843 research outputs found
conversion in nuclei within the CMSSM seesaw: universality versus non-universality
In this paper we study conversion in nuclei within the context of the
Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, enlarged by three right
handed neutrinos and their supersymmetric partners, and where the neutrino
masses are generated via a seesaw mechanism. Two different scenarios with
either universal or non-universal soft supersymmetry breaking Higgs masses at
the gauge coupling unification scale are considered. In the first part we
present a complete one-loop computation of the conversion rate for this process
that includes the photon-, -boson, and Higgs-boson penguins, as well as box
diagrams, and compare their size in the two considered scenarios. Then, in
these two scenarios we analyse the relevance of the various parameters on the
conversion rates, particularly emphasising the role played by the heavy
neutrino masses, , and especially . In the case of
hierachical heavy neutrinos, an extremely high sensitivity of the rates to
is indeed found. The last part of this work is devoted to the
study of the interesting loss of correlation between the conversion and
rates that occurs in the non-universal scenario. In the case
of large and light Higgs boson an enhanced ratio of the
to rates, with respect to the universal case is
found, and this could be tested with the future experimental sensitivities.Comment: 48 pages, 15 figures. Minor typos corrected and some references adde
Gravitino constraints on models of neutrino masses and leptogenesis
In the supersymmetric extensions of the standard model, neutrino masses and
leptogenesis requires existence of new particles. We point out that if these
particles with lepton number violating interactions have standard model gauge
interactions, then they may not be created after reheating because of the
gravitino problem. This will rule out all existing models of neutrino masses
and leptogenesis, except the one with right-handed singlet neutrinos.Comment: 12 pages latex file with one postscript figur
Two-Loop g -> gg Splitting Amplitudes in QCD
Splitting amplitudes are universal functions governing the collinear behavior
of scattering amplitudes for massless particles. We compute the two-loop g ->
gg splitting amplitudes in QCD, N=1, and N=4 super-Yang-Mills theories, which
describe the limits of two-loop n-point amplitudes where two gluon momenta
become parallel. They also represent an ingredient in a direct x-space
computation of DGLAP evolution kernels at next-to-next-to-leading order. To
obtain the splitting amplitudes, we use the unitarity sewing method. In
contrast to the usual light-cone gauge treatment, our calculation does not rely
on the principal-value or Mandelstam-Leibbrandt prescriptions, even though the
loop integrals contain some of the denominators typically encountered in
light-cone gauge. We reduce the integrals to a set of 13 master integrals using
integration-by-parts and Lorentz invariance identities. The master integrals
are computed with the aid of differential equations in the splitting momentum
fraction z. The epsilon-poles of the splitting amplitudes are consistent with a
formula due to Catani for the infrared singularities of two-loop scattering
amplitudes. This consistency essentially provides an inductive proof of
Catani's formula, as well as an ansatz for previously-unknown 1/epsilon pole
terms having non-trivial color structure. Finite terms in the splitting
amplitudes determine the collinear behavior of finite remainders in this
formula.Comment: 100 pages, 33 figures. Added remarks about leading-transcendentality
argument of hep-th/0404092, and additional explanation of cut-reconstruction
uniquenes
On the geometrization of matter by exotic smoothness
In this paper we discuss the question how matter may emerge from space. For
that purpose we consider the smoothness structure of spacetime as underlying
structure for a geometrical model of matter. For a large class of compact
4-manifolds, the elliptic surfaces, one is able to apply the knot surgery of
Fintushel and Stern to change the smoothness structure. The influence of this
surgery to the Einstein-Hilbert action is discussed. Using the Weierstrass
representation, we are able to show that the knotted torus used in knot surgery
is represented by a spinor fulfilling the Dirac equation and leading to a
mass-less Dirac term in the Einstein-Hilbert action. For sufficient complicated
links and knots, there are "connecting tubes" (graph manifolds, torus bundles)
which introduce an action term of a gauge field. Both terms are genuinely
geometrical and characterized by the mean curvature of the components. We also
discuss the gauge group of the theory to be U(1)xSU(2)xSU(3).Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures, svjour style, complete reworking now using
Fintushel-Stern knot surgery of elliptic surfaces, discussion of Lorentz
metric and global hyperbolicity for exotic 4-manifolds added, final version
for publication in Gen. Rel. Grav, small typos errors fixe
Dravet syndrome as epileptic encephalopathy: Evidence from long-term course and neuropathology
