@phdthesis{Krauss2015,
  author    = {Krauß, Manuel Ernst},
  title     = {Non-minimal supersymmetric models: LHC phenomenology and model discrimination},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123555},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {It is generally agreed upon the fact that the Standard Model of particle physics can only be viewed as an effective theory that needs to be extended as it leaves some essential questions unanswered. The exact realization of the necessary extension is subject to discussion. Supersymmetry is among the most promising approaches to physics beyond the Standard Model as it can simultaneously solve the hierarchy problem and provide an explanation for the dark matter abundance in the universe. Despite further virtues like gauge coupling unification and radiative electroweak symmetry breaking, minimal supersymmetric models cannot be the ultimate answer to the open questions of the Standard Model as they still do not incorporate neutrino masses and are besides heavily constrained by LHC data. This does, however, not derogate the beauty of the concept of supersymmetry. It is therefore time to explore non-minimal supersymmetric models which are able to close these gaps, review their consistency, test them against experimental data and provide prospects for future experiments. The goal of this thesis is to contribute to this process by exploring an extraordinarily well motivated class of models which bases upon a left-right symmetric gauge group. While relaxing the tension with LHC data, those models automatically include the ingredients for neutrino masses. We start with a left-right supersymmetric model at the TeV scale in which scalar \(SU(2)_R\) triplets are responsible for the breaking of left-right symmetry as well as for the generation of neutrino masses. Although a tachyonic doubly-charged scalar is present at tree-level in this kind of models, we show by performing the first complete one-loop evaluation that it gains a real mass at the loop level. The constraints on the predicted additional charged gauge bosons are then evaluated using LHC data, and we find that we can explain small excesses in the data of which the current LHC run will reveal if they are actual new physics signals or just background fluctuations. In a careful evaluation of the loop-corrected scalar potential we then identify parameter regions in which the vacuum with the phenomenologically correct symmetry-breaking properties is stable. Conveniently, those regions favour low left-right symmetry breaking scales which are accessible at the LHC. In a slightly modified version of this model where a \(U(1)_R × U(1)_{B-L}\) gauge symmetry survives down to the TeV scale, we implement a minimal gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking mechanism for which we calculate the boundary conditions in the presence of gauge kinetic mixing. We show how the presence of the extended gauge group raises the tree-level Higgs mass considerably so that the need for heavy supersymmetric spectra is relaxed. Taking the constraints from the Higgs sector into account, we then explore the LHC phenomenology of this model and point out where the expected collider signatures can be distinguished from standard scenarios. In particular if neutrino masses are explained by low-scale seesaw mechanisms as is done throughout this work, there are potentially spectacular signals at low-energy experiments which search for charged lepton flavour violation. The last part of this thesis is dedicated to the detailed exploration of processes like μ → e γ, μ → 3 e or μ-e conversion in nuclei in a supersymmetric framework with an inverse seesaw mechanism. In particular, we disprove claims about a non-decoupling effect in Z-mediated three-body decays and study the prospects for discovering and distinguishing signals at near-future experiments. In this context we identify the possibility to deduce from ratios like BR(\(τ → 3 μ\))/BR(\(τ → μ e^+ e^-\)) whether the contributions from ν - W loops dominate over supersymmetric contributions or vice versa.},
  subject      = {Supersymmetrie},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Pahlen2005,
  author    = {Pahlen, Federico von der},
  title     = {Polarization and Spin Effects in Production and Decay of Charginos and Neutralinos at a Muon Collider},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-18421},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2005},
  abstract  = {The mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking is essential to provide masses to the W and Z gauge bosons and fermions of the SM. We hope to elucidate this mechanism at the next generation of colliders. While the SM has been tested with astonishing precision it is believed to be an effective theory of a more fundamental Great Unified Theory. SUSY is one of the most attractive extensions of the SM of particle physics. Therefore, the search for SUSY is a top priority at the next generation of colliders. Once Higgs bosons are discovered, a precise determination of their properties is necessary to differentiate between different models, in particular the MSSM. A muon collider, running at center of mass energies around the neutral Higgs boson resonances, would allow precise measurements of masses and widths, as well as the couplings to their decay products. In particular their couplings to supersymmetric particles are essential to probe SUSY. Therefore, we study the decays of the heavier CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons into lighter chargino or neutralino pairs. In this thesis we have analyzed the polarization effects of the beams and the charginos and neutralinos produced in mu+ mu- annihilation around the center of mass energies of the Higgs boson resonances H and A. For the production of equal charginos we have shown that the ratio of H-chargino and A-chargino couplings can be precisely determined independently of the chargino decay mechanism. This method avoids reference to other experiments and makes only a few model-dependent assumptions. Here we have analyzed the effect of the energy spread and of the error from the non-resonant channels, including an irreducible standard model background contribution. For small tan(beta) the process yields large cross sections of up to a pb. For the production of two