Probing CP Violation in $h\rightarrow\gamma\gamma$ with Converted Photons
We study Higgs diphoton decays, in which both photons undergo nuclear conversion to electron- positron pairs. The kinematic distribution of the two electron-positron pairs may be used to probe the CP violating (CPV) coupling of the Higgs to photons, that may be produced by new physics. Detecting CPV in this manner requires interference between the spin-polarized helicity amplitudes for both conversions. We derive leading order, analytic forms for these amplitudes. In turn, we obtain compact, leading-order expressions for the full process rate. While performing experiments involving photon conversions may be challenging, we use the results of our analysis to construct experimental cuts on certain observables that may enhance sensitivity to CPV. We show that there exist regions of phase space on which sensitivity to CPV is of order unity. As a result, the statistical sensitivity of these cuts are verified numerically, using dedicated Monte-Carlo simulations.

title: SU(3) sum rules for charm decay
abstract: A bstractWe present flavor SU(3) sum rules for D → PP and D → PV decay amplitudes, that are valid to second order in symmetry breaking by the strange quark mass spurion. Decay rate sum rules are also computed to this order. Particular attention is given to sum rules arising from the isospin and U-spin subgroups, the former providing sensitive tests for alternative sources of SU(3) breaking. We apply the latter together with the postulated ΔU = 0 rule for the large penguin picture to predict the ratio and difference of the direct CP asymmetries for D → KK∗ and D → πρ.

title: Kinematic edges with flavor oscillation and non-zero widths
abstract: Kinematic edges in cascade decays provide a probe of the masses of new particles. In some new physics scenarios the decay chain involves intermediate particles of different flavors that can mix and oscillate. We discuss the implication of such oscillation, and in particular its interplay with the non-zero widths of the particles. We derive explicit formulae for differential decay rates involving both non-zero widths and oscillation, and show that in the case where the mass difference between the intermediate particle is of the order of their widths, both oscillation and width effects are important. An examination of the physical observables contained in these differential decay rates is provided. We calculate differential decay rates for cases in which the intermediate particles are either scalars or fermions.

title: Galactic center gamma-ray excess through a dark shower
abstract: The reported excess of $\gamma$-rays, emitted from an extended region around the galactic center, has a distribution and rate suggestive of an origin in dark matter (DM) annihilations. The conventional annihilation channels into standard model (SM) $b$ quarks or $\tau$ leptons may, however, be in tension with various experimental constraints on antiproton and positron fluxes. We present a framework that is free from such constraints. The key idea is that the mediators between the dark matter and the SM are themselves part of a strongly coupled sector: a hidden valley. In this scenario, the dark matter particles annihilate only into hidden quarks that subsequently shower and hadronize. Hidden quark effective couplings to SM hypercharge allow the lightest hidden bound states to subsequently decay into SM photons, producing the observed photon energy spectrum. Associated production of SM fermions is, in contrast, suppressed by electroweak, loop or helicity effects. We find that, generically, $\sim$ 10 GeV DM and a confinement scale $\sim$ 1 GeV provide a good fit to the observed spectrum. An $SU(2)$ hidden confining group is preferred over $SU(3)$ or higher rank gauge groups, up to uncertainties in the extraction of the astrophysical background. An explicit realization of this framework is also presented, and its phenomenology is discussed in detail, along with pertinent cosmological, astrophysical and collider bounds. This framework may be probed by model-independent searches, including future beam-dump experiments.

title: Composite Dirac neutrinos
abstract: We present a mechanism that naturally produces light Dirac neutrinos. The basic idea is that the right-handed neutrinos are composite. Any realistic composite model must involve ‘hidden flavor’ chiral symmetries. In general some of these symmetries may survive confinement, and in particular, one of them manifests itself at low energy as an exact B − L symmetry. Dirac neutrinos are therefore produced. The neutrinos are naturally light due to compositeness. In general, sterile states are present in the model, some of them can naturally be warm dark matter candidates.