Dravet syndrome is an epilepsy syndrome of infantile onset, frequently caused by SCN1A mutations or deletions. Its prevalence, long-term evolution in adults and neuropathology are not well known. We identified a series of 22 adult patients, including three adult post-mortem cases with Dravet syndrome. For all patients, we reviewed the clinical history, seizure types and frequency, antiepileptic drugs, cognitive, social and functional outcome and results of investigations. A systematic neuropathology study was performed, with post-mortem material from three adult cases with Dravet syndrome, in comparison with controls and a range of relevant paediatric tissue. Twenty-two adults with Dravet syndrome, 10 female, were included, median age 39 years (range 20–66). SCN1A structural variation was found in 60% of the adult Dravet patients tested, including one post-mortem case with DNA extracted from brain tissue. Novel mutations were described for 11 adult patients; one patient had three SCN1A mutations. Features of Dravet syndrome in adulthood include multiple seizure types despite polytherapy, and age-dependent evolution in seizure semiology and electroencephalographic pattern. Fever sensitivity persisted through adulthood in 11 cases. Neurological decline occurred in adulthood with cognitive and motor deterioration. Dysphagia may develop in or after the fourth decade of life, leading to significant morbidity, or death. The correct diagnosis at an older age made an impact at several levels. Treatment changes improved seizure control even after years of drug resistance in all three cases with sufficient follow-up after drug changes were instituted; better control led to significant improvement in cognitive performance and quality of life in adulthood in two cases. There was no histopathological hallmark feature of Dravet syndrome in this series. Strikingly, there was remarkable preservation of neurons and interneurons in the neocortex and hippocampi of Dravet adult post-mortem cases. Our study provides evidence that Dravet syndrome is at least in part an epileptic encephalopathy
Signatures of Relativistic Neutrinos in CMB Anisotropy and Matter Clustering
We present a detailed analytical study of ultra-relativistic neutrinos in
cosmological perturbation theory and of the observable signatures of
inhomogeneities in the cosmic neutrino background. We note that a modification
of perturbation variables that removes all the time derivatives of scalar
gravitational potentials from the dynamical equations simplifies their solution
notably. The used perturbations of particle number per coordinate, not proper,
volume are generally constant on superhorizon scales. In real space an
analytical analysis can be extended beyond fluids to neutrinos.
The faster cosmological expansion due to the neutrino background changes the
acoustic and damping angular scales of the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
But we find that equivalent changes can be produced by varying other standard
parameters, including the primordial helium abundance. The low-l integrated
Sachs-Wolfe effect is also not sensitive to neutrinos. However, the gravity of
neutrino perturbations suppresses the CMB acoustic peaks for the multipoles
with l>~200 while it enhances the amplitude of matter fluctuations on these
scales. In addition, the perturbations of relativistic neutrinos generate a
*unique phase shift* of the CMB acoustic oscillations that for adiabatic
initial conditions cannot be caused by any other standard physics. The origin
of the shift is traced to neutrino free-streaming velocity exceeding the sound
speed of the photon-baryon plasma. We find that from a high resolution, low
noise instrument such as CMBPOL the effective number of light neutrino species
can be determined with an accuracy of sigma(N_nu) = 0.05 to 0.09, depending on
the constraints on the helium abundance.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures. Version accepted for publication in PR
Lepton Flavour Violating Leptonic/Semileptonic Decays of Charged Leptons in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
We consider the leptonic and semileptonic (SL) lepton flavour violating (LFV)
decays of the charged leptons in the minimal supersymmetric standard model
(MSSM). The formalism for evaluation of branching fractions for the SL LFV
charged-lepton decays with one or two pseudoscalar mesons, or one vector meson
in the final state, is given. Previous amplitudes for the SL LFV charged-lepton
decays in MSSM are improved, for instance the -penguin amplitude is
corrected to assure the gauge invariance. The decays are studied not only in
the model-independent formulation of the theory in the frame of MSSM, but also
within the frame of the minimal supersymmetric SO(10) model within which the
parameters of the MSSM are determined. The latter model gives predictions for
the neutrino-Dirac Yukawa coupling matrix, once free parameters in the model
are appropriately fixed to accommodate the recent neutrino oscillation data.
Using this unambiguous neutrino-Dirac Yukawa couplings, we calculate the LFV
leptonic and SL decay processes assuming the minimal supergravity scenario. A
very detailed numerical analysis is done to constrain the MSSM parameters.
Numerical results for SL LFV processes are given, for instance for tau -> e
(mu) pi0, tau -> e (mu) eta, tau -> e (mu) eta', tau -> e (mu) rho0, tau -> e
(mu) phi, tau -> e (mu) omega, etc.Comment: 36 pages, 3 tables, 5 .eps figure
The Three Families from SM-like Chiral Models
We give a detailed description of the model construction procedures about our
new approach to the family structure of the standard model. SM-like chiral
fermion spectra, largely "derivable" from the gauge anomaly constraints, are
formulated in a symmetry
framework as an extension of the SM symmetry. The case gives naturally
three families as a result, with nontrivially embedded into the
. Such a spectrum has extra vector-like quarks and
leptons. We illustrate how an acceptable symmetry breaking pattern can be
obtained through a relatively simple scalar sector which gives naturally
hierarchical quark mass matrices. Compatibility with various FCNC constraints
and some interesting aspects of the possible phenomenological features are
discussed, from a non-model specific perspective. The question of incorporating
supersymmetry without putting in the Higgses as extra supermultiplet is also
addressed.Comment: 43 pages RevTex, including 9 tables and 3 figure
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