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Liem, S., Bertone, G., Calore, F., Ruiz de Austri, R., Tait, T. M. P., Trotta, R., et al. (2016). Effective field theory of dark matter: a global analysis. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 077–22pp.
Abstract: We present global fits of an effective field theory description of real, and complex scalar dark matter candidates. We simultaneously take into account all possible dimension 6 operators consisting of dark matter bilinears and gauge invariant combinations of quark and gluon fields. We derive constraints on the free model parameters for both the real (five parameters) and complex (seven) scalar dark matter models obtained by combining Planck data on the cosmic microwave background, direct detection limits from LUX, and indirect detection limits from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We find that for real scalars indirect dark matter searches disfavour a dark matter particle mass below 100 GeV. For the complex scalar dark matter particle current data have a limited impact due to the presence of operators that lead to p-wave annihilation, and also do not contribute to the spin-independent scattering cross-section. Although current data are not informative enough to strongly constrain the theory parameter space, we demonstrate the power of our formalism to reconstruct the theoretical parameters compatible with an actual dark matter detection, by assuming that the excess of gamma rays observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope towards the Galactic centre is entirely due to dark matter annihilations. Please note that the excess can very well be due to astrophysical sources such as millisecond pulsars. We find that scalar dark matter interacting via effective field theory operators can in principle explain the Galactic centre excess, but that such interpretation is in strong tension with the non-detection of gamma rays from dwarf galaxies in the real scalar case. In the complex scalar case there is enough freedom to relieve the tension.
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Oliver, J. F., & Rafecas, M. (2016). Modelling Random Coincidences in Positron Emission Tomography by Using Singles and Prompts: A Comparison Study. PLoS ONE, 11(9), e0162096–22pp.
Abstract: Random coincidences degrade the image in Positron Emission Tomography, PET. To compensate for their degradation effects, the rate of random coincidences should be estimated. Under certain circumstances, current estimation methods fail to provide accurate results. We propose a novel method, “Singles-Prompts” (SP), that includes the information conveyed by prompt coincidences and models the pile-up. The SP method has the same structure than the well-known “Singles Rate” (SR) approach. Hence, SP can straightforwardly replace SR. In this work, the SP method has been extensively assessed and compared to two conventional methods, SR and the delayed window (DW) method, in a preclinical PET scenario using Monte-Carlo simulations. SP offers accurate estimates for the randoms rates, while SR and DW tend to overestimate the rates (similar to 10%, and 5%, respectively). With pile-up, the SP method is more robust than SR (but less than DW). At the image level, the contrast is overestimated in SR-corrected images, + 16%, while SP produces the correct value. Spill-over is slightly reduced using SP instead of SR. The DW images values are similar to those of SP except for low-statistic scenarios, where DW behaves as if randoms were not compensated for. In particular, the contrast is reduced, -16%. In general, the better estimations of SP translate into better image quality.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Search for Higgs and Z Boson Decays to phi gamma with the ATLAS Detector. Phys. Rev. Lett., 117(11), 111802–19pp.
Abstract: A search for the decays of the Higgs and Z bosons to a phi meson and a photon is performed with a pp collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.7 fb(-1) collected at root s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. No significant excess of events is observed above the background, and 95% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions of the Higgs and Z boson decays to phi gamma of 1.4 x 10(-3) and 8.3 x 10(-6), respectively, are obtained.
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Lami, A., & Roig, P. (2016). H -> ll ' in the simplest little Higgs model. Phys. Rev. D, 94(5), 056001–7pp.
Abstract: Little Higgs models are promising constructs to solve the hierarchy problem affecting the Higgs boson mass for generic new physics. However, their preservation of lepton universality forbids them to account for the H -> tau μCMS hint and at the same time respect (as they do) the severe limits on H -> μe inherited from the nonobservation of μ-> e gamma We compute the predictions of the simplest little Higgs model for the H -> ll' decays and conclude that the measurement of any of these decays at LHC (even with a much smaller rate than currently hinted) would, under reasonable assumptions, disfavor this model. This result is consistent with our earlier observation of very suppressed lepton flavor violating semileptonic tau decays within this model.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Search for pair production of Higgs bosons in the bbbb final state using proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 94(5), 052002–29pp.
Abstract: A search for Higgs-boson pair production in the bbbb final state is carried out with 3.2 fb(-1) of protonproton collision data collected at root s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. The data are consistent with the estimated background and are used to set upper limits on the production cross section of Higgs-boson pairs times branching ratio to bbbb for both nonresonant and resonant production. In the case of resonant production of Kaluza-Klein gravitons within the Randall-Sundrum model, upper limits in the 24 to 91 fb range are obtained for masses between 600 and 3000 GeV, at the 95% confidence level. The production cross section times branching ratio for nonresonant Higgs-boson pairs is also constrained to be less than 1.22 pb, at the 95% confidence level.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2016). Realistic SU(3)(c) x SU(3)(L) x U(1)(X) model with a type II Dirac neutrino seesaw mechanism. Phys. Rev. D, 94(3), 033012–4pp.
