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DOE OSTI2025

Machine-Learning Analysis of Radiative Decays to Dark Matter at the LHC

The search for weakly interacting matter particles (WIMPs) is one of the main objectives of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In this work we use Machine-Learning (ML) techniques to explore WIMP radiative decays into a Dark Matter (DM) candidate in a supersymmetric framework. The minimal supersymmetric WIMP sector includes the lightest neutralino that can provide the observed DM relic density through its co-annihilation with the second lightest neutralino and lightest chargino. Moreover, the direct DM detection cross section rates fulfill current experimental bounds and provide discovery targets for the same region of model parameters in which the radiative decay of the second lightest neutralino into a photon and the lightest neutralino is enhanced. This strongly motivates the search for radiatively decaying neutralinos which, however, suffers from strong backgrounds. We investigate the LHC reach in the search for these radiatively decaying particles by means of cut-based and ML methods and estimate its discovery potential in this well-motivated, new physics scenario. We demonstrate that using ML techniques would enable access to most of the parameter space unexplored by other searches.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Search for heavy neutral leptons in decays of W bosons using leptonic and semi-leptonic displaced vertices in $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for long-lived heavy neutral leptons (HNLs), produced through the decay of a W boson along with a muon or electron. Two channels are explored: a leptonic channel, in which the HNL decays into two leptons and a neutrino, and a semi-leptonic channel, in which the HNL decays into a lepton and a charged pion. The search is performed with 140 fb −1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by ATLAS during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider. No excess of events is observed; Dirac-like and Majorana-like HNLs with masses below 14.5 GeV and mixing coefficients as small as 10 −7 are excluded at the 95% confidence level. The results are interpreted under different assumptions on the flavour of the leptons from the HNL decays.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Sterile neutrinos with non-standard interactions in β- and 0νββ-decay experiments

Charged currents are probed in low-energy precision β -decay experiments and at high-energy colliders, both of which aim to measure or constrain signals of beyond-the-Standard-Model physics. In light of future β -decay and LHC measurements that will further explore these non-standard interactions, we investigate what neutrinoless double- β decay (0 νββ ) experiments can tell us if a nonzero signal were to be found. Using a recently developed effective-field-theory framework, we consider the effects that interactions with right-handed neutrinos have on 0 νββ and discuss the range of neutrino masses that current and future 0 νββ measurements can probe, assuming neutrinos are Majorana particles. For non-standard interactions at the level suggested by recently observed hints in β decays, we show that next-generation 0 νββ experiments can determine the Dirac or Majorana nature of neutrinos, for sterile neutrino masses larger than $\mathcal{O}(10)$ eV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Tau-jet signatures of vectorlike quark decays to heavy charged and neutral Higgs bosons

We study 4 b + 2 τ and 4 b + 1 τ signatures of heavy neutral and charged Higgs bosons originating from cascade decays of pair-produced new quarks. Decays of vectorlike quarks through heavy Higgses can easily dominate in the two Higgs doublet model of type-II, and the studied signatures are common to many possible decay chains. We design search strategies for these final states and discuss the mass ranges of heavy Higgs bosons and new quarks that can be explored at the Large Hadron Collider as functions of branching ratios in a model independent way. We further combine the results with a similar study focusing on decays which lead to a 6 b final state and interpret the sensitivity to charged and neutral Higgs bosons and vectorlike quarks in the type-II two Higgs doublet model. We find that the LHC reach for their masses extends to well above 2 TeV in the case of an SU(2) doublet quark and to at least 1.8 TeV for a bottom-like SU(2) singlet quark in the whole range of tan β between 1 and 50.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Higgs boson decay to charmonia via $\mathcal{c}$-quark fragmentation

We calculate the decay branching fractions of the Higgs boson to $J/ψ$ and $n_c$ via the charm-quark fragmentation mechanism for the color-singlet and color-octet states in the framework of non-relativistic QCD. The decay rates are governed by the charm-quark Yukawa coupling, unlike the decay H → $J/ψ$ +γ, which is dominated by the $γ^*- J/ψ$ mixing. We find that the decay branching fractions can be about 2 x 10 -5 for H →$c\bar c$ + $J/ψ$, and 6 x 10 -5 for H →$c\bar c$ + $n-c$. We comment on the perspective of searching for the Higgs boson to $J/ψ$ transition at the High-Luminosity LHC for testing the charm-quark Yukawa coupling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for heavy scalar resonances decaying to Lorentz-boosted Higgs and Higgs-like bosons in the $\mathrm{b}\overline{\mathrm{b}}4\mathrm{q}$ final state at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

