289 research outputs found
Less Minimal Flavour Violation
We consider the approximate U(2)^3 flavour symmetry exhibited by the quark
sector of the Standard Model and all its possible breaking terms appearing in
the quark Yukawa couplings. Taking an Effective Field Theory point of view, we
determine the current bounds on these parameters, assumed to control the
breaking of flavour in a generic extension of the Standard Model at a reference
scale Lambda. In particular, a significant bound from epsilon'/epsilon is
derived, which is relevant to Minimal Flavour Violation as well. In the
up-quark sector, the recently observed CP violation in D -> pi+ pi-, K+ K-
decays might be accounted for in this generic framework, consistently with any
other constraint.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur
Implications of large dimuon CP asymmetry in B_{d,s} decays on minimal flavor violation with low tan beta
The D0 collaboration has recently announced evidence for a dimuon CP
asymmetry in B_{d,s} decays of order one percent. If confirmed, this asymmetry
requires new physics. We argue that for minimally flavor violating (MFV) new
physics, and at low tan beta=v_u/v_d, there are only two four-quark operators
(Q_{2,3}) that can provide the required CP violating effect. The scale of such
new physics must lie below 260 GeV sqrt{tan beta}. The effect is universal in
the B_s and B_d systems, leading to S_{psi K}~sin(2beta)-0.15 and S_{psi
phi}~0.25. The effects on epsilon_K and on electric dipole moments are
negligible. The most plausible mechanism is tree-level scalar exchange. MFV
supersymmetry with low tan beta will be excluded. Finally, we explain how a
pattern of deviations from the Standard Model predictions for S_{psi phi},
S_{psi K} and epsilon_K can be used to test MFV and, if MFV holds, to probe its
structure in detail.Comment: 11 pages. v2: References adde
On theories of enhanced CP violation in B_s,d meson mixing
The DO collaboration has measured a deviation from the standard model (SM)
prediction in the like sign dimuon asymmetry in semileptonic b decay with a
significance of 3.2 sigma. We discuss how minimal flavour violating (MFV)
models with multiple scalar representations can lead to this deviation through
tree level exchanges of new MFV scalars. We review how the two scalar doublet
model can accommodate this result and discuss some of its phenomenology. Limits
on electric dipole moments suggest that in this model the coupling of the
charged scalar to the right handed u-type quarks is suppressed while its
coupling to the d-type right handed quarks must be enhanced. We construct an
extension of the MFV two scalar doublet model where this occurs naturally.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, v3 final JHEP versio
Minimal Flavour Violation with hierarchical squark masses
In a supersymmetric model with hierarchical squark masses we analyze a
pattern of flavour symmetry breaking centered on the special role of the top
Yukawa coupling and, by extension, of the full Yukawa couplings for the up-type
quarks. For sufficiently heavy squarks of the first and second generation this
leads to effective Minimal Flavour Violation of the Flavour Changing Neutral
Current amplitudes. For this to happen we determine the bounds on the masses of
the heavy squarks with QCD corrections taken into account, properly including
previously neglected effects. We believe that the view presented in this paper
altogether strengthens the case for hierarchical sfermions.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure. v2: an equation correcte
Charming CP Violation and Dipole Operators from RS Flavor Anarchy
Recently the LHCb collaboration reported evidence for direct CP violation in
charm decays. The value is sufficiently large that either substantially
enhanced Standard Model contributions or non-Standard Model physics is required
to explain it. In the latter case only a limited number of possibilities would
be consistent with other existing flavor-changing constraints. We show that
warped extra dimensional models that explain the quark spectrum through flavor
anarchy can naturally give rise to contributions of the size required to
explain the the LHCb result. The D meson asymmetry arises through a sizable
CP-violating contribution to a chromomagnetic dipole operator. This happens
naturally without introducing inconsistencies with existing constraints in the
up quark sector. We discuss some subtleties in the loop calculation that are
similar to those in Higgs to \gamma\gamma. Loop-induced dipole operators in
warped scenarios and their composite analogs exhibit non-trivial dependence on
the Higgs profile, with the contributions monotonically decreasing when the
Higgs is pushed away from the IR brane. We show that the size of the dipole
operator quickly saturates as the Higgs profile approaches the IR brane,
implying small dependence on the precise details of the Higgs profile when it
is quasi IR localized. We also explain why the calculation of the coefficient
of the lowest dimension 5D operator is guaranteed to be finite. This is true
not only in the charm sector but also with other radiative processes such as
electric dipole moments, b to s\gamma, \epsilon'/\epsilon_K and \mu\ to
e\gamma. We furthermore discuss the interpretation of this contribution within
the framework of partial compositeness in four dimensions and highlight some
qualitative differences between the generic result of composite models and that
obtained for dynamics that reproduces the warped scenario.Comment: 14 page
Goldstone Bosons in Effective Theories with Spontaneously Broken Flavour Symmetry
The Flavour Symmetry of the Standard Model (SM) gauge sector is broken by the
fermion Yukawa couplings. Promoting the Yukawa matrices to scalar spurion
fields, one can break the flavour symmetry spontaneously by giving appropriate
vacuum expectation values (VEVs) to the spurion fields, and one encounters
Goldstone modes for every broken flavour symmetry generator. In this paper, we
point out various aspects related to the possible dynamical interpretation of
