Corrections to Tri-bimaximal Neutrino Mixing: Renormalization and Planck Scale Effects

We study corrections to tri-bimaximal (TBM) neutrino mixing from renormalization group (RG) running and from Planck scale effects. We show that while the RG effects are negligible in the standard model (SM), for quasi-degenerate neutrinos and large $\tan\beta$ in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) all three mixing angles may change significantly. In both these cases, the direction of the modification of $\theta_{12}$ is fixed, while that of $\theta_{23}$ is determined by the neutrino mass ordering. The Planck scale effects can also change $\theta_{12}$ up to a few degrees in either direction for quasi-degenerate neutrinos. These effects may dominate over the RG effects in the SM, and in the MSSM with small $\tan \beta$. The usual constraints on neutrino masses, Majorana phases or $\tan \beta$ stemming from RG running arguments can then be relaxed. We quantify the extent of Planck effects on the mixing angles in terms of "mismatch phases" which break the symmetries leading to TBM. In particular, we show that when the mismatch phases vanish, the mixing angles are not affected in spite of the Planck scale contribution. Similar statements may be made for $\mu$-$\tau$ symmetric mass matrices.Comment: 21 pages, 3 eps figures. Comments added, to appear in PR

Reducing Penguin Pollution

The most common decay used for measuring 2beta_s, the phase of Bs-Bsbar mixing, is Bs -> J/psi phi. This decay is dominated by the colour-suppressed tree diagram, but there are other contributions due to gluonic and electroweak penguin diagrams. These are often referred to as "penguin pollution" (PP) because their inclusion in the amplitude leads to a theoretical error in the extraction of 2beta_s from the data. In the standard model (SM), it is estimated that the PP is negligible, but there is some uncertainty as to its exact size. Now, phi_s^{c\bar{c}s} (the measured value of 2beta_s) is small, in agreement with the SM, but still has significant experimental errors. When these are reduced, if one hopes to be able to see clear evidence of new physics (NP), it is crucial to have the theoretical error under control. In this paper, we show that, using a modification of the angular analysis currently used to measure phi_s^{c\bar{c}s} in Bs -> J/psi phi, one can reduce the theoretical error due to PP. Theoretical input is still required, but it is much more modest than entirely neglecting the PP. If phi_s^{c\bar{c}s} differs from the SM prediction, this points to NP in the mixing. There is also enough information to test for NP in the decay. This method can be applied to all Bs/Bsbar -> V1 V2 decays.Comment: 17 pages, latex, extensive discussion of theoretical error added, reference added. Further revision: even more detailed discussion of theoretical error added, as well as an explanation of why the NP strong phase is negligibl

Neutrino oscillations in low density medium

For the case of small matter effects: $V \ll \Delta m^2/2E$, where $V$ is the matter potential, we develop the perturbation theory using $\epsilon \equiv 2VE/\Delta m^2$ as the expansion parameter. We derive simple and physically transparent formulas for the oscillation probabilities in the lowest order in $\epsilon$ which are valid for arbitrary density profile. The formulas can be applied for propagation of the solar and supernova neutrinos in matter of the Earth, substantially simplifying numerical calculations. Using these formulas we study sensitivity of the oscillation effects to structures of the density profile situated at different distances from the detector $d$. We show that for the mass-to-flavor state transitions, {\it e.g.}, $\nu_2 \to \nu_e$, the sensitivity is suppressed for remote structures: $d > l_{\nu} E/\Delta E$, where $l_{\nu}$ is the oscillation length and $\Delta E/E$ is the energy resolution of detector.Comment: discussion simplified, clarifications adde

An immunological approach to study gonadotropin action at the cellular and molecular level

This article does not have an abstract

Constraints on flavor-dependent long range forces from solar neutrinos and KamLAND

Flavor-dependent long range (LR) leptonic forces, like those mediated by the $L_e-L_\mu$ or $L_e -L_\tau$ gauge bosons, constitute a minimal extension of the standard model that preserves its renormalizability. We study the impact of such interactions on the solar neutrino oscillations when the interaction range $R_{LR}$ is much larger than the Earth-Sun distance. The LR potential can dominate over the standard charged current potential inside the Sun in spite of strong constraints on the coupling $\alpha$ of the LR force coming from the atmospheric neutrino data and laboratory search for new forces. We demonstrate that the solar and atmospheric neutrino mass scales do not get trivially decoupled even if $\theta_{13}$ is vanishingly small. In addition, for \alpha \gsim 10^{-52} and normal hierarchy, resonant enhancement of $\theta_{13}$ results in nontrivial energy dependent effects on the $\nu_e$ survival probability. We perform a complete three generation analysis, and obtain constraints on $\alpha$ through a global fit to the solar neutrino and KamLAND data. We get the $3\sigma$ limits $\alpha_{e\mu} < 3.4 \times 10^{-53}$ and $\alpha_{e\tau} < 2.5 \times 10^{-53}$ when $R_{LR}$ is much smaller than our distance from the galactic center. With larger $R_{LR}$, the collective LR potential due to all the electrons in the galaxy becomes significant and the constraints on $\alpha$ become stronger by upto two orders of magnitude.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figure