A search is performed for a heavy scalar resonance X decaying to a Higgs boson (H) and a Higgs-like scalar boson (Y) in the two bottom quark (H → $b\bar{b}$) and four quark (Y → VV → 4q) final state, where V denotes a W or Z boson. Masses of the X between 900 and 4000 GeV and the Y between 60 and 2800 GeV are considered. The search is performed in data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC from proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV center-of-mass energy, with a data set corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . It targets the Lorentz-boosted regime, in which the products of the H → $b\bar{b}$ decay can be reconstructed as a single large-area jet, and those from the Y → VV → 4q decay as either one Y → 4q or two jets V → H → $q\bar{q}$. Jet identification and mass reconstruction exploit machine-learning tools, including a novel attention-based “particle transformer” for Y → 4q identification. No significant excess is observed in the data above the standard model background expectation. Upper limits on the product of production cross section and branching fraction as low as 0.2 fb are derived at 95% confidence level for various mass hypotheses. This is the first search at the LHC for scalar resonances in the all-hadronic H → $b\bar{b}$VV decay channel.

Beyond Standard Model↗

DOE OSTI2026

Search for a Higgs boson produced in association with a charm quark and decaying to a W boson pair in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV

This paper presents a search for a Higgs boson produced in association with a charm quark (cH) which allows to probe the Higgs-charm Yukawa coupling strength modifier κ$_{c}$. Higgs boson decays to a pair of W bosons are considered, where one W boson decays to an electron and a neutrino, and the other W boson decays to a muon and a neutrino. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb$^{−1}$, were collected between 2016 and 2018 with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level (CL) are set on the ratio of the measured yield to the standard model expectation for cH production. The observed (expected) upper limit is 1065 (506), corresponding to an observed (expected) constraint of |κ$_{c}$| < 211 (95). When combined with the previous search for cH in the diphoton decay channel of the Higgs boson, the limits are interpreted as observed (expected) constraints at 95% CL on the value of κ$_{c}$, |κ$_{c}$| < 47 (51).[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Hayrapetyan, Aram [Yerevan Phys. Inst.]↗

DOE OSTI2022

Search for a W' boson decaying to a vector-like quark and a top or bottom quark in the all-jets final state at $\sqrt{\mathrm{s}}$ = 13 TeV

A search is presented for a heavy W' boson resonance decaying to a B or T vector-like quark and a t or a b quark, respectively. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb -1 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. Both decay channels result in a signature with a t quark, a Higgs or Z boson, and a b quark, each produced with a significant Lorentz boost. The all-hadronic decays of the Higgs or Z boson and of the t quark are selected using jet substructure techniques to reduce standard model backgrounds, resulting in a distinct three-jet W' boson decay signature. No significant deviation in data with respect to the standard model background prediction is observed. Upper limits are set at 95% confidence level on the product of the W' boson cross section and the final state branching fraction. A W' boson with a mass below 3.1 TeV is excluded, given the benchmark model assumption of democratic branching fractions. In addition, limits are set based on generalizations of these assumptions. These are the most sensitive limits to date for this final state.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Search for a charged Higgs boson decaying into a heavy neutral Higgs boson and a W boson in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

A search for a charged Higgs boson H ± decaying into a heavy neutral Higgs boson H and a W boson is presented. The analysis targets the H decay into a pair of tau leptons with at least one of them decaying hadronically and with an additional electron or muon present in the event. The search is based on proton-proton collision data recorded by the CMS experiment during 2016–2018 at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb –1 . The data are consistent with standard model background expectations. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set on the product of the cross section and branching fraction for an H ± in the mass range of 300–700 GeV, assuming an H with a mass of 200 GeV. The observed limits range from 0.085 pb for an H ± mass of 300 Ge V to 0.019 pb for a mass of 700 GeV. These are the first limits on H ± production in the H ± → HW ± decay channel at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Search for a heavy pseudoscalar Higgs boson decaying to a 125 GeV Higgs boson and a Z boson in final states with two tau and two light leptons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV

A search for a heavy pseudoscalar Higgs boson, A, decaying to a 125 GeV Higgs boson h and a Z boson is presented. The h boson is identified via its decay to a pair of tau leptons, while the Z boson is identified via its decay to a pair of electrons or muons. The search targets the production of the A boson via the gluon-gluon fusion process, gg → A, and in association with bottom quarks, $b\overline{b}A$. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV. Constraints are set on the product of the cross sections of the A production mechanisms and the A → Zh decay branching fraction. The observed (expected) upper limit at 95% confidence level ranges from 0.049 (0.060) pb to 1.02 (0.79) pb for the gg → A process and from 0.053 (0.059) pb to 0.79 (0.61) pb for the $b\overline{b}A$ process in the probed range of the A boson mass, mA, from 225 GeV to 1 TeV. The results of the search are used to constrain parameters within the $M^{125}_{h,EFT}$ benchmark scenario of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Values of tan β below 2.2 are excluded in this scenario at 95% confidence level for all mA values in the range from 225 to 350 GeV.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Black hole induced false vacuum decay from first principles

