About

Professor Marcela Carena is a faculty member in the Department of Physics at The University of Chicago, holding positions in the Enrico Fermi Institute, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, and the College. Her research focuses on particle physics, cosmology, and related fields, contributing to the understanding of fundamental particles and forces. She has been recognized for her work, including being named a 2022 DOE Distinguished Scientist. Her contact information includes an office at MCP 335, phone number 630-840-4593, and email carena@fnal.gov.

Research topics

• Physics
• Particle physics
• Political Science
• Nuclear physics
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Mathematics
• Engineering ethics
• Library science
• Statistics
• Public relations
• Geography
• Law
• Quantum mechanics

Selected publications

• Machine-Learning Analysis of Radiative Decays to Dark Matter at the LHC

  Journal of High Energy Physics · 2025-07-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  A bstract The search for weakly interacting matter particles (WIMPs) is one of the main objectives of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In this work we use Machine-Learning (ML) techniques to explore WIMP radiative decays into a Dark Matter (DM) candidate in a supersymmetric framework. The minimal supersymmetric WIMP sector includes the lightest neutralino that can provide the observed DM relic density through its co-annihilation with the second lightest neutralino and lightest chargino. Moreover, the direct DM detection cross section rates fulfill current experimental bounds and provide discovery targets for the same region of model parameters in which the radiative decay of the second lightest neutralino into a photon and the lightest neutralino is enhanced. This strongly motivates the search for radiatively decaying neutralinos which, however, suffers from strong backgrounds. We investigate the LHC reach in the search for these radiatively decaying particles by means of cut-based and ML methods and estimate its discovery potential in this well-motivated, new physics scenario. We demonstrate that using ML techniques would enable access to most of the parameter space unexplored by other searches.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The generalized maximal operator on measures

  Analysis Mathematica · 2025-03-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• The discriminant power of bubble wall velocities: gravitational waves and electroweak baryogenesis

  Journal of High Energy Physics · 2025-09-23 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A bstract A precise determination of the bubble wall velocity v w is crucial for making accurate predictions of the baryon asymmetry and gravitational wave (GW) signals in models of electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG). Working in the local thermal equilibrium approximation, we exploit entropy conservation to present efficient algorithms for computing v w , significantly streamlining the calculation. We then explore the parameter dependencies of v w , focusing on two sample models capable of enabling a strong first-order electroweak phase transition: a ℤ 2 -symmetric singlet extension of the SM, and a model for baryogenesis with CP violation in the dark sector. We study correlations among v w and the two common measures of phase transition strength, α n and v n / T n . Interestingly, we find a relatively model-insensitive relationship between v n / T n and α n . We also observe an upper bound on α n for the deflagration/hybrid wall profiles naturally compatible with EWBG, the exact value for which varies between models, significantly impacting the strength of the GW signals. In summary, our work provides a framework for exploring the feasibility of EWBG models in light of future GW signals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Entanglement Maximization and Mirror Symmetry in Two-Higgs-Doublet Models

  ArXiv.org · 2025-05-01

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  We consider 2-to-2 scatterings of Higgs bosons in a CP-conserving two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM) and study the implication of maximizing the entanglement in the flavor space, where the two doublets $Φ_a$, $a=1,2$, can be viewed as a qubit: $Φ_1=|0\rangle$ and $Φ_2=|1\rangle$. More specifically, we compute the scattering amplitudes for $Φ_a Φ_b \to Φ_c Φ_d$ and require the outgoing flavor entanglement to be maximal for a full product basis such as the computational basis, which consists of $\{|00\rangle,|01\rangle,|10\rangle,|11\rangle\}$. In the unbroken phase and turning off the gauge interactions, entanglement maximization results in the appearance of an $U(2)\times U(2)$ global symmetry among the quartic couplings, which in general is broken softly by the mass terms. Interestingly, once the Higgs bosons acquire vacuum expectation values, maximal entanglement enforces an exact $U(2) \times U(2)$ symmetry, which is spontaneously broken to $U(1)\times U(1)$. As a byproduct, this gives rise to Higgs alignment as well as to the existence of 6 massless Nambu-Goldstone bosons. The $U(2)\times U(2)$ symmetry can be gauged to lift the massless Goldstones, while maintaining maximal entanglement demands the presence of a discrete $\mathrm{Z}_2$ symmetry interchanging the two gauge sectors. The model is custodially invariant in the scalar sector, and the inclusion of fermions requires a mirror dark sector, related to the standard one by the $\mathrm{Z}_2$ symmetry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Discriminant Power of Bubble Wall Velocities: Gravitational Waves and Electroweak Baryogenesis

