A completely model-independent method of obtaining information on the spin using the quantum interference effect among various helicity states was proposed in a recent paper. Here we point out that this effect should be demonstrable in the existing data on e^-e^+ \to W^+ W^- at LEP-II and p \bar{p} \to Z^0 + j at Tevatron.
We review the program HiggsBounds that tests theoretical predictions of models with arbitrary Higgs sectors against the exclusion bounds obtained from the Higgs searches at LEP and the Tevatron. We explicitly list the bounds that have been added after the first release of HiggsBounds.
I briefly review the progress in perturbative QCD calculations in LEP era and discuss the prospects for the extension of their accuracy to higher orders.
A complete set of dimension-6 effective contact interactions involving Higgs, gauge bosons and quarks is studied. Limits on the coefficients of these new operators are obtained from the experimental values of the $Z$ and $W$ gauge bosons widths.
We point out that charged Higgs bosons can decay into final states different than $τ^+ ν_τ$ and $c \bar{s}$, even when they are light enough to be produced at LEPII or at the Tevatron, through top-quark decays. These additional decay modes are overlooked in ongoing searches even though they alter the existing lower bounds on the mass of charged Higgs bosons that are present in supersymmetric and two Higgs doublets models.
If the $R_b$ excess at LEP is real, then any explanation in terms of renormalizable loop corrections leads to important new decay modes of the $t$ quark and suppresses the $t \to bW$ branching ratio. In the two-Higgs-doublet model, the branching ratio of $Z \to b \bar b$ + a light boson which decays itself predominantly into $b \bar b$ is at least of order $10^{-4}$.
Using the Bose-Einstein correlations (BEC) implemented in PYTHIA we investigated a possibility of the CDF experiment at the Tevatron to see the two-particle correlations in the final state of interactions. The approach based on quantum field theory at finite temperature was applied to the ALEPH data at LEP, and the BEC important parameters were retrieved.
Searches for SUSY particles are the main physics focus of the ongoing Run IIa of the Tevatron. LEP results have constrained heavily the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In this paper the results obtained at LEP and the Tevatron Run I are analysed within two consistent scenarios: the gravity-mediated MSSM framework and the minimal SUGRA scenario. In these frameworks limits much beyond the kinematic reach of LEP are set, and the allowed mass range for particles which are not directly observable at LEP is explored. These results can be used to evaluate searches at the Tevatron Run II. Both …
HiggsBounds is a computer code which tests the Higgs sectors of new 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 then uses the expected and observed topological cross section limits from the Higgs searches to determine which points in the parameter space have already been excluded at 95% CL. HiggsBounds will be updated to include new results as they become available.
We study the properties of the Higgs boson sector in the MSSM, putting special emphasis on radiative effects which can affect the discovery potential of the LHC, Tevatron and/or LEP colliders. We concentrate on the V b b-bar channel, with V=Z or W, and on the channels with diphoton final states, which are the dominant ones for the search for a light Standard Model Higgs boson at LEP/Tevatron and LHC, respectively. By analyzing the regions of parameter space for which the searches in at least one of these colliders can be particularly difficult, we demonstrate the complementarity of these three…
We provide a detailed analysis of the supersymmetric tri-lepton signals for sparticle searches at the Tevatron in the minimal supersymmetric standard model with general CP-violating phases but without flavor mixing among sfermions of different generation. The stringent experimental constraints on the CP-violating phases from the electron and neutron electric dipole moments are included in the analysis for two exemplary scenarios of the SUSY parameters; one with decoupled first two generation sfermions and the other with non-decoupled sfermions. In both scenarios, the production cross section a…
We investigate the angular distribution of the lepton pair in the process $p \bar{p} \rightarrow γ^{\ast} + X \rightarrow \ell^+\ell^- + X$, where the virtual photon is produced at high transverse momentum. The angular distribution of the leptons is very sensitive to possible nonperturbative effects, such as a nontrivial vacuum structure of QCD, and offers a good chance to test such effects. We present complete ${\cal O}(α_s^2)$ calculations of the decay lepton distributions in the lepton pair rest frame. An order ${\cal O}(α_s)$ Monte Carlo study of the lepton angular distributions, with acce…
Within the paradigm of warped extra dimensions, third generation quarks are expected to be the most sensitive to effects beyond the Standard Model. The anomalies observed at the LEP and Tevatron colliders in the forward-backward asymmetries of the bottom (A_FB^b) and top (A_FB^t) quarks can thus be seen as early signatures of warped extra-dimensional scenarios. We propose a realization of such a scenario, with a gauge custodial symmetry in the bulk, which allows to address simultaneously the A_FB^b anomaly and the discrepancies observed recently on A_FB^t at high top quark rapidities and ttbar…