the Goldstone bosons: (i) In an effective-theory framework with local flavour
symmetry, the Goldstone fields represent the longitudinal modes for massive
gauge bosons. The spectrum of the latter follows the sequence of
flavour-symmetry breaking related to the hierarchies in Yukawa couplings and
flavour mixing angles. (ii) Gauge anomalies can be consistently treated by
adding higher-dimensional operators. (iii) Leaving the U(1) factors of the
flavour symmetry group as global symmetries, the respective Goldstone modes
behave as axions which can be used to resolve the strong CP problem by a
modified Peccei-Quinn mechanism. (iv) The dynamical picture of flavour symmetry
breaking implies new sources of flavour-changing neutral currents, which arise
from integrating out heavy scalar spurion fields and heavy gauge bosons. The
coefficients of the effective operators follow the minimal-flavour violation
principle.Comment: 27 pages, abstract and introduction extended, more detailed
discussion of heavy gauge boson spectrum and auxiliary heavy fermions,
outline restructured. Matches version to be published in JHE
Flavour physics from an approximate U(2)^3 symmetry
The quark sector of the Standard Model exhibits an approximate U(2)^3 flavour
symmetry. This symmetry, broken in specific directions dictated by minimality,
can explain the success of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa picture of flavour
mixing and CP violation, confirmed by the data so far, while allowing for
observable deviations from it, as expected in most models of ElectroWeak
Symmetry Breaking. Building on previous work in the specific context of
supersymmetry, we analyze the expected effects and we quantify the current
bounds in a general Effective Field Theory framework. As a further relevant
example we then show how the U(2)^3 symmetry and its breaking can be
implemented in a generic composite Higgs model and we make a first analysis of
its peculiar consequences. We also discuss how some partial extension of U(2)^3
to the lepton sector can arise, both in general and in composite Higgs models.
An optimistic though conceivable interpretation of the considerations developed
in this paper gives reasons to think that new physics searches in the flavour
sector may be about to explore an interesting realm of phenomena.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figure
Covariant Description of Flavor Conversion in the LHC Era
A simple covariant formalism to describe flavor and CP violation in the
left-handed quark sector in a model independent way is provided. The
introduction of a covariant basis, which makes the standard model approximate
symmetry structure manifest, leads to a physical and transparent picture of
flavor conversion processes. Our method is particularly useful to derive robust
bounds on models with arbitrary mechanisms of alignment. Known constraints on
flavor violation in the K and D systems are reproduced in a straightforward
manner. Assumptions-free limits, based on top flavor violation at the LHC, are
then obtained. In the absence of signal, with 100 fb^{-1} of data, the LHC will
exclude weakly coupled (strongly coupled) new physics up to a scale of 0.6 TeV
(7.6 TeV), while at present no general constraint can be set related to Delta
t=1 processes. LHC data will constrain Delta F=2 contributions via same-sign
tops signal, with a model independent exclusion region of 0.08 TeV (1.0 TeV).
However, in this case, stronger bounds are found from the study of CP violation
in D-bar D mixing with a scale of 0.57 TeV (7.2 TeV). In addition, we apply our
analysis to models of supersymmetry and warped extra dimension. The minimal
flavor violation framework is also discussed, where the formalism allows to
distinguish between the linear and generic non-linear limits within this class
of models.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures. Some corrections and clarifications; references
added. Matches published versio
Beautiful Mirrors at the LHC
We explore the "Beautiful Mirrors" model, which aims to explain the measured
value of , discrepant at the level. This scenario
introduces vector-like quarks which mix with the bottom, subtly affecting its
coupling to the . The spectrum of the new particles consists of two
bottom-like quarks and a charge -4/3 quark, all of which have electroweak
interactions with the third generation. We explore the phenomenology and
discovery reach for these new particles at the LHC, exploring single mirror
quark production modes whose rates are proportional to the same mixing
parameters which resolve the anomaly. We find that for mirror quark
masses is required to
reasonably establish the scenario and extract the relevant mixing parameters.Comment: version to be published in JHE
MFV Reductions of MSSM Parameter Space
The 100+ free parameters of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM)
make it computationally difficult to compare systematically with data,
motivating the study of specific parameter reductions such as the cMSSM and
pMSSM. Here we instead study the reductions of parameter space implied by using
minimal flavour violation (MFV) to organise the R-parity conserving MSSM, with
a view towards systematically building in constraints on flavour-violating
physics. Within this framework the space of parameters is reduced by expanding
soft supersymmetry-breaking terms in powers of the Cabibbo angle, leading to a
24-, 30- or 42-parameter framework (which we call MSSM-24, MSSM-30, and MSSM-42
respectively), depending on the order kept in the expansion. We provide a
Bayesian global fit to data of the MSSM-30 parameter set to show that this is
manageable with current tools. We compare the MFV reductions to the
19-parameter pMSSM choice and show that the pMSSM is not contained as a subset.
The MSSM-30 analysis favours a relatively lighter TeV-scale pseudoscalar Higgs
boson and with multi-TeV sparticles.Comment: 2nd version, minor comments and references added, accepted for
publication in JHE
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