  ArXiv.org · 2025-04-24

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A precise determination of the bubble wall velocity $v_w$ is crucial for making accurate predictions of the baryon asymmetry and gravitational wave (GW) signals in models of electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG). Working in the local thermal equilibrium approximation, we exploit entropy conservation to present efficient algorithms for computing $v_w$, significantly streamlining the calculation. We then explore the parameter dependencies of $v_w$, focusing on two sample models capable of enabling a strong first-order electroweak phase transition: a $\mathbb{Z}_2$-symmetric singlet extension of the SM, and a model for baryogenesis with CP violation in the dark sector. We study correlations among $v_w$ and the two common measures of phase transition strength, $α_n$ and $v_n/T_n$. Interestingly, we find a relatively model-insensitive relationship between $v_n/T_n$ and $α_n$. We also observe an upper bound on $α_n$ for the deflagration/hybrid wall profiles naturally compatible with EWBG, the exact value for which varies between models, significantly impacting the strength of the GW signals. In summary, our work provides a framework for exploring the feasibility of EWBG models in light of future GW signals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Entanglement maximization and mirror symmetry in two-Higgs-doublet models

  Journal of High Energy Physics · 2025-08-04 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  A bstract We consider 2-to-2 scatterings of Higgs bosons in a CP-conserving two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM) and study the implication of maximizing the entanglement in the flavor space, where the two doublets Φ a , a = 1, 2, can be viewed as a qubit: Φ 1 = |0⟩ and Φ 2 = |1⟩. More specifically, we compute the scattering amplitudes for Φ a Φ b → Φ c Φ d and require the outgoing flavor entanglement to be maximal for a full product basis such as the computational basis, which consists of {|00⟩, |01⟩, |10⟩, |11⟩}. In the unbroken phase and turning off the gauge interactions, entanglement maximization results in the appearance of an U(2) × U(2) global symmetry among the quartic couplings, which in general is broken softly by the mass terms. Interestingly, once the Higgs bosons acquire vacuum expectation values, maximal entanglement enforces an exact U(2) × U(2) symmetry, which is spontaneously broken to U(1) × U(1). As a byproduct, this gives rise to Higgs alignment as well as to the existence of 6 massless Nambu-Goldstone bosons. The U(2) × U(2) symmetry can be gauged to lift the massless Goldstones, while maintaining maximal entanglement demands the presence of a discrete Z 2 symmetry interchanging the two gauge sectors. The model is custodially invariant in the scalar sector, and the inclusion of fermions requires a mirror dark sector, related to the standard one by the Z 2 symmetry.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Entanglement suppression, enhanced symmetry, and a standard-model-like Higgs boson

  Physical review. D/Physical review. D. · 2024-03-14 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  We study information-theoretic properties of scalar models containing two Higgs doublets ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}}_{a}$, where $a=1$, 2 is the flavor quantum number. Considering the 2-to-2 scattering ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}}_{a}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}}_{b}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}}_{c}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Phi}}}_{d}$ as a two-qubit system in the flavor subspace and the $S$-matrix as a quantum logic gate, we analyze the entanglement power of the $S$-matrix at the tree level, in the limit the gauge coupling is turned off. Demanding the suppression of flavor entanglement during the scattering, the perturbative $S$-matrix in the broken phase can only be in the equivalent class of the Identity gate and the scalar potential exhibits a maximally enhanced $SO(8)$ symmetry acting on the eight real components of the two doublets. The $SO(8)$ symmetry leads to the alignment limit naturally, giving rise to a Standard-Model-like Higgs boson as a consequence of entanglement suppression.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Real-Time Simulation of Asymmetry Generation in Fermion-Bubble Collisions

