Bottom-Quark Forward-Backward Asymmetry in the Standard Model and Beyond

Understand

We computed the bottom-quark forward-backward asymmetry at the Tevatron in the Standard Model and for several new physics scenarios.

• Near the $Z$-pole, the SM bottom asymmetry is dominated by tree level exchanges of electroweak gauge bosons.
• While above the $Z$-pole, next-to-leading order QCD dominates the SM asymmetry as was the case with the top quark forward-backward asymmetry.
• Light new physics, $M_{NP} \precsim 150$ GeV, can cause significant deviations from the SM prediction for the bottom asymmetry.