We explore the ability of the Tevatron to probe Minimal Supersymmetry with high energy scale boundary conditions motivated by supersymmetry breaking in the context of supergravity/superstring theory. A number of boundary condition possibilities are considered: dilaton-like string boundary conditions applied at the standard GUT unification scale or alternatively at the string scale; and extreme (``no-scale'') minimal supergravity boundary conditions imposed at the GUT scale or string scale. For numerous specific cases within each scenario the sparticle spectra are computed and then fed into ISA…
We explore the prospects for detection of sparticles and Higgs bosons at the Tevatron, LEP-200 and the LHC in the allowed parameter space of a `yukawa unified' ($λ_b(M_U)=λ_τ(M_U)$) minimal supergravity (YUMS) model, where the only non-zero unification scale soft-SUSY-breaking terms are a universal gaugino mass and a Higgs mixing term. In a bottom-up approach, just two weak scale parameters, $\tanb$ and $\mha$, (along with the sign of the Higgs mixing parameter $μ$) completely parameterize the model. Many interesting `special' situations regarding sparticle and Higgs discovery arise, such as t…
We examine the effect of including the `combined' HERA structure function data in the MSTW global fit for parton distribution functions (PDFs). The combined neutral-current HERA data have a significant, if not dramatic, effect, of up to 2--3% at NLO for Z boson and Higgs production at the Tevatron and LHC, and a generally slightly smaller effect, particularly on LHC processes, at NNLO. This is an amount comparable, or less than, the typical PDF uncertainties, and hence we do not intend to release an imminent update to the MSTW 2008 fit. We also investigate the consistency with the recent D0 da…
Over the last years the Tevatron Run-II has extended several limits on Higgs boson masses and coupling which were pioneered during the LEP accelerator operation between 1989 and 2000. Higgs boson searches will also be at the forefront of research at the LHC. This review concisely discusses the experimental constraints set by the CDF and D0 collaborations in winter 2008/2009 at the beginning of the LHC era. Model-independent and model-dependent limits on Higgs boson masses and couplings have been set and interpretations are discussed both in the Standard Model and in extended models. Recently, …
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 …
If $c$ and $t$ quarks are strongly mixed with a weak singlet charge $2/3$ quark, $BR(t\to \ellν+ X)$ could be suppressed via the $t\to cH^0$ mode, thereby the top quark could still hide below $M_W$, whereas the heavy quark signal observed at the Tevatron is due to the dominantly singlet quark $Q$. This may occur without affecting the small $m_c$ value. Demanding $m_Q \simeq 175$ GeV and $m_t \ltap M_W$, we find that $BR(t\to \ellν+ X)$ cannot be too suppressed. The heavy quark $Q$ decays via $W,\ H$, and $Z$ bosons. The latter can lead to $b$-tagged $Z + 4$ jet events, while the strong $c$--$Q…
Data from HERA, LEP and the Tevatron, as well as from low energy experiments are used to constrain the scale of possible electron-quark contact interactions. Different models are considered, including the most general one, in which all new couplings can vary independently. Limits on couplings and mass scales are extracted and upper limits on possible effects to be observed in future HERA, LEP and Tevatron running are estimated. Total hadronic cross-section at LEP and e-p scattering cross-section at HERA are strongly constrained by existing data, whereas large cross-section deviations are still…
We analyze the prospects for discovering supersymmetry at the Fermilab Tevatron and CERN LEP colliders in the scenario that the lightest supersymmetric particle is a gravitino of mass < 1 keV. We consider in particular the case that the lightest neutralino has a nearly 100% branching fraction into gravitino + photon within the detector. This implies that supersymmetric events should contain both missing (transverse) energy and two energetic photons. Therefore one can search for supersymmetry simply through inclusive production of superpartners. We consider the exclusion and reach capabilities …
Recently, several astrophysical data or would-be signals has been observed in different dark-matter oriented experiments. In each case, one could fit the data at the price of specific nature of the coupling between the Standard Model (SM) particles and a light Dark Matter candidate: hadrophobic (INTEGRAL, PAMELA) or leptophobic (WMAP Haze, dijet anomalies of CDF, FERMI Galactic Center observation). In this work, we show that when one takes into account the more recent LEP and Tevatron analysis, a light thermal fermionic Dark Matte (\lesssim 10 GeV) that couples to electrons is mainly ruled out…
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 si…
Z' bosons that couple preferentially to the third generation fermions can arise in models with extended weak (SU(2)xSU(2)) or hypercharge (U(1)xU(1)) gauge groups. We show that existing limits on quark-lepton compositeness set by the LEP and Tevatron experiments translate into lower bounds of order a few hundred GeV on the masses of these Z' bosons. Resonances of this mass can be directly produced at the Tevatron. Accordingly, we explore in detail the limits that can be set at Run II using the process p pbar -> Z' -> tau tau -> e mu. We also comment on the possibility of using hadronically-dec…
We investigate the potentiality of CERN LEP and Fermilab Tevatron colliders to establish bounds on new couplings involving the bosonic sector of the standard model. A combined exclusion plot for the coefficients of different dimension-6 anomalous operators is presented. We also discuss the sensitivity that can be achieved at the upgraded Tevatron.
