Heavy and light scalar leptoquarks in proton decay

We list scalar leptoquarks that mediate proton decay via renormalizable couplings to the Standard Model fermions. We employ a general basis of baryon number violating operators to parameterize contributions of each leptoquark towards proton decay. This then sets the stage for investigation of bounds on the leptoquark couplings to fermions with respect to the most current Super Kamiokande results on proton stability. We quantify if, and when, it is necessary to have leptoquark masses close to a scale of grand unification in the realistic SU(5) and flipped SU(5) frameworks. The most and the least conservative lower bounds on the leptoquark masses are then presented. We furthermore single out a leptoquark without phenomenologically dangerous tree-level exchanges that might explain discrepancy of the forward-backward asymmetries in $t \bar t$ production observed at Tevatron, if relatively light. The same state could also play significant role in explaining muon anomalous magnetic moment. We identify contributions of this leptoquark to dimension-six operators, mediated through a box diagram, and tree-level dimension-nine operators, that would destabilize proton if sizable leptoquark and diquark couplings were to be simultaneously present.Comment: 26 pp, 2 figures, extensive expansion of Section V with new result

Minimal SO(10) splits supersymmetry

A good fit of the fermion masses and mixings has been found in the minimal renormalizable supersymmetric SO(10). This solution needs a strongly split supersymmetry breaking scenario with gauginos and higgsinos around 100 TeV, sfermions close to 10^14 GeV and a low GUT scale of around 6 10^15 GeV. We predict fast proton decays through SO(10) type of d=6 operators and the leptonic mixing angle theta_13 approximately 0.1.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figure

New Physics Models Facing Lepton Flavor Violating Higgs Decays at the Percent Level

We speculate about the possible interpretations of the recently observed excess in the $h \to \tau \mu$ decay. We derive a robust lower bound on the Higgs boson coupling strength to a tau and a muon, even in presence of the most general new physics affecting other Higgs properties. Then we reevaluate complementary indirect constraints coming from low energy observables as well as from theoretical considerations. In particular, the tentative signal should lead to $\tau \to \mu \gamma$ at rates which could be observed at Belle II. In turn we show that, barring fine-tuned cancellations, the effect can only be accommodated within models with an extended scalar sector. These general conclusions are demonstrated using a number of explicit new physics models. Finally we show how, given the $h \to \tau \mu$ signal, the current and future searches for $\mu \to e \gamma$ and $\mu \to e$ nuclear conversions unambiguously constrain the allowed rates for $h \to \tau e$.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, expanded Section V.D with the fine-tuning solution; conclusions unchange

Fermion Masses and the UV Cutoff of the Minimal Realistic Su (5) model

We investigate the predictions for fermion masses in the minimal realistic non-supersymmetric SU(5) model with the Standard Model matter content. The possibility to achieve b-\tau unification is studied taking into account all relevant effects. In addition, we show how to establish an upper bound on the ultraviolet cutoff \Lambda of the theory which is compatible with the Yukawa couplings at the grand unified scale and proton decay. We find \Lambda \simeq 10^{17} GeV, to be considered a conservative upper bound on the cutoff. We also provide up-to-date values of all the fermions masses at the electroweak scale