Heavy-heavy form factors and generalized factorization

We reanalyze B -> D pi and B -> K J/psi data to extract a set of parameters which give the relevant hadronic matrix elements in terms of factorized amplitudes. Various sources of theoretical uncertainties are studied, in particular those depending on the model adopted for the form factors. We find that the fit to the B -> D pi branching ratios substantially depends on the model describing the Isgur-Wise function and on the value of its slope. This dependence can be reduced by substituting the BR(B -> D pi) with suitable ratios of non-leptonic to differential semileptonic BRs. In this way, we obtain a model-independent determination of these parameters. Using these results, the B -> D form factors at q^2=M_pi^2 can be extracted from a fit of the BR(B -> D pi). The comparison between the form factors obtained in this way and the corresponding measurements in semileptonic decays can be used as a test of (generalized) factorization free from the uncertainties due to heavy-heavy form factor modeling. Finally, we present predictions for yet-unmeasured D pi and D K branching ratios and extract f_{D_s} and f_{D_s^*} from B -> DD_s decays. We find f_{D_s} = 270 +- 45 MeV and f_{D_s^*}=260 +- 40 MeV, in good agreement with recent measurements and lattice calculations.Comment: 20 pages, 16 ps/eps files, uses epsfig.sty; exp. numbers update

Partly Supersymmetric Grand Unification

It is shown how grand unification can occur in models which are partly supersymmetric. The particle states which are composite do not contribute to the running of gauge couplings above the compositeness scale, while the elementary states contribute the usual large logarithmns. This introduces a new differential running contribution to the gauge couplings from partly composite SU(5) matter multiplets. In particular, for partly supersymmetric models, the incomplete SU(5) elementary matter multiplets restore gauge coupling unification even though the usual elementary gaugino and Higgsino contributions need not be present.Comment: 14 pages, LaTe

Factorization, charming penguins, and all that

We discuss few selected topics related to the calculation of hadronic amplitudes relevant for two-body non-leptonic B decays.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 1 eps figure included, uses psfig.sty. Talk given by M.C. at Beauty '97, UCLA, USA, October 13-17, 199

Discovering the composite Higgs through the decay of a heavy fermion

A possible composite nature of the Higgs could be revealed at the early stage of the LHC, by analyzing the channels where the Higgs is produced from the decay of a heavy fermion. The Higgs production from a singly-produced heavy bottom, in particular, proves to be a promising channel. For a value \lambda=3 of the Higgs coupling to a heavy bottom, for example, we find that, considering a 125 GeV Higgs which decays into a pair of b-quarks, a discovery is possible at the 8 TeV LHC with 30 fb^{-1} if the heavy bottom is lighter than roughly 530 GeV (while an observation is possible for heavy bottom masses up to 650 GeV). Such a relatively light heavy bottom is realistic in composite Higgs models of the type considered and, up to now, experimentally allowed. At \sqrt{s}=14 TeV the LHC sensitivity on the channel increases significantly. With \lambda=3 a discovery can occur, with 100 fb^{-1}, for heavy bottom masses up to 1040 GeV. In the case the heavy bottom was as light as 500 GeV, the 14 TeV LHC would be sensitive to the measure of the \lambda\ coupling in basically the full range \lambda>1 predicted by the theory.Comment: 25 pp. v2: Minor changes. v3: Version accepted for publication in JHEP. v4: typos fixe

Holography for fermions

The holographic interpretation is a useful tool to describe 5D field theories in a 4D language. In particular it allows one to relate 5D AdS theories with 4D CFTs. We elaborate on the 5D/4D dictionary for the case of fermions in AdS$_5$ with boundaries. This dictionary is quite useful to address phenomenological issues in a very simple manner, as we show by giving some examples.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor corrections, references adde

The Other Natural Two Higgs Doublet Model

We characterize models where electroweak symmetry breaking is driven by two light Higgs doublets arising as pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons of new dynamics above the weak scale. They represent the simplest natural two Higgs doublet alternative to supersymmetry. We construct their low-energy effective Lagrangian making only few specific assumptions about the strong sector. These concern their global symmetries, their patterns of spontaneous breaking and the sources of explicit breaking. In particular we assume that all the explicit breaking is associated with the couplings of the strong sector to the Standard Model fields, that is gauge and (proto)-Yukawa interactions. Under those assumptions the scalar potential is determined at lowest order by very few free parameters associated to the top sector. Another crucial property of our scenarios is the presence of a discrete symmetry, in addition to custodial SO(4), that controls the $T$-parameter. That can either be simple CP or a $Z_2$ that distinguishes the two Higgs doublets. Among various possibilities we study in detail models based on SO(6)/SO(4)$\times$ SO(2), focussing on their predictions for the structure of the scalar spectrum and the deviations of their couplings from those of a generic renormalizable two Higgs doublet model.Comment: 54 page

Strain rate, temperature and deformation state effect on Ecoflex 00-50 silicone mechanical behaviour

Silicone elastomers are extremely attractive materials due to their wide range of possible applications, from biomedical engineering to soft robotics. In this work, an extensive thermo-mechanical characterization of Ecoflex Shore hardness 00–50, a commercially available silicone elastomer, has been carried out to compensate for the lack of relevant literature. The mechanical behaviour of the material has been characterized by performing monotonic and cyclic loading tests. These tests were performed in different deformation states, i.e. uniaxial tension, pure shear and biaxial tension, at different strain rates and temperatures. Experimental findings allowed to highlight the material time-dependent response and quantify the contribution of dissipative deformation phenomena to the overall strain energy. Uniaxial tensile tests performed at different temperatures (between −40 °C and 140 °C) showed that the material mechanical behaviour is sensitive to temperature in this range: a decrease of the ultimate stress and strain has been observed with increasing temperature. Finally, the data obtained from the latter tests have been used to define a failure envelope, applied for the first time to Ecoflex silicones, and valuable to describe the material ultimate stress and strain at any temperature and strain rate

Partially Supersymmetric Composite Higgs Models

We study the idea of the Higgs as a pseudo-Goldstone boson within the framework of partial supersymmetry in Randall-Sundrum scenarios and their CFT duals. The Higgs and third generation of the MSSM are composites arising from a strongly coupled supersymmetric CFT with global symmetry SO(5) spontaneously broken to SO(4), whilst the light generations and gauge fields are elementary degrees of freedom whose couplings to the strong sector explicitly break the global symmetry as well as supersymmetry. The presence of supersymmetry in the strong sector may allow the compositeness scale to be raised to ~10 TeV without fine tuning, consistent with the bounds from precision electro-weak measurements and flavour physics. The supersymmetric flavour problem is also solved. At low energies, this scenario reduces to the "More Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model" where only stops, Higgsinos and gauginos are light and within reach of the LHC.Comment: 28 pages. v2 minor changes and Refs. adde