We provide a method to calculate the rate of false vacuum decay induced by a black hole. The method uses complex tunneling solutions and consistently takes into account the structure of different quantum vacua in the black hole metric via boundary conditions. The latter are connected to the asymptotic behavior of the time-ordered Green’s function in the corresponding vacua. We illustrate the technique on a two-dimensional toy model of a scalar field with inverted Liouville potential in an external background of a dilaton black hole. We analytically derive the exponential suppression of tunneling from the Boulware, Hartle-Hawking and Unruh vacua and show that they are parametrically different. The Unruh vacuum decay rate is exponentially smaller than the decay rate of the Hartle-Hawking state, though both rates become unsuppressed at high enough black hole temperature. We interpret the vanishing suppression of the Unruh vacuum decay at high temperature as an artifact of the two-dimensional model and discuss why this result can be modified in the realistic case of black holes in four dimensions.

2D Gravity↗

DOE OSTI2021

Search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into long-lived particles in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV using displaced vertices in the ATLAS inner detector

A novel search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into pairs of long-lived neutral particles, each decaying into a bottom quark pair, is performed using 139 fb -1 of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events consistent with the production of a Higgs boson in association with a leptonically decaying Z boson are analysed. Long-lived particle (LLP) decays are reconstructed from inner-detector tracks as displaced vertices with high mass and track multiplicity relative to Standard Model processes. The analysis selection requires the presence of at least two displaced vertices, effectively suppressing Standard Model backgrounds. The residual background contribution is estimated using a data-driven technique. No excess over Standard Model predictions is observed, and upper limits are set on the branching ratio of the Higgs boson to LLPs. Branching ratios above 10% are excluded at 95% confidence level for LLP mean proper lifetimes cτ as small as 4 mm and as large as 100 mm. For LLP masses below 40 GeV, these results represent the most stringent constraint in this lifetime regime.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Interpretations of the ATLAS measurements of Higgs boson production and decay rates and differential cross-sections in pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV

Measurements of the Higgs boson production times decay rates and differential cross-sections have recently been performed by the ATLAS experiment in several decay channels using up to 139 fb -1 of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV recorded at the Large Hadron Collider. This paper presents multiple interpretations of these Higgs boson measurements. Measurements of production-mode cross-sections, simplified template cross-sections and fiducial differential cross-sections in different decay channels are reparameterised in terms of the impact of Standard Model effective field theory operators, and constraints are reported on the corresponding Wilson coefficients. Production and decay rate measurements are interpreted in UV-complete extensions of the Standard Model, namely the two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM) near the alignment limit and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) for various MSSM benchmark scenarios. The constraints on the 2HDM parameters (cos(β - α), tanβ) and the MSSM parameters (m A , tanβ) are complementary to those obtained from direct searches for additional Higgs bosons.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2021

De Sitter decays to infinity

Bubbles of nothing are a class of vacuum decay processes present in some theories with compactified extra dimensions. We investigate the existence and properties of bubbles of nothing in models where the scalar pseudomoduli controlling the size of the extra dimensions are stabilized at positive vacuum energy, which is a necessary feature of any realistic model. We map the construction of bubbles of nothing to a four-dimensional Coleman-De Luccia problem and establish necessary conditions on the asymptotic behavior of the scalar potential for the existence of suitable solutions. We perform detailed analyses in the context of five-dimensional theories with metastable dS 4 x S 1 vacua, using analytic approximations and numerical methods to calculate the decay rate. We find that bubbles of nothing sometimes exist in potentials with no ordinary Coleman-De Luccia decay process, and that in the examples we study, when both processes exist, the bubble of nothing decay rate is typically faster. Our methods can be generalized to other stabilizing potentials and internal manifolds.

classical theories of gravity↗

DOE OSTI2022

Dark Grand Unification in the axiverse: decaying axion dark matter and spontaneous baryogenesis

The quantum chromodynamics axion with a decay constant near the Grand Unification (GUT) scale has an ultralight mass near a neV. We show, however, that axion-like particles with masses near the keV–PeV range with GUT-scale decay constants are also well motivated in that they naturally arise from axiverse theories with dark c gauge groups. We demonstrate that the correct dark matter abundance may be achieved by the heavy axions in these models through the misalignment mechanism in combination with a period of early matter domination from the long-lived dark glueballs of the same gauge group. Heavy axion dark matter may decay to two photons, yielding mono-energetic electromagnetic signatures that may be detectable by current or next-generation space-based telescopes. We project the sensitivity of next-generation telescopes including Athena, AMEGO, and e-ASTROGAM to such decaying axion dark matter. If the dark sector contains multiple confining gauge groups, then the observed primordial baryon asymmetry may also be achieved in this scenario through spontaneous baryogenesis. We present explicit orbifold constructions where the dark gauge groups unify with the SM at the GUT scale and axions emerge as the fifth components of dark gauge fields with bulk Chern-Simons terms.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Fine-scale cation dynamics and control by Rhodonia placenta and Pleurotus ostreatus during wood decay

