# Positivity in electron-positron scattering: testing the axiomatic quantum field theory principles and probing the existence of UV states

Abstract : We consider positivity bounds on dimension-8 four-electron operators, and study two related phenomenological aspects at future lepton colliders. First, if positivity is violated, probing such violations could undoubtedly revolutionize our understanding of the fundamental pillars of quantum field theory and the $S$-matrix theory. We find that positivity violation at scales of 1--10 TeV can potentially be probed at future lepton colliders, even if one assumes that dimension-6 operators are also present. Second, the positive nature of the dimension-8 parameter space often allows us to either directly infer the existence of UV-scale particles, together with their quantum numbers, or to exclude them up to certain scales in a model-independent way. In particular, dimension-8 positivity plays an important role in the test of the Standard Model. In the event of observing no deviations from the Standard Model, it allows for simultaneous exclusion limits on all kinds of potential UV-complete models. Unlike the dimension-6 case, these limits apply regardless of the UV model setup and cannot be lifted by possible cancellations among various UV contributions. This thus provides a novel and universal test to confirm the Standard Model. We demonstrate with realistic examples how all the previously mentioned possibilities, including the test of positivity violation, can be achieved, and hence provide an important motivation for studying dimension-8 operators more comprehensively.
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Preprints, Working Papers, ...
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https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02946163
Contributor : Inspire Hep <>
Submitted on : Tuesday, September 22, 2020 - 10:24:57 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, October 27, 2020 - 9:40:58 PM

### Citation

Benjamin Fuks, Yiming Liu, Cen Zhang, Shuang-Yong Zhou. Positivity in electron-positron scattering: testing the axiomatic quantum field theory principles and probing the existence of UV states. 2020. ⟨hal-02946163⟩

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