Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb−1, collected in 2017–2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb−1, collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.

Properties of ρ(770)0, K*(892), ϕ(1020), ∑(1385)±, Λ(1520) and Ξ(1530)0 resonances in heavy-ion collisions at a center of mass energy of SNN=4-11GeV and their reconstruction using the MPD detector at NICA

The short-lived hadronic resonances are used to study properties of the hot and dense medium produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Due to their short lifetimes, the resonance yields and masses measured in the hadronic channels are sensitive to rescattering and regeneration effects in the hadronic phase. The measurement of resonances is foreseen in the physical program of the MPD experiment at NICA in heavy-ion collisions at S N N = 4 - 11 GeV , in the range of energies where extensive measurements of resonances are not experimentally available. In this contribution, we explore the sensitivity of the ρ(770)0, K*(892), ϕ(1020), ∑(1385)±, Λ(1520) and Ξ(1530)0 resonances measured in the hadronic decay channels to different stages of the heavy-ion collisions at NICA energies and report the feasibility studies for the reconstruction of resonances in the MPD setup

Are the CKM anomalies induced by vector-like quarks? Limits from flavor changing and Standard Model precision tests

Recent high precision determinations of Vus and Vud indicate towards anomalies in the first row of the CKM matrix. Namely, determination of Vud from beta decays and of Vus from kaon decays imply a violation of first row unitarity at about 3σ level. Moreover, there is tension between determinations of Vus obtained from leptonic Kμ2 and semileptonic Kℓ3 kaon decays. These discrepancies can be explained if there exist extra vector-like quarks at the TeV scale, which have large enough mixings with the lighter quarks. In particular, extra vector-like weak singlets quarks can be thought as a solution to the CKM unitarity problem and an extra vector-like weak doublet can in principle resolve all tensions. The implications of this kind of mixings are examined against the flavour changing phenomena and SM precision tests. We consider separately the effects of an extra down-type isosinglet, up-type isosinglet and an isodoublet containing extra quarks of both up and down type, and determine available parameter spaces for each case. We find that the experimental constraints on flavor changing phenomena become more stringent with larger masses, so that the extra species should have masses no more than few TeV. Moreover, only one type of extra multiplet cannot entirely explain all the discrepancies, and some their combination is required, e.g. two species of isodoublet, or one isodoublet and one (up or down type) isosinglet. We show that these scenarios are testable with future experiments. Namely, if extra vector-like quarks are responsible for CKM anomalies, then at least one of them should be found at scale of few TeV, and anomalous weak isospin violating Z-boson couplings with light quarks should be detected if the experimental precision on Z hadronic decay rate is improved by a factor of 2 or so.

Z-boson hadronic decay width up to $${{\mathcal {O}}}(\alpha _s^4)$$-order QCD corrections using the single-scale approach of the principle of maximum conformality

In the paper, we study the properties of the Z-boson hadronic decay width by using the $$\mathcal {O}(\alpha _s^4)$$ O ( α s 4 ) -order quantum chromodynamics (QCD) corrections with the help of the principle of maximum conformality (PMC). By using the PMC single-scale approach, we obtain an accurate renormalization scale-and-scheme independent perturbative QCD (pQCD) correction for the Z-boson hadronic decay width, which is independent to any choice of renormalization scale. After applying the PMC, a more convergent pQCD series has been obtained; and the contributions from the unknown $$\mathcal {O}(\alpha _s^5)$$ O ( α s 5 ) -order terms are highly suppressed, e.g. conservatively, we have $$\Delta \Gamma _{\mathrm{Z}}^{\mathrm{had}}|^{{{\mathcal {O}}}(\alpha _s^5)}_{\mathrm{PMC}}\simeq \pm 0.004$$ Δ Γ Z had | PMC O ( α s 5 ) ≃ ± 0.004 MeV. In combination with the known electro-weak (EW) corrections, QED corrections, EW–QCD mixed corrections, and QED–QCD mixed corrections, our final prediction of the hadronic Z decay width is $$\Gamma _{\mathrm{Z}}^{\mathrm{had}}=1744.439^{+1.390}_{-1.433}$$ Γ Z had = 1744 . 439 - 1.433 + 1.390 MeV, which agrees with the PDG global fit of experimental measurements, $$1744.4\pm 2.0$$ 1744.4 ± 2.0 MeV.

Testing aligned CP-violating Higgs sector at future lepton colliders

We discuss the testability of CP-violating phases at future lepton colliders for the scenario which satisfies electric dipole moment data by destructive interferences among several phases. We consider the general but aligned two Higgs doublet model which has the CP-violating phases in the Higgs potential and the Yukawa interaction. The Yukawa interaction terms are aligned to avoid flavor changing neutral currents at tree level. The Higgs potential is also aligned such that the coupling constants of the lightest Higgs boson with the mass of 125 GeV to the Standard Model (SM) particles are the same as those of the SM at tree level. We investigate the azimuthal angle distribution of the hadronic decay of tau leptons arising from production and decay of the extra Higgs bosons, which contains information of the CP-violating phases. From the signal and background simulation, we find that the scenario with finite CP-violating phases can be distinguished from CP conserving one at future lepton colliders like the International Linear Collider.

