We present the construction of unintegrated double parton distribution functions which include dependence on transverse momenta of partons. We extend the formulation which was used to obtain the single unintegrated parton distributions from the standard, integrated parton distribution functions. Starting from the homogeneous part of the evolution equations for the integrated double parton distributions, we construct the unintegrated double parton distributions as the convolutions of the integrated double distributions and the splitting functions, multiplied by the Sudakov form factors. We show that there exist three domains of external hard scales which require three distinct forms of the unintegrated double distributions. The additional transverse momentum dependence which arises through the Sudakov form factors leads to nontrivial correlations in the parton momenta. We also discuss the nonhomogeneous contribution to the unintegrated double parton distributions, which arises due to the splitting of a single parton into daughter partons with high transverse momenta. We analyze two cases, the unfolding of the transverse momenta dependence from the last step of the evolution of two partons, and the case where the transverse momenta are generated directly from the single parton splitting.

The energy shift of a nucleon in a static periodic magnetic field is evaluated at second order in the external field strength in perturbation theory. It is shown that the measurement of this energy shift on the lattice allows one to determine the unknown subtraction function in the forward doubly virtual Compton scattering amplitude. The limits of applicability of the obtained formula for the energy shift are discussed.

Using Dirac’s method for the quantization of constrained systems QED is canonically quantized in the front form in a gauge which is the light-front analog of the Weyl gauge. From the obtained vacuum wave functional the spatial Wilson loop is calculated. The result known from the canonical instant-form quantization or from the covariant path integral quantization is found only if the static limit $x^{+}\to 0$ is taken in a specific order. The same ambiguity is also found in the static photon propagator in coordinate space.

The baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature provides an important distance scale for the measurement of the expansion history of the Universe. Theoretical models of the BAO in the distribution of biased tracers of the large-scale structure usually rely on an initially linear BAO. With aid of $N$-body simulations, we demonstrate that the BAO in the initial (Lagrangian) halo 2-point function is significantly sharper than in the linear matter distribution, in agreement with peak theory. Using this approach, we delineate the scale dependence induced by the higher-derivative and velocity bias before assessing how much of the initial BAO enhancement survives until the collapse epoch. Finally, we discuss the extent to which the velocity or gravity bias, which is also imprinted in the displacement field of halos, affects the contrast of the BAO obtained with a reconstruction.

In this paper we provide the criteria for any generally covariant, parity preserving, and torsion-free theory of gravity to possess a stable de Sitter (dS) or anti–de Sitter (AdS) background. By stability we mean the absence of tachyonic or ghostlike states in the perturbative spectrum that can lead to classical instabilities and violation of quantum unitarity. While we find that the usual suspects, the $F(R)$ and $F(G)$ theories, can indeed possess consistent (A)dS backgrounds, $G$ being the Gauss-Bonnet term, another interesting class of theories, string-inspired infinite derivative gravitational theories, can also be consistent around such curved vacuum solutions. Our study should not only be relevant for quantum gravity and early universe cosmology involving ultraviolet physics, but also for modifications of gravity in the infrared sector vying to replace dark energy.

We explored the sparticle mass spectrum in light of the muon $g-2$ anomaly and the little hierarchy problem in a class of the gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking model. Here, the messenger fields transform in the adjoint representation of the Standard Model gauge symmetry. To avoid unacceptably light right-handed slepton masses, the Standard Model is supplemented by the additional $U(1{)}_{B-L}$ gauge symmetry. A nonzero $U(1{)}_{B-L}$ $D$ term makes the right-handed slepton masses compatible with the current experimental bounds. We show that in the framework of ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_3<0$ and $\mu <0$ the muon $g-2$ anomaly and the observed 125 GeV Higgs boson mass can be simultaneously accommodated. The slepton masses in this case are predicted to lie in the few hundred GeV range, which can be tested at the LHC. Despite the heavy colored sparticle spectrum, the little hierarchy problem in this model can be ameliorated, and the electroweak fine-tuning parameter can be as low as 10 or so.

Over the last few years, Planck-scale modifications to the dispersion relation of particles have been deeply studied for the possibility to formulate some phenomenology of Planckian effects in astrophysical and cosmological frameworks. There are some indications [F. Girelli, S. Liberati, and L. Sindoni, Phys. Rev. D 75, 064015 (2007)] that Finsler geometry can provide some generalization of Riemannian geometry which may allow us to account for the nontrivial (Planckian) structure of the relativistic particles’ configuration space. We investigate the possibility to formalize Planck-scale deformations to relativistic models in curved spacetime, within the framework of Finsler geometry. We take into account the general strategy of analysis of dispersion relations modifications in curved spacetimes proposed in [G. Rosati, G. Amelino-Camelia, A. Marciano, and M. Matassa, Phys. Rev. D 92, 124042 (2015)], generalizing to the de Sitter case the results obtained in [G. Amelino-Camelia, L. Barcaroli, G. Gubitosi, S. Liberati, and N. Loret, Phys. Rev. D 90, 125030 (2014)] for deformed relativistic particle kinematics in flat spacetime using Finsler formalism.