The model-independent constraints on the Abelian Z' couplings from the LEP data are applied to estimate the Z' production in experiments at the Tevatron and LHC. The Z' total and partial decay widths are analyzed. The results are compared with model-dependent predictions and present experimental data from the Tevatron. If we assume the 1-2sigma hints from the LEP data to be a signal of the Abelian Z' boson, then the Tevatron data constrain the Z' mass between 400 GeV and 1.2 TeV.
We perform a joint analysis of the prediction of composite Higgs models for the discrepancies of the forward-backward asymmetries of top and bottom quarks at Tevatron and LEP+SLC, respectively. We build a two sector model which can be thought as an effective low energy description of 5D warped models and choose the quantum numbers of the fermionic resonances to protect the Z-couplings of the partially composite Standard Model light quarks. We analyze the cross section, forward-backward asymmetry and invariant mass distribution of the top anti-top production at Tevatron, as well as the bottom f…
The Higgs and some of the Standard Model superpartners may have been copiously produced at LEP and the Tevatron without being detected. We study a novel scenario of this type in which the Higgs decays predominantly into a light hidden sector either directly or through light SUSY states. Subsequent cascades increase the multiplicity of hidden sector particles which, after decaying back into the Standard Model, appear in the detector as clusters of collimated leptons known as lepton jets. We identify the relevant collider observables that characterize this scenario, and study a wide range of LEP…
We propose to observe the top spin correlation effect at Tevatron through the measurement of the correlated asymmetries of the charged lepton momenta using the dilepton decay events of top and anti-top quark pairs. The possibility of reconstructing the events and observing the asymmetries at 3$σ$ level with projected luminosity of the Tevatron for Run II is demonstrated by simulation. The effect can provide the first direct measurement of the spin of a quark.
The mixing of a new $Z'$ boson with the $Z$ significantly improves the fit to the LEP precision electroweak data, provided that the $Z'$ couples mainly to quarks. If $M_{Z_2}<200$~GeV, the $s$-channel $Z_2$ production and $(W,Z,γ)Z_2$ pair production cross sections at the Tevatron give an excess above QCD of $b\bar b$ and $(W,Z,γ)b\bar b$ events, respectively, with invariant mass $m(b\bar b)\approx M_{Z_2}$, which provide viable signals for detection of the $Z_2$. The interference of the $Z_2$ with $γ,Z_1$ in $e^+e^-\to \bar bb(\bar cc)$ at LEP\,1.5 energies is correlated with $R_b(R_c)$ and m…
We analyze the accelerator constraints on the parameter space of the Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model, comparing those now available from LEP II and anticipating the likely sensitivity of Tevatron Run II. The most important limits are those from searches for charginos, neutralinos and Higgs bosons at LEP, and searches for stop squarks, charginos and neutralinos at the Tevatron Collider. We also incorporate the constraints derived from b --> s + gamma decay, and discuss the relevance of charge- and colour-breaking minima in the effective potential. We combine and compare t…
We show that the angular distributions of leptons or jets due to ttbar spin correlations allow a determination of the top chromomagnetic moment kappa with an accuracy of order 0.1. The method is quite insensitive to background, event reconstruction, and other experimental uncertainties. The total event number is important, so we suggest the inclusion of all-hadronic events.
It has been recently shown that the observed baryon number may originate at the electroweak phase transition, provided that the Higgs boson and the lightest stop are sufficiently light. In this work, we perform a detailed analysis, including all dominant two-loop finite temperature corrections to the Higgs effective potential, as well as the non-trivial effects proceeding from the mixing in the stop sector, to define the region of parameter space for which electroweak baryogenesis can happen. The limits on the stop and Higgs masses are obtained by taking into account the experimental bounds on…
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 …
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 …