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-12-13

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Motivated by the out-of-equilibrium dynamics during an early-universe first-order phase transition, we perform real-time simulations of fermion-bubble scattering in $1+1$ dimensions. This nonequilibrium process can generate a charge-conjugation $\mathsf{C}$ asymmetry outside the bubble wall, induced by the complex fermion mass profile. The resulting $\mathsf{C}$ asymmetry is the 1+1-dimensional analog of the $\mathsf{CP}$ asymmetry in 3+1 dimensions, a key ingredient in baryon asymmetry generation at the electroweak scale. Using tensor network methods, we track the real-time evolution of the $\mathsf{C}$ asymmetry in the charge density as the fermion interacts with the bubble wall, a regime inaccessible to analytic calculations. We further introduce two observables to quantify the asymmetry in the asymptotic region where reflected particles are well separated from the scattering point: one based on the net charge outside the bubble wall, and the other on the spatial displacement between the reflected particle and antiparticle wavepackets. Our study represents a first step toward nonperturbative, real-time computations of $\mathsf{CP}$ asymmetry in 3+1 dimensions for electroweak baryogenesis.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Machine-Learning Analysis of Radiative Decays to Dark Matter at the LHC

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-10-17

  preprintOpen access

  The search for weakly interacting matter particles (WIMPs) is one of the main objectives of the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). In this work we use Machine-Learning (ML) techniques to explore WIMP radiative decays into a Dark Matter (DM) candidate in a supersymmetric framework. The minimal supersymmetric WIMP sector includes the lightest neutralino that can provide the observed DM relic density through its co-annihilation with the second lightest neutralino and lightest chargino. Moreover, the direct DM detection cross section rates fulfill current experimental bounds and provide discovery targets for the same region of model parameters in which the radiative decay of the second lightest neutralino into a photon and the lightest neutralino is enhanced. This strongly motivates the search for radiatively decaying neutralinos which, however, suffers from strong backgrounds. We investigate the LHC reach in the search for these radiatively decaying particles by means of cut-based and ML methods and estimate its discovery potential in this well-motivated, new physics scenario. We demonstrate that using ML techniques would enable access to most of the parameter space unexplored by other searches.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Path to Global Discovery: U.S. Leadership and Partnership in Particle Physics

  2024-06-06

  reportOpen access

  In February 2022, HEPAP, the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel to DOE (Department of Energy) and NSF (National Science Foundation), was charged with forming a subpanel to conduct an international benchmarking study to evaluate U.S. leadership in particle physics in a global context (Appendix D). HEPAP formed an International Benchmarking Subpanel and gathered qualitative and quantitative data from the international particle physics community to 1) determine how the U.S. particle physics program can maintain critical international cooperation in an increasingly competitive environment for both talent and resources, 2) identify key areas where the U.S. has or could aspire to leadership roles, and 3) determine how programs and facilities can be structured to attract and retain talented people. This report also serves as input to P5 (Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel), a subpanel of HEPAP that defines the strategic scientific direction for the U.S. particle physics program.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Carlos E. M. Wagner

  299 shared

• Nausheen R. Shah

  48 shared

• George F. Smoot

  40 shared

• S. Heinemeyer

  Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

  39 shared

• Yingying Li

  Peng Huanwu Center for Fundamental Theory

  33 shared

• M. Quirós

  Institute for High Energy Physics

  33 shared

• Stefania Gori

  32 shared

• Patrick Draper

  30 shared

Awards & honors

• 2022 DOE Distinguished Scientist