Simple renormalizable flavor symmetry for neutrino oscillations

The recent measurement of a non-zero neutrino mixing angle $\theta_{13}$ requires a modification of the tri-bimaximal mixing pattern that predicts a zero value for it. We propose a new neutrino mixing pattern based on a spontaneously-broken $A_{4}$ flavor symmetry and a type-I seesaw mechanism. Our model allows for approximate tri-bimaximal mixing and non-zero $\theta_{13}$, and contains a natural way to implement low and high energy CP violation in neutrino oscillations, and leptogenesis with a renormalizable Lagrangian. Both normal and inverted mass hierarchies are permitted within $3\sigma$ experimental bounds, with the prediction of small (large) deviations from maximality in the atmospheric mixing angle for the normal (inverted) case. Interestingly, we show that the inverted case is excluded by the global analysis in $1\sigma$ experimental bounds, while the most recent MINOS data seem to favor the inverted case. Our model make predictions for the Dirac CP phase in the normal and inverted hierarchies, which can be tested in near-future neutrino oscillation experiments. Our model also predicts the effective mass $|m_{ee}|$ measurable in neutrinoless double beta decay to be in the range $0.04\lesssim |m_{ee}| \lesssim 0.15$ eV for the normal hierarchy and $0.06\lesssim |m_{ee}| \lesssim 0.11$ eV for the inverted hierarchy, both of which are within the sensitivity of the next generation experiments.Comment: 29 pages and 10 figures. No corrections. Version for Phys. Rev.

Persistence of singlet fluctuations in the coupled spin tetrahedra system Cu2Te2O5Br2 revealed by high-field magnetization and 79Br NQR - 125Te NMR

We present high-field magnetization and $^{79}$Br nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) and $^{125}$Te nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies in the weakly coupled Cu$^{2+}$ ($S=1/2$) tetrahedral system Cu$_2$Te$_2$O$_5$Br$_2$. The field-induced level crossing effects were observed by the magnetization measurements in a long-ranged magnetically ordered state which was confirmed by a strong divergence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 at T0=13.5 K. In the paramagnetic state, 1/T1 reveals an effective singlet-triplet spin gap much larger than that observed by static bulk measurements. Our results imply that the inter- and the intra-tetrahedral interactions compete, but at the same time they cooperate strengthening effectively the local intratetrahedral exchange couplings. We discuss that the unusual feature originates from the frustrated intertetrahedral interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. B as a Rapid Communication

A mechanism for unipolar resistance switching in oxide non-volatile memory devices

Building on a recently introduced model for non-volatile resistive switching, we propose a mechanism for unipolar resistance switching in metal-insulator-metal sandwich structures. The commutation from the high to low resistance state and back can be achieved with successive voltage sweeps of the same polarity. Electronic correlation effects at the metal-insulator interface are found to play a key role to produce a resistive commutation effect in qualitative agreement with recent experimental reports on binary transition metal oxide based sandwich structures.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

|V_ub| and |V_cb|, Charm Counting and Lifetime Differences in Inclusive Bottom Hadron Decays

Inclusive bottom hadron decays are analyzed based on the heavy quark effective field theory (HQEFT). Special attentions in this paper are paid to the b\to u transitions and nonspectator effects. As a consequence, the CKM quark mixing matrix elements |V_ub| and |V_cb| are reliably extracted from the inclusive semileptonic decays B\to X_u e \nu and B\to X_c e \nu. Various observables, such as the semileptonic branch ratio B_SL, the lifetime differences among B^-, B^0, B_s and \Lambda_b hadrons, the charm counting n_c, are predicted and found to be consistent with the present experimental data.Comment: 20 pages, Revtex, 4 figures and 2 table

Inclusive Decays of Bottom Hadrons in New Formulation of Heavy Quark Effective Field Theory

We apply the new formulation of heavy quark effective field theory (HQEFT) to the inclusive decays of bottom hadrons. The long-term ambiguity of using heavy quark mass or heavy hadron mass for inclusive decays is clarified within the framework of the new formulation of HQEFT. The $1/m_b$ order corrections are absent and contributions from $1/m_b^2$ terms are calculated in detail. This enables us to reliably extract the important CKM matrix element $|V_{cb}|$ from the inclusive semileptonic decay rates. The resulting lifetime ratios $\tau(B^0_s)/\tau(B^0)$ and $\tau(\Lambda_b)/\tau(B^0)$ are found to well agree with the experimental data. We also calculate in detail the inclusive semileptonic branching ratios and the ratios of the $\tau$ and $\beta$ decay rates as well as the charm countings in the $B^0$, $B^0_s$ and $\Lambda_b$ systems. For $B^0$ decays, all the observables are found to be consistent with the experimental data. More precise data for the $B^0$ decays and further experimental measurements for the $B^0_s$ and $\Lambda_b$ systems will be very useful for testing the framework of new formulation of HQEFT at the level of higher order corrections.Comment: 20 pages, RevTex, 8 figures, 3 tables, revised version with `dressed heavy quark' being addressed, to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Muon anomalous magnetic moment and lepton flavor violation in MSSM

We give a thorough analysis of the correlation between the muon anomalous magnetic moment and the radiative lepton flavor violating (LFV) processes within the minimal supersymmetric standard model. We find that in the case when the slepton mass eigenstates are nearly degenerate, $\delta a_\mu$, coming from SUSY contributions, hardly depends on the lepton flavor mixing and, thus, there is no direct relation between $\delta a_\mu$ and the LFV processes. On the contrary, if the first two generations' sleptons are much heavier than the 3rd one, i.e., in the effective SUSY scenario, the two quantities are closely related. In the latter scenario, the SUSY parameter space to account for the experimental $\delta a_\mu$ is quite different from the case of no lepton flavor mixing. Especially, the Higgsino mass parameter $\mu$ can be either positive or negative.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures; Some discussions are modifie