different charginos we have shown that the H-A interference can be analyzed using asymmetries of the charge conjugated processes. The asymmetries depend on the muon longitudinal beam polarizations and vanish for unpolarized beams. For the chargino pair production with subsequent two-body decay of one of the charginos we have shown that charge and beam polarization asymmetries in the energy distributions of the decay particles are sensitive to the interference of scalar exchange channels with different CP quantum numbers. This process provides unique information on the interference of overlapping Higgs boson resonances. The effect is larger for regions of parameter space with intermediate values of tan(beta) and light sleptons or LSP neutralinos. For the chargino pair production with subsequent two-body decays of both charginos we have defined energy distribution and angular asymmetries in the final particles, in order to analyze the spin-spin correlations of the charginos. The transverse polarizations of the charginos are sensitive to the CP quantum number of the exchanged Higgs bosons and can thus be used to separate overlapping resonances, as well as to determine the CP quantum number of a single resonance. For equal charginos, these asymmetries are not sensitive to the interference of CP-even and CP-odd Higgs exchange channels. For the neutralino pair production in mu+ mu- annihilation we study similar processes as for chargino production. Line shape measurements of neutralino pair production allow to precisely determine the ratio of H-neutralino and A-neutralino couplings. Neutralino pair production with subsequent two-body decay of one of the neutralinos in the intermediate tan(beta) region is sensitive to the interference of H and A and may be measured with a large statistical significance. The Majorana nature of the neutralinos implies that the beam polarization asymmetries vanish for the remaining production channels. For neutralino pair production with subsequent two-body decays of both neutralinos we analyze similar observables as in chargino production. The main difference consists in the intrinsic relative CP quantum number of the neutralino pair, which depends on the chosen scenario. We have thus shown that the interaction of the Higgs bosons to the gaugino-higgsino sector can be probed at a muon collider in chargino and neutralino pair production, both analyzing the production line-shape around the resonances as well as studying the chargino and neutralino polarizations via their decays.},
  subject      = {Neutralino},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Karg2007,
  author    = {Karg, Stefan},
  title     = {Calculations of multi-particle processes at the one-loop level: precise predictions for the LHC},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-27505},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2007},
  abstract  = {The Standard Model (SM) of elementary particle physics provides a uniform framework for the description of three fundamental forces, the electromagnetic and weak forces, describing interactions between quarks and leptons, and the strong force, describing a much stronger interaction between the coloured quarks. Numerous experimental tests have been performed in the last thirty years, showing a spectacular agreement with the theoretical predictions of the Standard Model, even at the per mille level, therefore validating the model at the quantum level. An important cornerstone of the Standard Model is the Higgs mechanism, which provides a possible explanation of electroweak symmetry breaking, responsible for the masses of elementary fermions and the W and Z bosons, the carriers of the weak force. This mechanism predicts a scalar boson, the Higgs boson, which has escaped its discovery so far. If the Higgs mechanism is indeed realised in nature, the upcoming Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will be able to find the associated Higgs boson. The discovery of a Higgs boson by itself is not sufficient to establish the Higgs mechanism, the basic ingredient being the Higgs potential which predicts trilinear and quartic couplings. These have to be confirmed experimentally by the study of multi-Higgs production. We therefore present a calculation of the loop-induced processes gg to HH and gg to HHH, and investigate the observability of multi-Higgs boson production at the LHC in the Standard Model and beyond. While the SM cross sections are too small to allow observation at the LHC, we demonstrate that physics beyond the SM can lead to amplified, observable cross sections. Furthermore, the applicability of the heavy top quark approximation in two- and three-Higgs boson production is investigated. We conclude that multi-Higgs boson production at the SuperLHC is an interesting probe of Higgs sectors beyond the SM and warrants further study. Despite the great success of the SM, it is widely believed that this model cannot be valid for arbitrarily high energies. The LHC will probe the TeV scale and theoretical arguments indicate the appearance of physics beyond the SM at this scale. The search for new physics requires a precise understanding of the SM. Precise theoretical predictions are needed which match the accuracy of the experiments. For the LHC, most analyses require next-to-leading order (NLO) precision. Only then will we be able to reliably verify or falsify different models. At the LHC, many interesting signatures involve more than two particles in the final state. Precise theoretical predictions for such multi-leg processes are a highly nontrivial task and new efficient methods have to be applied. The calculation of the process PP to VV+jet at NLO is an important background process to Higgs production in association with a jet at the LHC. We compute the virtual corrections to this process which form the "bottleneck" for obtaining a complete NLO prediction. The resulting analytic expressions are generated with highly automated computer routines and translated into a flexible Fortran code, which can be employed in the computation of differential cross sections of phenomenological interest. The obtained results for the virtual corrections indicate that the QCD corrections are sizable and should be taken into account in experimental studies for the LHC.},
  subject      = {Higgs-Teilchen},
  language  = {en}
}