Fungi are the primary decomposers of wood across the globe. They redistribute the vast pool of wood carbon to other parts of the carbon cycle using mechanisms that also have intriguing potential in bioconversion and biotechnology applications. To make a living in the relatively sparse microenvironment of wood, these filamentous fungi must import many of their needs, including cations. Understanding the timing of cation import can help us validate the functions of cations in wood decay and create a clearer understanding of these complex wood degradation mechanisms. In this study, we resolved cation timing dynamics across space for two fungi (brown rot fungus Rhodonia placenta and white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus) using a wood wafer system. We found some expected patterns of the cation dynamics for both fungi, and a clear role for iron at the early stages of brown rot decay. On the other hand, the lack of an increase in manganese during initial white rot decay was surprising. Unexpectedly, we also saw a spike in copper during early brown rot decay that demands more investigation as a potential player in the brown rot mechanism.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Nuclear Structure and Decay Data for A=149 Isobars

Here, experimental nuclear structure and decay data are evaluated for all the 17 known nuclides of mass 149 (Xe, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb). Detailed compiled and evaluated spectroscopic information is presented for each reaction and decay dataset, and recommended values are provided for level properties, α, β and γ radiations, and other spectroscopic parameters, based on an evaluation of all the available experimental data for A=149 isobaric nuclides. Although large amounts of nuclear spectroscopic data are available for nuclides of A=149, yet large gaps in knowledge exist, as described below. For the lowest atomic number nuclide 149 Xe, only the isotopic identification has been made, with no data for its ground-state half-life. For 149 Cs, 149 Tm and 149 Yb information is available for only the respective ground states. For 149 Ba, 149 La and 149 Er, limited data exist for excited states. Many of the decay schemes of radioactive nuclei of A=149 are considered as incomplete, either due to large energy differences between the highest observed excited states in daughter nuclides and the respective Q-values, or due to the lack of confirmed γ-ray data, as listed below: 149 Cs → 149 Ba, 149 Ba → 149 La, 149 La → 149 Ce, 149 Ce → 149 Pr, 149 Pr → 149 Nd, 149 Tb(4.17 min) → 149 Gd, 149 Ho(21.0 s and 56 s) → 149 Dy, 149 Er(4 s and 9.6 s) → 149 Ho, and 149 Tm → 149 Er. No data exist for the decay of 149 Yb to 149 Tm. Data for half-lives of the excited states in this mass chain are generally lacking as given below by the number of excited levels of known half-life / approximate number of known levels in a nuclide: 2/17 for 149 Ba, 0/18 for 149 La, 3/53 for 149 Ce, 3/44 for 149 Pr, 17/110 for 149 Nd, 9/90 for 149 Pm, 10/210 for 149 Sm, 2/125 for 149 Eu, 6/270 for 149 Gd, 5/200 for 149 Tb, 3/80 for 149 Dy, 3/90 for 149 Ho, and 3/14 for 149 Er. This work supersedes earlier evaluations of A=149 nuclides published by 2004Si16, 1994Si18, 1985Sz01 and 1976Ho17.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Nuclear Structure and Decay Data for A=169 Isobars

Experimental data pertaining to all nuclei with mass number A=169 (Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt) have been evaluated. Level schemes from both radioactive decay and reaction studies are presented, along with associated tables of experimental data and adopted properties for levels and γ rays. The present evaluation for A=169 supersedes the 2008 evaluation, 2008Ba31, by C.M. Baglin. A few highlights of this evaluation: More extensive work on ε decay from 169W is needed and new experimental work will be required to resolve a discrepancy between the J π values deduced for a 180-keV level in 169Ta based on extensive band structure from (HI,xnγ) work (J π =1/2−) and TDPAD measurements (J=5/2). Low lying states of 169Os were studied via fine structure of 173Pt α decay in 2014ThZZ. The Eαs feeding the g.s. of 169Os in 2008Ba31 are separated well into two consistent groups to feed the g.s. and the newly proposed state at 34.84 keV. Based on the studies of 2014ThZZ and 2021Zh52, the g.s. spin-parity assignment of 169Os has been proposed to be (7/2−) from (5/2−). The 169Ir g.s. half-life and alpha emission branching reported in 2012Th13 from 173Au α decay measurements are preferred over the values in 2005Sc22. The reported half-life value in 2005Sc22 for 169Ir g.s. is discrepant and the research work was carried out in the same lab of 2012Th13.

Basunia, M Shamsuzzoha↗