2,587 research outputs found
QED radiative corrections to the decay pi^0 to e^+e^-
We reconsider QED radiative corrections (RC) to the
decay width. One kind of RC investigated earlier has a renormalization group
origin and can be associated with the final state interaction of electron and
positron. It determines the distribution of lepton pair invariant masses in the
whole kinematic region. The other type of RC has a double-logarithmic character
and is related to almost on-mass-shell behavior of the lepton form factors. The
total effect of RC for the decay is estimated to be
3.2% and for the decay is 4.3%.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Particle Dark Matter Candidates
I give a short overview on some of the favorite particle Cold Dark Matter
candidates today, focusing on those having detectable interactions: the axion,
the KK-photon in Universal Extra Dimensions, the heavy photon in Little Higgs
and the neutralino in Supersymmetry. The neutralino is still the most popular,
and today is available in different flavours: SUGRA, nuSUGRA, sub-GUT, Mirage
mediation, NMSSM, effective MSSM, scenarios with CP violation. Some of these
scenarios are already at the level of present sensitivities for direct DM
searches.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 3 references added. Contribution to the
proceedings of the TAUP 07 conference, Sep. 11-15, Sendai, Japa
A general condition of inflationary cosmology on trans-Planckian physics
We consider a more general initial condition satisfying the minimal
uncertainty relationship. We calculate the power spectrum of a simple model in
inflationary cosmology. The results depend on perturbations generated below a
fundamental scale, e.g. the Planck scale.Comment: 7 pages, References adde
Warped Radion Dark Matter
Warped scenarios offer an appealing solution to the hierarchy problem. We
consider a non-trivial deformation of the basic Randall-Sundrum framework that
has a KK-parity symmetry. This leads to a stable particle beyond the Standard
Model, that is generically expected to be the first KK-parity odd excitation of
the radion field. We consider the viability of the KK-radion as a DM candidate
in the context of thermal and non-thermal production in the early universe. In
the thermal case, the KK-radion can account for the observed DM density when
the radion decay constant is in the natural multi-TeV range. We also explore
the effects of coannihilations with the first KK excitation of the RH top, as
well as the effects of radion-Higgs mixing, which imply mixing between the
KK-radion and a KK-Higgs (both being KK-parity odd). The non-thermal scenario,
with a high radion decay constant, can also lead to a viable scenario provided
the reheat temperature and the radion decay constant take appropriate values,
although the reheat temperature should not be much higher than the TeV scale.
Direct detection is found to be feasible if the DM has a small (KK-parity odd)
Higgs admixture. Indirect detection via a photon signal from the galactic
center is an interesting possibility, while the positron and neutrino fluxes
from KK-radion annihilations are expected to be rather small. Colliders can
probe characteristic aspects of the DM sector of warped scenarios with
KK-parity, such as the degeneracy between the radion and the KK-radion (DM)
modes.Comment: 43 pages, 16 figures; added reference
Gamma Rays from Neutralino Annihilation
We calculate the flux of cosmic gamma rays expected {}from the annihilation
of neutralinos in the Galactic halo. Our calculation of the annihilation cross
section to two photons improves the existing calculations by inclusion of exact
one-loop diagrams for the amplitudes involving Higgs boson and chargino states
as well as those involving fermion and sfermion states. A survey of
supersymmetric parameter space shows that numerous models would be observable
at the level with an air Cerenkov telescope with an exposure of 10^4
\meter^2 \yr.Comment: 12 pages, self-unpacking uuencoded PostScrip
First Observation of the Rare Decay Mode K-long -> e+ e-
In an experiment designed to search for and study very rare two-body decay
modes of the K-long, we have observed four examples of the decay K-long -> e+
e-, where the expected background is 0.17+-0.10 events. This observation
translates into a branching fraction of 8.7^{+5.7}_{-4.1} X 10^{-12},
consistent with recent theoretical predictions. This result represents by far
the smallest branching fraction yet measured in particle physics.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Kaluza-Klein Dark Matter, Electrons and Gamma Ray Telescopes
Kaluza-Klein dark matter particles can annihilate efficiently into
electron-positron pairs, providing a discrete feature (a sharp edge) in the
cosmic spectrum at an energy equal to the particle's mass (typically
several hundred GeV to one TeV). Although this feature is probably beyond the
reach of satellite or balloon-based cosmic ray experiments (those that
distinguish the charge and mass of the primary particle), gamma ray telescopes
may provide an alternative detection method. Designed to observe very
high-energy gamma-rays, ACTs also observe the diffuse flux of electron-induced
electromagnetic showers. The GLAST satellite, designed for gamma ray astronomy,
will also observe any high energy showers (several hundred GeV and above) in
its calorimeter. We show that high-significance detections of an
electron-positron feature from Kaluza-Klein dark matter annihilations are
possible with GLAST, and also with ACTs such as HESS, VERITAS or MAGIC.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Spinless photon dark matter from two universal extra dimensions
We explore the properties of dark matter in theories with two universal extra
dimensions, where the lightest Kaluza-Klein state is a spin-0 neutral particle,
representing a six-dimensional photon polarized along the extra dimensions.
Annihilation of this 'spinless photon' proceeds predominantly through Higgs
boson exchange, and is largely independent of other Kaluza-Klein particles. The
measured relic abundance sets an upper limit on the spinless photon mass of 500
GeV, which decreases to almost 200 GeV if the Higgs boson is light. The
phenomenology of this dark matter candidate is strikingly different from
Kaluza-Klein dark matter in theories with one universal extra dimension.
Elastic scattering of the spinless photon with quarks is helicity suppressed,
making its direct detection challenging, although possible at upcoming
experiments. The prospects for indirect detection with gamma rays and
antimatter are similar to those of neutralinos. The rates predicted at neutrino
telescopes are below the sensitivity of next-generation experiments.Comment: 22 pages. Figure 7 corrected, leading to improved prospects for
direct detection. Some clarifying remarks include
Gamma Lines without a Continuum: Thermal Models for the Fermi-LAT 130 GeV Gamma Line
Recent claims of a line in the Fermi-LAT photon spectrum at 130 GeV are
suggestive of dark matter annihilation in the galactic center and other dark
matter-dominated regions. If the Fermi feature is indeed due to dark matter
annihilation, the best-fit line cross-section, together with the lack of any
corresponding excess in continuum photons, poses an interesting puzzle for
models of thermal dark matter: the line cross-section is too large to be
generated radiatively from open Standard Model annihilation modes, and too
small to provide efficient dark matter annihilation in the early universe. We
discuss two mechanisms to solve this puzzle and illustrate each with a simple
reference model in which the dominant dark matter annihilation channel is
photonic final states. The first mechanism we employ is resonant annihilation,
which enhances the annihilation cross-section during freezeout and allows for a
sufficiently large present-day annihilation cross section. Second, we consider
cascade annihilation, with a hierarchy between p-wave and s-wave processes.
Both mechanisms require mass near-degeneracies and predict states with masses
closely related to the dark matter mass; resonant freezeout in addition
requires new charged particles at the TeV scale.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
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