Study on the anomalous quartic $$W^+W^-\gamma \gamma $$ couplings of electroweak bosons in $$e^-p$$ collisions at the LHeC and the FCC-he

In this paper, a study is carried out on the $$e^-p \rightarrow e^-\gamma ^* p \rightarrow p W^-\gamma \nu _e$$ e - p → e - γ ∗ p → p W - γ ν e production to probe quartic $$W^+W^-\gamma \gamma $$ W + W - γ γ couplings at the Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) with $$\sqrt{s}= 1.30, 1.98\,\hbox {TeV}$$ s = 1.30 , 1.98 TeV and at the Future Circular Collider-hadron electron (FCC-he) with $$\sqrt{s}= 3.46, 5.29\,\hbox {TeV}$$ s = 3.46 , 5.29 TeV . Production cross-sections are determined for both at leptonic and hadronic decay channels of the W-boson. With the data from future $$e^-p$$ e - p colliders, it is possible to obtain sensitivity measures at $$95\%$$ 95 % C.L. on the anomalous $$f_ {M,i}/\Lambda ^4$$ f M , i / Λ 4 and $$ f_ {T,j}/\Lambda ^4$$ f T , j / Λ 4 couplings which are competitive with the limits obtained by the LHC, as well as with others limits reported in the literature. The production mode $$e^-p \rightarrow e^-\gamma ^* p \rightarrow p W^-\gamma \nu _e $$ e - p → e - γ ∗ p → p W - γ ν e in $$e^-p$$ e - p collisions offers a window for study the quartic $$W^+W^-\gamma \gamma $$ W + W - γ γ electroweak bosons couplings at the LHeC and the FCC-he, which provides a much cleaner collision environment than the LHC.

A puzzle in $$\varvec{\bar{B}_{(s)}^0 \rightarrow D_{(s)}^{(*)+} \lbrace \pi ^-, K^-\rbrace }$$ decays and extraction of the $$\varvec{f_s/f_d}$$ fragmentation fraction

We provide updated predictions for the hadronic decays $$\bar{B}_s^0\rightarrow D_s^{(*)+} \pi ^-$$ B ¯ s 0 → D s ( ∗ ) + π - and $$\bar{B}^0\rightarrow D^{(*)+} K^-$$ B ¯ 0 → D ( ∗ ) + K - . They are based on $${\mathcal {O}}(\alpha _s^2)$$ O ( α s 2 ) results for the QCD factorization amplitudes at leading power and on recent results for the $$\bar{B}_{(s)} \rightarrow D_{(s)}^{(*)}$$ B ¯ ( s ) → D ( s ) ( ∗ ) form factors up to order $$\mathcal{O}(\Lambda _\mathrm{QCD}^2/m_c^2)$$ O ( Λ QCD 2 / m c 2 ) in the heavy-quark expansion. We give quantitative estimates of the matrix elements entering the hadronic decay amplitudes at order $$\mathcal{O}(\Lambda _\mathrm{QCD}/m_b)$$ O ( Λ QCD / m b ) for the first time. Our results are very precise, and uncover a substantial discrepancy between the theory predictions and the experimental measurements. We explore two possibilities for this discrepancy: non-factorizable contributions larger than predicted by the QCD factorization power counting, and contributions beyond the Standard Model. We determine the $$f_s/f_d$$ f s / f d fragmentation fraction for the CDF, D0 and LHCb experiments for both scenarios.

Boosted jet techniques for a supersymmetric scenario with gravitino LSP

Search for compressed supersymmetry at multi-TeV scale, in the presence of a light gravitino dark matter, can get sizable uplift while looking into the associated fat- jets with missing transverse momenta as a signature of the boson produced in the decay process of much heavier next-to-lightest sparticle. We focus on the hadronic decay of the ensuing Higgs and/or Z boson giving rise to at least two fat-jets and "Image missing" in the final state. We perform a detailed background study adopting a multivariate analysis using a boosted decision tree to provide a robust investigation to explore the discovery potential for such signal at 14 TeV LHC considering different benchmark points satisfying all the theoretical and experimental constraints. This channel provides the best discovery prospects with most of the benchmarks discoverable within an integrated luminosity of $$ \mathrm{\mathcal{L}} $$ ℒ = 200 fb−1. Kinematic observables are investigated in order to distinguish between compressed and uncompressed spectra having similar event yields.