Particle theory

Abstract:

We show that taking into account the interplay between perturbative and non-perturbative effects, the power-suppressed shift to the broadening distributions becomes B dependent, and the non-perturbative contribution to the mean values becomes proportional to 1/(Q\sqrt{\as(Q)}). The new theoretical treatment greatly improves the consistency of the phenomenology with the notion of the universality of confinement effects in jet shapes.

Abstract:

During (re)heating of the universe after inflation, the relativistic decay products of the inflaton field $\phi$ must lose energy and additional particles must be produced to attain a thermalised state at a temperature $T_{\reh}$. We estimate the rate of energy loss via elastic and inelastic scattering interactions. Elastic scattering is an inefficient energy loss mechanism so inelastic processes, although higher order in the coupling $\alpha$, can be faster because more energy is transfered. The timescale to produce a particle number density of ${\cal O}(T_{\reh}^3)$ is the inelastic energy loss timescale, $\sim(\alpha^3 n_\phi/T_{\reh}^2)^{-1}$.