Effective theories of neutrino masses

The importance of improving the bounds on those effective non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI) which are a signal of all fermionic-mediated Seesaws is stressed: they are revealed as non-unitarity of the leptonic mixing matrix, and at experimental reach for seesaw scales ≤ O(TeV). Some recent activity in the literature on other -theoretically not well motivated- ill-constrained NSI are also summarized. Furthermore, the status of the simplest Seesaw scenario with only two heavy neutrinos is reviewed. This model happens to be a explicit realization of the effective Minimal Flavour Violation approach. We derive the scalar potential for the fields whose background values are the Yukawa couplings of that model, and explore its minima. The Majorana character plays a distinctive role: the minimum of the potential allows for large mixing angles -in contrast to the simplest quark case- and predicts a maximal Majorana phase. This points in turn to a strong correlation between neutrino mass hierarchy and mixing patter

On the Potential of Leptonic Minimal Flavour Violation

Minimal Flavour Violation can be realized in several ways in the lepton sector due to the possibility of Majorana neutrino mass terms. We derive the scalar potential for the fields whose background values are the Yukawa couplings, for the simplest See-Saw model with just two right-handed neutrinos, and explore its minima. The Majorana character plays a distinctive role: the minimum of the potential allows for large mixing angles -in contrast to the simplest quark case- and predicts a maximal Majorana phase. This points in turn to a strong correlation between neutrino mass hierarchy and mixing pattern.Comment: 6 pages; version published on Physics Letters

Analysis of General Power Counting Rules in Effective Field Theory

We derive the general counting rules for a quantum effective field theory (EFT) in $\mathsf{d}$ dimensions. The rules are valid for strongly and weakly coupled theories, and predict that all kinetic energy terms are canonically normalized. They determine the energy dependence of scattering cross sections in the range of validity of the EFT expansion. We show that the size of cross sections is controlled by the $\Lambda$ power counting of EFT, not by chiral counting, even for chiral perturbation theory ($\chi$PT). The relation between $\Lambda$ and $f$ is generalized to $\mathsf{d}$ dimensions. We show that the naive dimensional analysis $4\pi$ counting is related to $\hbar$ counting. The EFT counting rules are applied to $\chi$PT, low-energy weak interactions, Standard Model EFT and the non-trivial case of Higgs EFT.Comment: V2: more details and examples added; version published in journal. 17 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Statistical Matrix for Electroweak Baryogenesis

In electroweak baryogenesis, a domain wall between the spontaneously broken and unbroken phases acts as a separator of baryon (or lepton) number, generating a baryon asymmetry in the universe. If the wall is thin relative to plasma mean free paths, one computes baryon current into the broken phase by determining the quantum mechanical transmission of plasma components in the potential of the spatially changing Higgs VEV. We show that baryon current can also be obtained using a statistical density operator. This new formulation of the problem provides a consistent framework for studying the influence of quasiparticle lifetimes on baryon current. We show that when the plasma has no self-interactions, familiar results are reproduced. When plasma self-interactions are included, the baryon current into the broken phase is related to an imaginary time temperature Green's function.Comment: 20 pages, no figures, Late

The Axion and the Goldstone Higgs

We consider the renormalizable $SO(5)/SO(4)$ $\sigma$-model, in which the Higgs particle has a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson character, and explore what the minimal field extension required to implement the Peccei-Quinn symmetry (PQ) is, within the partial compositeness scenario. It turns out that the minimal model does not require the enlargement of the exotic fermionic sector, but only the addition of a singlet scalar: it is sufficient that the exotic fermions involved in partial compositeness and the singlet scalar become charged under Peccei-Quinn transformations. We explore the phenomenological predictions for photonic signals in axion searches for all models discussed. Because of the constraints imposed on the exotic fermion sector by the Standard Model fermion masses, the expected range of allowed axion-photon couplings turns out to be generically narrowed with respect to that of standard invisible axion models, impacting the experimental quest.Comment: 31 pages, 2 Figures. Description improved, results unchange

Unitarity of the Leptonic Mixing Matrix

We determine the elements of the leptonic mixing matrix, without assuming unitarity, combining data from neutrino oscillation experiments and weak decays. To that end, we first develop a formalism for studying neutrino oscillations in vacuum and matter when the leptonic mixing matrix is not unitary. To be conservative, only three light neutrino species are considered, whose propagation is generically affected by non-unitary effects. Precision improvements within future facilities are discussed as well.Comment: Standard Model radiative corrections to the invisible Z width included. Some numerical results modified at the percent level. Updated with latest bounds on the rare tau decay. Physical conculsions unchange

Standard Model Baryogenesis

Simply on CP arguments, we argue against a Standard Model explanation of baryogenesis via the charge transport mechanism. A CP-asymmetry is found in the reflection coefficients of quarks hitting the electroweak phase boundary created during a first order phase transition. The problem is analyzed both in an academic zero temperature case and in the realistic finite temperature one. At finite temperature, a crucial role is played by the damping rate of quasi-quarks in a hot plasma, which induces loss of spatial coherence and suppresses reflection on the boundary even at tree-level. The resulting baryon asymmetry is many orders of magnitude below what observation requires. We comment as well on related works.Comment: 10 pages, CERN-TH. 7368/94, LPTHE Orsay-94/71, HD-THEP-94-2