Universal Imprints of a Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Higgs Boson

A large class of models addressing the electroweak naturalness problem postulates the existence of new spontaneously broken global symmetries above the weak scale. The Higgs boson arises as a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson (pNGB) whose interactions are nonlinear due to the presence of de- generate vacua. We argue that, once the normalization of the pNGB decay constant f is determined, the Higgs nonlinear interactions in the gauge sector are universal in the infrared and independent of the symmetry breaking pattern G/H, even after integrating out heavy composite resonances. We propose a set of "universal relations" in Higgs couplings with electroweak gauge bosons and in triple gauge boson couplings, which are unique predictions of the universal nonlinearity. Experimental measurements of these relations would serve as the litmus test of a pNGB Higgs boson.Comment: 5 page

Universal Relations in Composite Higgs Models

We initiate a phenomenological study of `universal relations' in composite Higgs models, which are dictated by nonlinear shift symmetries acting on the 125 GeV Higgs boson. These are relations among one Higgs couplings with two electroweak gauge bosons (HVV), two Higgses couplings with two electroweak gauge bosons (HHVV), one Higgs couplings with three electroweak gauge bosons (HVVV), as well as triple gauge boson couplings (TGC), which are all controlled by a single input parameter: the decay constant $f$ of the pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Higgs boson. Assuming custodial invariance in strong sector, the relation is independent of the symmetry breaking pattern in the UV, for an arbitrary symmetric coset $G/H$. The complete list of corrections to HVV, HHVV, HVVV and TGC couplings in composite Higgs models is presented to all orders in $1/f$, and up to four-derivative level, without referring to a particular $G/H$. We then present several examples of universal relations in ratios of coefficients which could be extracted experimentally. Measuring the universal relation requires a precision sensitive to effects of dimension-8 operators in the effective Lagrangian and highlights the importance of verifying the tensor structure of HHVV interactions in the standard model, which remains untested to date.Comment: 31 pages, 6 figure

2,6-Diiodo-4-nitrophenol, 2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenyl acetate and 2,6-diiodo-4-nitroanisole: interplay of hydrogen bonds, iodo-nitro interactions and aromatic [pi]-[pi]-stacking interactions to give supramolecular structures in one, two and three dimensions

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Thermoregulatory responses to combined moderate heat stress and hypoxia

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the cutaneous vascular and sudomotor responses to combined moderate passive heat stress and normobaric hypoxia. Method: Thirteen healthy young males, dressed in a water-perfused suit, underwent passive heating (Δcore temperature ~0.7 °C) twice (NORMOXIA; 20.9% O2 and HYPOXIA; 13% O2). Chest and forearm skin blood flow (SkBF; laser Doppler flux), local sweat rate (SR; capacitance hygrometry) and core (intestinal pill) and skin temperatures, were recorded. Results: HYPOXIA reduced baseline oxygen saturation (98±1 vs. 89±6%, P<0.001) and elevated chest (P=0.03) and forearm SkBF (P=0.03) and HR (64±9 vs. 69±8 beats.min-1, P<0.01). During heating, mean body temperature (T ̅BODY) thresholds for SkBF (P=0.41) and SR (P=0.28) elevations were not different between trials. The SkBF: T ̅BODY linear sensitivity during the initial phase of heating was lower at the Chest (P=0.035) but not different at the forearm (P=0.17) during HYPOXIA. With increasing levels of heating chest SkBF was not different (P=0.55) but forearm SkBF was lower on the forearm (P<0.01) during HYPOXIA. Chest (P=0.85) and forearm (P=0.79) SR:T ̅BODY linear sensitivities were not different between trials. Conclusion: Whilst sudomotor responses and the initiation of cutaneous blood flow elevations are unaffected, hypoxia differentially effects regional SkBF responses during moderate passive heating

Additive Effects of Heating and Exercise on Baroreflex Control of Heart Rate in Healthy Males

