14016149
Codimension-2 brane inflation
We consider a probe codimension-2 brane inflation scenario in a warped six-dimensional flux compactification. Our background model is Salam-Sezgin gauged supergravity with codimension-2 brane sources, which preserve N=1 supersymmetry. The model has a modulus, which is stabilized by means of a cap regularization of the codimension-2 singularities, with appropriate dilaton potentials on the ring interface of the caps with the bulk. We discuss the cosmological evolution of the worldvolume of a probe codimension-2 brane when it moves along the radial direction of the internal space. In order to have slow-roll inflation, one needs the warping of the internal space to be weak, in contrast to the recent string inflation constructions with strong warping. We discuss the parameter range that the inflation is in agreement with the observationally inferred parameters and which furthermore is consistent with the probe-brane approximation. We provide arguments pointing that the probe-brane approximation is a good assumption if the probe-brane is not exactly conical and show with a multibrane solution that the mild warping needed for a slow-roll inflation is not spoiled by the probe brane.
119217517
U(1)R mediation from the flux compactification in six dimensions
We consider a supersymmetric completion of codimension‐two branes with nonzero tension in a 6D gauged supergravity. As a consequence, we obtain the football solution with 4D Minkowski space as a new supersymmetric background that preserves 4D N = 1 SUSY. In the presence of brane multiplets, we derive the 4D effective supergravity action for the football background and show that the remaining modulus can be stabilized by a bulk non‐perturbative correction with brane uplifting potentials at a zero vacuum energy. We find that the U(1)R mediation can be a dominant source of SUSY breaking for a brane scalar with nonzero R charge.
14725085
Various modified solutions of the Randall–Sundrum model with the Gauss–Bonnet interaction
Abstract The Gauss–Bonnet interaction is the only consistent quadratic interaction below the Planck scale in the Randall–Sundrum compactification. We study various static and inflationary solutions including this Gauss–Bonnet interaction.
109926935
Stabilization of the electroweak vacuum by a scalar threshold effect
A bstractWe show how a heavy scalar singlet with a large vacuum expectation value can evade the potential instability of the Standard Model electroweak vacuum. The quartic interaction between the heavy scalar singlet and the Higgs doublet leads to a positive tree-level threshold correction for the Higgs quartic coupling, which is very effective in stabilizing the potential. We provide examples, such as the see-saw, invisible axion and unitarized Higgs inflation, where the proposed mechanism is automatically implemented in well-defined ranges of Higgs masses.
16632385
Supersymmetric codimension-two branes and U(1)R mediation in 6D gauged supergravity
We construct a consistent supersymmetric action for brane chiral and vector multiplets in a six-dimensional chiral gauged supergravity. A nonzero brane tension can be accommodated by allowing for a brane-localized Fayet-Iliopoulos term proportional to the brane tension. When the brane chiral multiplet is charged under the bulk U(1)R, we obtain a nontrivial coupling to the extra component of the U(1)R gauge field strength and a singular scalar self-interaction term. Dimensionally reducing to 4D on a football supersymmetric solution, we discuss the implication of such interactions for obtaining the U(1)R D-term in the 4D effective supergravity. By assuming the bulk gaugino condensates and nonzero brane F- and/or D-term for the uplifting potential, we have all the moduli stabilized with a vanishing cosmological constant. The brane scalar with nonzero R charge then gets a soft mass of order the gravitino mass. The overall sign of the soft mass squared depends on the sign of the R charge as well as whether the brane F- or D-term dominates.