Abstract: Here we propose a realistic SU(3)(c) circle times SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(X) electroweak gauge model with enlarged Higgs sector. The scheme allows for the natural implementation of a type II seesaw mechanism for Dirac neutrinos, while charged lepton and quark masses are reproduced in a natural way thanks to the presence of new scalars. The new SU(3)(c) circle times SU(3)(L) circle times U(1)(X) energy scale characterizing neutrino mass generation could be accessible to the current LHC experiments.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Measurement of exclusive gamma gamma -> W+W- production and search for exclusive Higgs boson production in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV using the ATLAS detector. Phys. Rev. D, 94(3), 032011–32pp.
Abstract: Searches for exclusively produced W boson pairs in the process pp(gamma gamma) -> pW(+) W- p and an exclusively produced Higgs boson in the process pp(gg) -> pHp have been performed using e(+/-) mu(-/+) final states. These measurements use 20.2 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected by the ATLAS experiment at a center-of-mass energy root s = 8 TeV at the LHC. Exclusive production of W+ W- consistent with the Standard Model prediction is found with 3.0 sigma significance. The exclusive W+ W- production cross section is determined to be sigma(gamma gamma -> W+ W- -> e(+/-) mu(-/+) X) = 6.9 +/- 2.2(stat) +/- 1.4(sys) fb, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings are set at 95% confidence level as -1.7 x 10(-6) < a(0)(W) / Lambda(2) < 1.7 x 10(-6) GeV-2 and -6.4 x 10(-6) < a(C)(W) / Lambda(2) < 6.3 x 10(-6) GeV-2. A 95% confidence-level upper limit on the total production cross section for an exclusive Higgs boson is set to 1.2 pb.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., Costa, M. J., et al. (2016). Measurement of total and differential W plus w- production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector and limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 029–81pp.
Abstract: The production of W boson pairs in proton-proton collisions at root s = 8TeV is studied using data corresponding to 20.3 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector during 2012 at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The W bosons are reconstructed using their leptonic decays into electrons or muons and neutrinos. Events with reconstructed jets are not included in the candidate event sample. A total of 6636 W W candidate events are observed. Measurements are performed in fiducial regions closely approximating the detector acceptance. The integrated measurement is corrected for all acceptance effects and for the W branching fractions to leptons in order to obtain the total W W production cross section, which is found to be 71.1 +/- 1.1( stat) + (5.7) (5.0) (syst) +/- 1 : 4( lumi) pb. This agrees with the next-to-next-to-leading-order Standard Model prediction of 63.2(+1.6) (-1.4) (scale) +/- 1.2(PDF) pb. Fiducial differential cross sections are measured as a function of each of six kinematic variables. The distribution of the transverse momentum of the leading lepton is used to set limits on anomalous triple-gauge-boson couplings.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Search for resonances in diphoton events at root s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 001–50pp.
Abstract: Searches for new resonances decaying into two photons in the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider are described. The analysis is based on protonproton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb(-1) at root s = 13TeV recorded in 2015. Two searches are performed, one targeted at a spin-2 particle of mass larger than 500 GeV, using Randall-Sundrum graviton states as a benchmark model, and one optimized for a spin-0 particle of mass larger than 200 GeV. Varying both the mass and the decay width, the most significant deviation from the background-only hypothesis is observed at a diphoton invariant mass around 750 GeV with local significances of 3.8 and 3.9 standard deviations in the searches optimized for a spin-2 and spin-0 particle, respectively. The global significances are estimated to be 2.1 standard deviations for both analyses. The consistency between the data collected at 13TeV and 8TeV is also evaluated. Limits on the production cross section times branching ratio to two photons for the two resonance types are reported.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). Measurement of the angular coefficients in Z-boson events using electron and muon pairs from data taken at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. J. High Energy Phys., 08(8), 159–101pp.
Abstract: The angular distributions of Drell-Yan charged lepton pairs in the vicinity of the Z-boson mass peak probe the underlying QCD dynamics of Z-boson production. This paper presents a measurement of the complete set of angular coefficients Lambda(0-7) describing these distributions in the Z-boson Collins-Soper frame. The data analysed correspond to 20.3 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 8TeV, collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN LHC. The measurements are compared to the most precise fixed-order calculations currently available (O (alpha(2)(s))) and with theoretical predictions embedded in Monte Carlo generators. The measurements are precise enough to probe QCD corrections beyond the formal accuracy of these calculations and to provide discrimination between different parton-shower models. A signi fi cant deviation from the O (alpha(2)(s)) predictions is observed for A(0)-A(2). Evidence is found for non-zero A(5,6, 7), consistent with expectations.
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