This study assessed the additive effects of passive heating and exercise on cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS) and heart rate variability (HRV). Twelve healthy young men (25±1 yrs, 23.8±0.5 kg/m229 ) randomly underwent two experimental sessions: heat stress (HS; whole-body heat stress using a tube-lined suit to increase core temperature by ~1°C) and normothermia (NT). Each session was composed of a: pre-intervention rest (REST1); HS or NT interventions; post-intervention rest (REST2); and 14 min of cycling exercise [7 min at 40%HRreserve (EX1) and 7 min at 60%HRreserve (EX2)]. Heart rate and finger blood pressure were continuously recorded. cBRS was assessed using the sequence (cBRSSEQ) and transfer function (cBRSTF) methods. HRV was assessed using the indices SDNN (standard deviation of RR intervals) and RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR intervals). cBRS and HRV were not different between sessions during EX1 and EX2 (i.e. matched heart rate conditions: EX1=116±3 vs. 114±3, EX2=143±4 vs. 142±3 bpm; but different workloads: EX1=50±9 vs. 114±8, EX2=106±10 vs. 165±8 Watts; for HS and NT, respectively; P<0.01). However, when comparing EX1 of NT with EX2 of HS (i.e. matched workload conditions, but with different heart rates), cBRS and HRV were significantly reduced in HS (cBRSSEQ = 1.6±0.3 vs. 0.6±0.1 ms/mmHg, P<0.01; SDNN = 2.3±0.1 vs. 1.3±0.2 ms, P<0.01). In conclusion, in conditions matched by HR, the addition of heat stress to exercise does not affect cBRS and HRV. Alternatively, in workload-matched conditions, the addition of heat to exercise results in reduced cBRS and HRV compared to exercise in normothermia

Influence of cold-water immersion on limb blood flow after resistance exercise.

This study determined the influence of cold (8°C) and cool (22°C) water immersion on lower limb and cutaneous blood flow following resistance exercise. Twelve males completed 4 sets of 10-repetition maximum squat exercise and were then immersed, semi-reclined, into 8°C or 22°C water for 10-min, or rested in a seated position (control) in a randomized order on different days. Rectal and thigh skin temperature, muscle temperature, thigh and calf skin blood flow and superficial femoral artery blood flow were measured before and after immersion. Indices of vascular conductance were calculated (flux and blood flow/mean arterial pressure). The colder water reduced thigh skin temperature and deep muscle temperature to the greatest extent (P < .001). Reductions in rectal temperature were similar (0.2-0.4°C) in all three trials (P = .69). Femoral artery conductance was similar after immersion in both cooling conditions, with both conditions significantly lower (55%) than the control post-immersion (P < .01). Similarly, there was greater thigh and calf cutaneous vasoconstriction (40-50%) after immersion in both cooling conditions, relative to the control (P < .01), with no difference between cooling conditions. These findings suggest that cold and cool water similarly reduce femoral artery and cutaneous blood flow responses but not muscle temperature following resistance exercise

Radiative decay Z_H-> \gamma A_H in the little Higgs model with T-parity

In the little Higgs model with T-parity (LHTM), the only tree-level kinematically allowed two-body decay of the Z_H boson is Z_H-> A_H H and thus one-loop induced two-body decays may have a significant rate. We study the Z_H-> \gamma A_H decay, which is induced at the one-loop level by a fermion triangle and is interesting as it depends on the mechanism of anomaly cancellation of the model. All the relevant two- and three-body decays of the Z_H gauge boson arising at the tree-level are also calculated. We consider a small region of the parameter space where the scale of the symmetry breaking f is still allowed to be as low as 500 GeV by electroweak precision data. We first analyze the scenario of a Higgs boson with a mass of 120 GeV. We found that the Z_H->\gamma A_H branching ratio can be of the order of a tree-level three-body decay and may be at the reach of detection at the LHC for f close to 500 GeV, but it may be difficult to detect for f=1 TeV. There is also an scenario where the Higgs boson has an intermediate mass such that the Z_H-> A_H H decay is closed, the Z_H-> \gamma A_H gets considerably enhanced and the chances of detection get a large boost.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, 2 table