Nonleptonic two-body charmless B decays involving a tensor meson in ISGW2 model

Nonleptonic charmless B decays into a pseudoscalar (P) or a vector (V) meson accompanying a tensor (T) meson are re-analyzed. We scrutinize the hadronic uncertainties and ambiguities of the form factors which appear in the literature. The Isgur-Scora-Grinstein-Wise updated model (ISGW2) is adopted to evaluate the relevant hadronic matrix elements. We calculate the branching ratios and CP asymmetries for various $B\to P(V)T$ decay processes. With the ISGW2 model, the branching ratios are enhanced by about an order of magnitude compared to the previous estimates. We show that the ratios \calB(B\to VT)/\calB(B\to PT) for some strangeness-changing processes are very sensitive to the CKM angle $\gamma$ ($\phi_3$).Comment: 23 pages, REVTEX; minor clarifications included; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Ability of human chorionic gonadotropin &#946;-subunit to inhibit the steroidogenic response to lutropin

Ability of the &#946;-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin to inhibit the response to lutropin (luteinizing hormone, LH) was tested in the immature rat ovarian system and pregnant-mare-serum-gonadotropin-primed rat ovarian system with progesterone production being used as the response. Human chorionic gonadotropin &#946;-subunit was found to inhibit human and ovine lutropin-stimulated progesterone production. At a constant dose of lutropin, inhibition was dependent on the concentration of &#946;-subunit. When concentration of the &#946;-subunit was kept constant at 5.0 &#956;g/ml and the concentration of lutropin was varied, the inhibition was maximum at the saturating concentration of the native hormone. The &#945;-subunit of the human chorionic gonadotropin did not inhibit the response to lutropin. The lutropin/&#946;-subunit ratio required to produce an inhibition of response was much lower than that required to bring about an observable inhibition of binding

Weak Phase γ\gamma From Ratio of B→KπB \to K \pi Rates

The ratio of partial decay rates for charged and neutral $B$ mesons to $K \pi$ final states provides information on the weak phase $\gamma \equiv {\rm Arg} (V_{ub}^*)$ when augmented with information on the CP-violating asymmetry in the $K^\pm \pi^\mp$ mode. The requirements for a useful determination of $\gamma$ are examined in the light of present information about the decays $B^0 \to K^+ \pi^-$, $B^+ \to K^0 \pi^+$, and the corresponding charge-conjugate modes. The effects of electroweak penguins and rescattering corrections are noted, and proposals are made for estimating and measuring their importance.Comment: 16 pages, latex, 3 figures, revised version sent to Phys. Rev.

Relative ability of ovine follicle stimulating hormone and its β-subunit to generate antibodies having bioneutralization potential in nonhuman primates

The relative ability of ovine follicle stimulating hormone and its β-subunit, two potential candidates for male contraceptive vaccine, to generate antibodies in monkeys capable of bioneutralizing follicle stimulating hormone was assessed usingin vitro model systems. Antiserum against native ovine follicle stimulating hormone was found to be highly specific to the intact form with no cross-reactivity with either of the two subunits while the antiserum against β-subunit of follicle stimulating hormone could bind to the β-subunit in its free form as well as when it is combined with α-subunit to form the intact hormone. Both antisera could block the binding of the hormone to the receptor if the hormone was preincubated with the antibody. However, the follicle stimulating hormone β-antisera could only inhibit the binding of the hormone partially (33% inhibition) if the antibody and receptor were mixed prior to the addition of the hormone, while antisera to the native follicle stimulating hormone could block the binding completely (100% inhibition) in the same experiment. Similarly antisera to the native follicle stimulating hormone was significantly effective in blocking (100%) response to follicle stimulating hormone but not the β-subunit antisera (0%) as checked using anin vitro granulosa cell system. Thus the probability of obtaining antibodies of greater bioneutralization potential is much higher if intact hormone is used as an antigen rather than its β-subunit as a vaccine