119248157
Vector Higgs-portal dark matter and the invisible Higgs
The Higgs sector of the Standard Model offers a unique probe of the hidden sector. In this work, we explore the possibility of renormalizable Higgs couplings to the hidden sector vector fields which can constitute dark matter (DM). Abelian gauge sectors with minimal field content, necessary to render the gauge fields massive, have a natural Z2 parity. This symmetry ensures stability of the vector fields making them viable dark matter candidates, while evading the usual electroweak
73621594
Long-Range Lepton Flavor Interactions and Neutrino Oscillations
Recent results from the MINOS accelerator neutrino experiment suggest a possible difference between {nu}{sub {mu}} and {bar {nu}}{sub {mu}} disappearance oscillation parameters, which one may ascribe to a new long distance potential acting on neutrinos. As a specific example, we consider a model with gauged B - L{sub e} - 2L{sub {tau}} number which contains an extremely light new vector boson, m{sub Z}, < 10{sup -18} eV and extraordinarily weak coupling {alpha}{prime} {approx}< 10{sup -52}. In that case, differences between {nu}{sub {mu}} {yields} {nu}{sub {tau}} and {bar {nu}}{sub {mu}} {yields} {bar {nu}}{sub {tau}} oscillations can result from a long-range potential due to neutrons in the Earth and the Sun that distinguishes {nu}{sub {mu}} and {nu}{sub {tau}} on Earth, with a potential difference of {approx} 6 x 10{sup -14} eV, and changes sign for anti-neutrinos. We show that existing solar, reactor, accelerator, and atmospheric neutrino oscillation constraints can be largely accommodated for values of parameters that help explain the possible MINOS anomaly by this new physics, although there is some tension with atmospheric constraints. A long-range interaction, consistent with current bounds, could have very pronounced effects on atmospheric neutrino disappearance in the 20-50 GeV range that will be studied with themore » IceCube DeepCore array, currently in operation, and can have a significant effect on future high-precision long-baseline oscillation experiments which aim for {+-}1% sensitivity, in {nu}{sub {mu}} and {bar {nu}}{sub {mu}} disappearance, separately. Together, these experiments can extend the reach for new long-distance effects well beyond current bounds and test their relevance to the aforementioned MINOS anomaly. We also point out that long-range potentials originating from the Sun could lead to annual modulations of neutrino data at the percent level, due to the variation of the Earth-Sun distance. A similar phenomenology is shown to apply to other potential new gauge symmetries such as L-3L{sub {tau}} and B-3L{sub {tau}}.« less
118173341
Lightest U‐parity Particle (LUP): a hidden sector dark matter candidate
We introduce a new dark matter candidate, the lightest U‐parity particle (LUP). We suggest it as a good dark matter candidate especially in the R‐parity violating supersymmetric model.
119280824
Four-lepton resonance at the Large Hadron Collider
New physics models admit the interesting possibility of a Z{sup '} weak boson associated with an extra U(1) gauge symmetry and a Higgs boson that is heavy enough to decay into a pair of Z bosons. Then Z{sup '} production and decay via Z{sup '}->ZH->ZZZ has a distinctive LHC signal that is nearly background-free and reconstructs the H and Z{sup '} masses and widths. The Z{sup '} decay to 3 pairs of leptons is especially distinctive. The ZH decay mode exists even if the Z{sup '} is decoupled from leptons, which motivates an independent 6-lepton resonance search regardless of the dilepton search results.
59376303
Signs of Analyticity in Single-Field Inflation
The analyticity of response functions and scattering amplitudes implies powerful relations between low-energy observables and the underlying short-distance dynamics. These “IR/UV” relations are rooted in basic physical principles, such as causality and unitarity. In this paper, we seek similar connections in inflation, relating cosmological observations to the physics responsible for the accelerated expansion. We assume that the inflationary theory is Lorentz invariant at short distances, but allow for nonrelativistic interactions and a nontrivial speed of propagation at low energies. Focusing on forward scattering, we derive a “sum rule” which equates a combination of low-energy parameters to an integral which is sensitive to the high-energy behavior of the theory. While for relativistic amplitudes unitarity is sufficient to prove positivity of the sum rule, this is not guaranteed in the nonrelativistic case. We discuss the conditions under which positivity still applies, and show that they are satisfied by all known UV completions of single-field inflation. In that case, we obtain a consistency condition for primordial non-Gaussianity, which constrains the size and the sign of the equilateral four-point function in terms of the amplitude of the three-point function. The resulting bound rules out about half of the parameter space that is still allowed by current observations. Finding a violation of our consistency condition would point toward less conventional theories of inflation, or violations of basic physical principles.
118692473
“Dark” Z implications for parity violation, rare meson decays, and Higgs physics
General consequences of mass mixing between the ordinary Z boson and a relatively light Z_d boson, the "dark" Z, arising from a U(1)_d gauge symmetry, associated with a hidden sector such as dark matter, are examined. New effects beyond kinetic mixing are emphasized. Z-Z_d mixing introduces a new source of low energy parity violation well explored by possible future atomic parity violation and planned polarized electron scattering experiments. Rare K (B) meson decays into pi (K) l^+ l^- (l = e, mu) and pi (K) nu anti-nu are found to already place tight constraints on the size of Z-Z_d mixing. Those sensitivities can be further improved with future dedicated searches at K and B factories as well as binned studies of existing data. Z-Z_d mixing can also lead to the Higgs decay H -> Z Z_d, followed by Z -> l_1^+ l_1^- and Z_d -> l_2^+ l_2^- or "missing energy", providing a potential hidden sector discovery channel at the LHC. An illustrative realization of these effects in a 2 Higgs doublet model is presented.