The dynamics of a two-dimensional superconductor under a constant electric field $E$ is studied by using the gauge-gravity correspondence. The pair breaking current induced by $E$ first increases to a peak value and then decreases to a constant value at late times, where the superconducting gap goes to zero, corresponding to a normal conducting phase. The peak value of the current is found to increase linearly with respect to the electric field. Moreover, the nonlinear conductivity, defined as an average of the conductivity in the superconducting phase, scales as $\sim E^{-2/3}$ when the system is close to the critical temperature $T_c$, which agrees with predictions from solving the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation. Away from $T_c$, the $E^{-2/3}$ scaling of the conductivity still holds when $E$ is large.

We explore a new horizon of modified gravity from the viewpoint of particle physics. As a concrete example, we take the $F(R)$ gravity to raise a question: can a scalar particle (“scalaron”) derived from the $F(R)$ gravity be a dark matter candidate? We place the limit on the parameter in a class of $F(R)$ gravity model from the constraint on the scalaron as a dark matter. The role of the screening mechanism and compatibility with the dark energy problem are addressed.

The direct evaluation of manifestly optimal, cut-sky cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum and bispectrum estimators is numerically very costly, due to the presence of inverse-covariance filtering operations. This justifies the investigation of alternative approaches. In this work, we mostly focus on an inpainting algorithm that was introduced in recent CMB analyses to cure cut-sky suboptimalities of bispectrum estimators. First, we show that inpainting can equally be applied to the problem of unbiased estimation of power spectra. We then compare the performance of a novel inpainted CMB temperature power spectrum estimator to the popular apodized pseudo-$C_l$ (PCL) method and demonstrate, both numerically and with analytic arguments, that inpainted power spectrum estimates significantly outperform PCL estimates. Finally, we study the case of cut-sky bispectrum estimators, comparing the performance of three different approaches: inpainting, apodization and a novel low-l leaning scheme. Providing an analytic argument of why the local shape is typically most affected we mainly focus on local-type non-Gaussianity. Our results show that inpainting allows us to achieve optimality also for bispectrum estimation, but interestingly also demonstrate that appropriate apodization, in conjunction with low-l cleaning, can lead to comparable accuracy.

Pulsar timing arrays are powerful tools to test the existence of cosmic strings by searching for the gravitational wave (GW) background. The amplitude of the background connects to information on cosmic strings such as the tension and string network properties. In addition, one may be able to extract more information on the properties of cosmic strings by measuring anisotropies in the GW background. In this paper, we provide estimates of the level of anisotropy expected in the GW background generated by cusps on cosmic strings. We find that the anisotropy level strongly depends on the initial loop size $\alpha$, and thus we may be able to put constraints on $\alpha$ by measuring the anisotropy of the GW background. We also find that certain regions of the parameter space can be probed by shifting the observation frequency of GWs.

We investigate the feasibility of measuring the effects of peculiar velocities in large-scale structure using the dipole of the redshift-space cross-correlation function. We combine number counts of galaxies with brightness-temperature fluctuations from 21 cm intensity mapping, demonstrating that the dipole may be measured at modest significance ($\lesssim 2\sigma$) by combining the upcoming radio survey Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment with the future redshift surveys of Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and Euclid. More significant measurements ($\lesssim 10\sigma$) will be possible by combining intensity maps from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) with these of DESI or Euclid, and an even higher significance measurement ($\lesssim 100\sigma$) may be made by combining observables completely internally to the SKA. We account for effects such as contamination by wide-angle terms, interferometer noise and beams in the intensity maps, nonlinear enhancements to the power spectrum, stacking multiple populations, sensitivity to the magnification slope, and the possibility that number counts and intensity maps probe the same tracers. We also derive a new expression for the covariance matrix of multitracer redshift-space correlation function estimators with arbitrary orientation weights, which may be useful for upcoming surveys aiming at measuring redshift-space clustering with multiple tracers.

Scorpius X-1 (Sco X-1) and x-ray transient XTE J1751-305 are low-mass x-ray binaries (LMXBs) that may emit continuous gravitational waves detectable in the band of ground-based interferometric observatories. Neutron stars in LMXBs could reach a torque-balance steady-state equilibrium in which angular momentum addition from infalling matter from the binary companion is balanced by angular momentum loss, conceivably due to gravitational-wave emission. Torque balance predicts a scale for detectable gravitational-wave strain based on observed x-ray flux. This paper describes a search for Sco X-1 and XTE J1751-305 in LIGO science run 6 data using the TwoSpect algorithm, based on searching for orbital modulations in the frequency domain. While no detections are claimed, upper limits on continuous gravitational-wave emission from Sco X-1 are obtained, spanning gravitational-wave frequencies from 40 to 2040 Hz and projected semimajor axes from 0.90 to 1.98 light-seconds. These upper limits are injection validated, equal any previous set in initial LIGO data, and extend over a broader parameter range. At optimal strain sensitivity, achieved at 165 Hz, the 95% confidence level random-polarization upper limit on dimensionless strain $h_0$ is approximately $1.8\times {10}^{-24}$. The closest approach to the torque-balance limit, within a factor of 27, is also at 165 Hz. Upper limits are set in particular narrow frequency bands of interest for J1751-305. These are the first upper limits known to date on $r$-mode emission from this XTE source. The TwoSpect method will be used in upcoming searches of Advanced LIGO and Virgo data.