title: Lorentz symmetric quantum field theory for symplectic fermions
abstract: A free quantum field theory with Lorentz symmetry is derived for spin-half symplectic fermions in 2+1 dimensions. In particular, we show that fermionic spin-half fields may be canonically quantized in a free theory with a Klein–Gordon Lagrangian. This theory is shown to have all the required properties of a consistent free quantum field theory, namely, causality, unitarity, adherence to the spin-statistics theorem, CPT symmetry, and the Hermiticity and positive definiteness of the Hamiltonian. The global symmetry of the free theory is Sp(4)≃SO(5). Possible interacting theories of both the pseudo-Hermitian and Hermitian variety are then examined briefly.

title: Search for supersymmetry in events with photons, bottom quarks, and missing transverse momentum in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
abstract: A search has been performed for the experimental signature of an isolated photon with high transverse momentum, at least one jet identified as originating from a bottom quark, and high missing transverse momentum. Such a final state may originate from supersymmetric models with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking in events in which one of a pair of higgsino-like neutralinos decays into a photon and a gravitino while the other decays into a Higgs boson and a gravitino. The search is performed using the full dataset of 7 TeV proton–proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2011, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb−1. A total of 7 candidate events are observed while 7.5±2.2 events are expected from the Standard Model background. The results of the search are interpreted in the context of general gauge mediation to exclude certain regions of a benchmark plane for higgsino-like neutralino production.

title: Photon reconstruction in the ATLAS Inner Detector and Liquid Argon Barrel Calorimeter at the 2004 Combined Test Beam
abstract: The reconstruction of photons in the ATLAS detector is studied with data taken during the 2004 Combined Test Beam, where a full slice of the ATLAS detector was exposed to beams of particles of known energy at the CERN SPS. The results presented show significant differences in the longitudinal development of the electromagnetic shower between converted and unconverted photons as well as in the total measured energy. The potential to use the reconstructed converted photons as a means to precisely map the material of the tracker in front of the electromagnetic calorimeter is also considered. All results obtained are compared with a detailed Monte-Carlo simulation of the test-beam setup which is based on the same simulation and reconstruction tools as those used for the ATLAS detector itself.

title: Measurement of the cross section of high transverse momentum $\it{Z\rightarrow b\bar{b}}$ production in proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=8 TeV$ with the ATLAS Detector

title: Measurement of upsilon production in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS
abstract: Using 1.8  fb-1 of pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider, we present measurements of the production cross sections of Υ(1S,2S,3S) mesons. Υ mesons are reconstructed using the dimuon decay mode. Total production cross sections for pT<70  GeV and in the rapidity interval |yΥ|<2.25 are measured to be, 8.01±0.02±0.36±0.31  nb, 2.05±0.01±0.12±0.08  nb, and 0.92±0.01±0.07±0.04  nb, respectively, with uncertainties separated into statistical, systematic, and luminosity measurement effects. In addition, differential cross section times dimuon branching fractions for Υ(1S), Υ(2S), and Υ(3S) as a function of Υ transverse momentum pT and rapidity are presented. These cross sections are obtained assuming unpolarized production. If the production polarization is fully transverse or longitudinal with no azimuthal dependence in the helicity frame, the cross section may vary by approximately ±20%. If a nontrivial azimuthal dependence is considered, integrated cross sections may be significantly enhanced by a factor of 2 or more. We compare our results to several theoretical models of Υ meson production, finding that none provide an accurate description of our data over the full range of Υ transverse momenta accessible with this data set.

title: Electron reconstruction and identification efficiency measurements with the ATLAS detector using the 2011 LHC proton–proton collision data
abstract: Many of the interesting physics processes to be measured at the LHC have a signature involving one or more isolated electrons. The electron reconstruction and identification efficiencies of the ATLAS detector at the LHC have been evaluated using proton–proton collision data collected in 2011 at $$\sqrt{s}= 7$$s=7 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb$$^{-1}$$-1. Tag-and-probe methods using events with leptonic decays of $$W$$W and $$Z$$Z bosons and $$J/\psi $$J/ψ mesons are employed to benchmark these performance parameters. The combination of all measurements results in identification efficiencies determined with an accuracy at the few per mil level for electron transverse energy greater than 30 GeV.