Abstract: In this work we compute, at the “one-loop-dressed” level, the nonperturbative contribution of the ghost loops to the self-energy of the gluon propagator, in the Landau gauge. This is accomplished within the PT-BFM formalism, where the contribution of the ghost-loops is inherently transverse, by virtue of the QED-like Ward identities satisfied in this framework. At the level of the “one-loop dressed” approximation, the ghost transversality is preserved by employing a suitable gauge-technique Ansatz for the longitudinal part of the full ghost-gluon vertex. Under the key assumption that the undetermined transverse part of this vertex is numerically subleading in the infrared, and using as nonperturbative input the available lattice data for the ghost dressing function, we show that the ghost contributions have a rather sizable effect on the overall shape of the gluon propagator, both for d = 3, 4. Then, by exploiting a recently introduced dynamical equation for the effective gluon mass, whose solutions depend crucially on the characteristics of the gluon propagator at intermediate energies, we show that if the ghost loops are removed from the gluon propagator then the gluon mass vanishes. These findings suggest that, at least at the level of the Schwinger-Dyson equations, the effects of gluons and ghosts are inextricably connected, and must be combined suitably in order to reproduce the results obtained in the recent lattice simulations.

Abstract: A sizeable difference in the differential production cross section of top-compared to antitop-quark production, denoted charge asymittetm has been observed at the Tevatron. The experimental results seem to exceed the theory predictions based on the Standard Model by a significant amount and have triggered a large number of suggestions for “new physics'. In the present paper the Standard Model predictions for Tevatron and LHe experiments are revisited. This includes a reanalysis of electromagnetic as well as weak corrections, leading to a shift of the asymmetry by roughly a factor 1.1 when compared to the results of the first papers on this subject. The impact of cuts on the transverse momentum of the top-antitop system is studied. Restricting the it system to a transverse momentum less than 20 GeV leads to an enhancement of the asymmetries by factors between 1.3 and 1.5, indicating the importance of an improved understanding of the tt-momentum distribution. Predictions for similar measurements at the LHC are presented, demonstrating the sensitivity of the large rapidity region bot ti to the Standard Model contribution and effects from ”new physics".

Abstract: A large number of new states have been reported during the last few years in charmonium spectroscopy above the charmed meson production threshold. They have been called X's, Y's, and Z's. We reflect on the influence of thresholds on heavy meson spectroscopy comparing different flavor sectors and quantum numbers. The validity of a quark-model picture above open-flavor thresholds would severely restrict the number of channels that may lodge meson-meson molecules.