216 research outputs found
Kahler Independence of the G2-MSSM
The G2-MSSM is a model of particle physics coupled to moduli fields with
interesting phenomenology both for colliders and astrophysical experiments. In
this paper we consider a more general model - whose moduli Kahler potential is
a completely arbitrary G2-holonomy Kahler potential and whose matter Kahler
potential is also more general. We prove that the vacuum structure and spectrum
of BSM particles is largely unchanged in this much more general class of
theories. In particular, gaugino masses are still supressed relative to the
gravitino mass and moduli masses. We also consider the effects of higher order
corrections to the matter Kahler potential and find a connection between the
nature of the LSP and flavor effects.Comment: Final version, matches the version published in JHE
Axion Protection from Flavor
The QCD axion fails to solve the strong CP problem unless all explicit PQ
violating, Planck-suppressed, dimension n<10 operators are forbidden or have
exponentially small coefficients. We show that all theories with a QCD axion
contain an irreducible source of explicit PQ violation which is proportional to
the determinant of the Yukawa interaction matrix of colored fermions.
Generically, this contribution is of low operator dimension and will
drastically destabilize the axion potential, so its suppression is a necessary
condition for solving the strong CP problem. We propose a mechanism whereby the
PQ symmetry is kept exact up to n=12 with the help of the very same flavor
symmetries which generate the hierarchical quark masses and mixings of the SM.
This "axion flavor protection" is straightforwardly realized in theories which
employ radiative fermion mass generation and grand unification. A universal
feature of this construction is that the heavy quark Yukawa couplings are
generated at the PQ breaking scale.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure
A Comparison of Supersymmetry Breaking and Mediation Mechanisms
We give a unified treatment of different models of supersymmetry breaking and
mediation from a four dimensional effective field theory standpoint. In
particular a comparison between GMSB and various gravity mediated versions of
SUSY breaking shows that, once the former is embedded within a SUGRA framework,
there is no particular advantage to that mechanism from the point of view of
FCNC suppression. We point out the difficulties of all these scenarios - in
particular the cosmological modulus problem. We end with a discussion of
possible string theory realizations.Comment: Added clarifications and references, 20 page
Quantum gravitational contributions to quantum electrodynamics
Quantum electrodynamics describes the interactions of electrons and photons.
Electric charge (the gauge coupling constant) is energy dependent, and there is
a previous claim that charge is affected by gravity (described by general
relativity) with the implication that the charge is reduced at high energies.
But that claim has been very controversial with the situation inconclusive.
Here I report an analysis (free from earlier controversies) demonstrating that
that quantum gravity corrections to quantum electrodynamics have a quadratic
energy dependence that result in the reduction of the electric charge at high
energies, a result known as asymptotic freedom.Comment: To be published in Nature. 19 pages LaTeX, no figure
Lorentz violation, Gravity, Dissipation and Holography
We reconsider Lorentz Violation (LV) at the fundamental level. We show that
Lorentz Violation is intimately connected with gravity and that LV couplings in
QFT must always be fields in a gravitational sector. Diffeomorphism invariance
must be intact and the LV couplings transform as tensors under coordinate/frame
changes. Therefore searching for LV is one of the most sensitive ways of
looking for new physics, either new interactions or modifications of known
ones. Energy dissipation/Cerenkov radiation is shown to be a generic feature of
LV in QFT. A general computation is done in strongly coupled theories with
gravity duals. It is shown that in scale invariant regimes, the energy
dissipation rate depends non-triviallly on two characteristic exponents, the
Lifshitz exponent and the hyperscaling violation exponent.Comment: LateX, 51 pages, 9 figures. (v2) References and comments added.
Misprints correcte
Single-Scale Natural SUSY
We consider the prospects for natural SUSY models consistent with current
data. Recent constraints make the standard paradigm unnatural so we consider
what could be a minimal extension consistent with what we now know. The most
promising such scenarios extend the MSSM with new tree-level Higgs interactions
that can lift its mass to at least 125 GeV and also allow for flavor-dependent
soft terms so that the third generation squarks are lighter than current bounds
on the first and second generation squarks. We argue that a common feature of
almost all such models is the need for a new scale near 10 TeV, such as a scale
of Higgsing or confinement of a new gauge group. We consider the question
whether such a model can naturally derive from a single mass scale associated
with supersymmetry breaking. Most such models simply postulate new scales,
leaving their proximity to the scale of MSSM soft terms a mystery. This
coincidence problem may be thought of as a mild tuning, analogous to the usual
mu problem. We find that a single mass scale origin is challenging, but suggest
that a more natural origin for such a new dynamical scale is the gravitino
mass, m_{3/2}, in theories where the MSSM soft terms are a loop factor below
m_{3/2}. As an example, we build a variant of the NMSSM where the singlet S is
composite, and the strong dynamics leading to compositeness is triggered by
masses of order m_{3/2} for some fields. Our focus is the Higgs sector, but our
model is compatible with a light stop (with the other generation squarks heavy,
or with R-parity violation or another mechanism to hide them from current
searches). All the interesting low-energy mass scales, including linear terms
for S playing a key role in EWSB, arise dynamically from the single scale
m_{3/2}. However, numerical coefficients from RG effects and wavefunction
factors in an extra dimension complicate the otherwise simple story.Comment: 32 pages, 3 figures; version accepted by JHE
Holographic and Wilsonian Renormalization Groups
We develop parallels between the holographic renormalization group in the
bulk and the Wilsonian renormalization group in the dual field theory. Our
philosophy differs from most previous work on the holographic RG; the most
notable feature is the key role of multi-trace operators. We work out the forms
of various single- and double-trace flows. The key question, `what cutoff on
the field theory corresponds to a radial cutoff in the bulk?' is left
unanswered, but by sharpening the analogy between the two sides we identify
possible directions.Comment: 31 pages, 3 figures. v2: Minor clarifications. Added reference
Kinetically-Enhanced Anomaly Mediation
We investigate a modification of anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking
(AMSB) with an exotic U(1)_x gauge sector that can solve the tachyonic slepton
problem of minimal AMSB scenarios. The new U(1)_x multiplet is assumed to
couple directly to the source of supersymmetry breaking, but only indirectly to
the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) through kinetic mixing with
hypercharge. If the MSSM sector is also sequestered from the source of
supersymmetry breaking, the contributions to the MSSM soft terms come from both
AMSB and the U(1)_x kinetic coupling. We find that this arrangement can give
rise to a flavour-universal, phenomenologically viable, and distinctive
spectrum of MSSM superpartners. We also investigate the prospects for discovery
and the most likely signatures of this scenario at the Large Hadron Collider
(LHC).Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures; Added references, corrected ctau plot in Fig.
4, same general conclusion
Minimum length effects in black hole physics
We review the main consequences of the possible existence of a minimum
measurable length, of the order of the Planck scale, on quantum effects
occurring in black hole physics. In particular, we focus on the ensuing minimum
mass for black holes and how modified dispersion relations affect the Hawking
decay, both in four space-time dimensions and in models with extra spatial
dimensions. In the latter case, we briefly discuss possible phenomenological
signatures.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures. To be published in "Quantum Aspects of Black
Holes", ed. X. Calmet (Springer, 2014
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