In this work, we present the first results on vector- and axial-vector meson spectral functions as obtained by applying the nonperturbative functional renormalization group approach to an effective low-energy theory motivated by the gauged linear sigma model. By using a recently proposed analytic continuation method, we study the in-medium behavior of the spectral functions of the $\rho$ and $a_1$ mesons in different regimes of the phase diagram. In particular, we demonstrate explicitly how these spectral functions degenerate at high temperatures as well as at large chemical potentials, as a consequence of the restoration of chiral symmetry. In addition, we also compute the momentum dependence of the $\rho$ and $a_1$ spectral functions and discuss the various timelike and spacelike processes that can occur.

The matrix element method usually employs leading-order matrix elements. We discuss the generalization towards higher orders in perturbation theory and show how the matrix element method can be used at next-to-leading order for arbitrary infrared-safe jet algorithms. We discuss three variants at next-to-leading order. The first two variants work at the level of the jet momenta. The first variant adheres to strict fixed order in perturbation theory. We present a method for the required integration over the radiation phase space. The second variant is inspired by the POWHEG method and works as the first variant at the level of the jet momenta. The third variant is a more exclusive POWHEG version. Here we resolve exactly one jet into two subjets. If the two subjets are resolved above a scale $p_{\perp }^{\min }$, the likelihood is computed from the POWHEG-modified real emission part, otherwise it is given by the POWHEG-modified virtual part.

The observation of light superpartners from a supersymmetric extension to the Standard Model is an intensely sought-after experimental outcome, providing an explanation for the stabilization of the electroweak scale and indicating the existence of new particles which could be consistent with dark matter phenomenology. For compressed scenarios, where sparticle spectra mass splittings are small and decay products carry low momenta, dedicated techniques are required in all searches for supersymmetry. In this paper we suggest an approach for these analyses based on the concept of recursive jigsaw reconstruction, decomposing each event into a basis of complementary observables, for cases where strong initial state radiation has sufficient transverse momentum to elicit the recoil of any final state sparticles. We introduce a collection of kinematic observables which can be used to probe compressed scenarios, in particular exploiting the correlation between missing momentum and that of radiative jets. As an example, we study squark and gluino production, focusing on mass-splittings between parent superparticles and their lightest decay products between 25 and 200 GeV, in hadronic final states where there is an ambiguity in the provenance of reconstructed jets.

A unified theory of the non-Abelian gauge interactions with gravity in the framework of a discretized Kaluza-Klein theory is constructed with a modified Dirac operator and wedge product. All the couplings of chiral spinors to the non-Abelian gauge fields emerge naturally as components of the couplings of the chiral spinors to the generalized gravity together with some new interactions. In particular, the currently prevalent gravity-QCD-quark and gravity-electroweak-quark-lepton models are shown to follow as special cases of the general framework.

We propose measurements of weighted differences of the angular observables in the rare decays $B\to K^{*}{\ell }^{+}{\ell }^{-}$. The proposed observables are very sensitive to the difference between the Wilson coefficients ${\mathcal{C}}_9^{(e)}$ and ${\mathcal{C}}_9^{(\mu )}$ for decays into electrons and muons, respectively. At the same time, the charm-induced hadronic contributions are kinematically suppressed to $\lesssim 7\%(4\%)$ in the region $1{\mathrm{GeV}}^2\le q^2\le 6{\mathrm{GeV}}^2$, as long as lepton-flavor universality breaking occurs only in ${\mathcal{C}}_9^{(\ell )}$. This suppression becomes stronger for the region of low hadronic recoil, $q^2\ge 15{\mathrm{GeV}}^2$.

We consider the gauge invariant Drell-Yan hadron tensor which includes the standard and nonstandard diagram contributions. The nonstandard diagram contribution appeared owing to the complexity of the twist three $B^V(x_1,x_2)$-function where the gluon pole manifests. We use the contour gauge conception which allows us to fix easily the spurious uncertainties in the gluon propagator. The contour gauge condition is generated by the corresponding Wilson lines in both the standard and nonstandard diagrams. We demonstrate the substantial role of the nonstandard diagram for forming of the relevant contour in the Wilson path-ordered exponential that leads to the spurious singularity fixing.