtained in the bottom parton picture with those for the gluon-initiated production process and find good agreement. The effects of supersymmetric loop contributions are explored. Only the corrections to the Yukawa coupling are sizable in the potential discovery region at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). All expressions and numerical results are fully differential, permitting selections on the momenta of both the top quark and the charged Higgs boson.

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arXiv2005

Dark Matter and Collider Phenomenology with two light Supersymmetric Higgs Bosons

Recently, it has been pointed out that two different excesses of events observed at LEP could be interpreted as the CP-even Higgs bosons of the MSSM with masses of approximately 98 and 114 GeV. If this is the case, the entire MSSM Higgs sector is required to be light. In this article, we explore such a scenario in detail. We constrain the Higgs and supersymmetric spectrum using $B$ physics constraints as well as the magnetic moment of the muon. We then point out the implications for neutralino dark matter -- next generation direct detection experiments will be sensitive to all MSSM models with such a Higgs sector. Finally, we find that all models outside of a very narrow corridor of the parameter space have a charged Higgs boson which will be observed at the LHC. In those exceptional models which do not contain an observable charged Higgs, a light top squark will always be seen at the LHC, and likely at the Tevatron.

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arXiv2005

Charged Higgs Boson Pairs at the LHC

We compute the cross section for pair production of charged Higgs bosons at the LHC and compare the three production mechanisms. The bottom-parton scattering process is computed to NLO, and the validity of the bottom-parton approach is established in detail. The light-flavor Drell-Yan cross section is evaluated at NLO as well. The gluon fusion process through a one-loop amplitude is then compared with these two results. We show how a complete sample of events could look, in terms of total cross sections and distributions of the heavy final states.

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arXiv2004

Measuring the MSSM Lagrangean

At the LHC, it will be possible to investigate scenarios for physics beyond the Standard Model in detail. We present precise total and differential cross section predictions, based on Prospino2.0 and SMadGraph. We also show to what degree the structure of the weak--scale supersymmetric Lagrangean can be studied, based on LHC data alone or based on combined LHC and linear collider. Using Sfitter we correctly take into account experimental and theoretical errors. We make the case that a proper treatment of the error propagation is crucial for any analysis of this kind.

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arXiv2004

SFITTER: SUSY Parameter Analysis at LHC and LC

SFITTER is a new analysis tool to determine supersymmetric model parameters from collider measurements. Using the set of supersymmetric mass measurements at the LC and at the LHC we show how both colliders probe different sectors of the MSSM Lagrangian. This observation is a strong motivation to move from a parameter fit assuming a certain model to the unconstrained weak-scale MSSM Lagrangian. We argue how the technical challenges can be dealt with in a combined fit/grid approach with full correlations.

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arXiv2003

Supersymmetric Dark Matter - How Light Can the LSP Be?

Using a very minimal set of theoretical assumptions we derive a lower limit on the LSP mass in the MSSM. We only require that the LSP be the lightest neutralino, that it be responsible for the observed relic density and that the MSSM spectrum respect the LEP2 limits. We explicitly do not require any further knowledge about the MSSM spectrum or the mechanism of supersymmetry breaking. Under these assumptions we determine a firm lower limit on the neutralino LSP mass of $18\gev$. We estimate the effect of improved limits on the cold dark matter relic density as well as the effects of improved LEP2-type limits from a first stage of TESLA on the allowed range of neutralino LSP masses.

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