F-term uplifting via consistent D-terms

The issue of fine-tuning necessary to achieve satisfactory degree of hierarchy between moduli masses, the gravitino mass and the scale of the cosmological constant has been revisited in the context of supergravities with consistent D-terms. We have studied (extended) racetrack models where supersymmetry breaking and moduli stabilisation cannot be separated from each other. We show that even in such cases the realistic hierarchy can be achieved on the expense of a single fine-tuning. The presence of two condensates changes the role of the constant term in the superpotential, W_0, and solutions with small vacuum energy and large gravitino mass can be found even for very small values of W_0. Models where D-terms are allowed to vanish at finite vevs of moduli fields - denoted `cancellable' D-terms - and the ones where D-terms may vanish only at infinite vevs of some moduli - denoted `non-cancellable' - differ markedly in their properties. It turns out that the tuning with respect to the Planck scale required in the case of cancellable D-terms is much weaker than in the case of non-cancellable ones. We have shown that, against intuition, a vanishing D-term can trigger F-term uplifting of the vacuum energy due to the stringent constraint it imposes on vacuum expectation values of charged fields. Finally we note that our models only rely on two dimensionful parameters: M_P and W_0.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, plain Latex, references adde

Sterile neutrinos: the dark side of the light fermions

The discovery of neutrino masses suggests the likely existence of gauge singlet fermions that participate in the neutrino mass generation via the seesaw mechanism. The masses of the corresponding degrees of freedom can range from well below the electroweak scale to the Planck scale. If some of the singlet fermions are light, the sterile neutrinos appear in the low-energy effective theory. They can play an important role in astrophysics and cosmology. In particular, sterile neutrinos with masses of several keV can account for cosmological dark matter, which can be relatively warm or cold, depending on the production mechanism. The same particles can explain the observed velocities of pulsars because of the anisotropy in their emission from a cooling neutron star born in a supernova explosion. Decays of the relic sterile neutrinos can produce a flux of X-rays that can affect the formation of the first stars. Existing and future X-ray telescopes can be used to search for the relic sterile neutrinos.Comment: 54 page

The Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

We review the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model: the Higgs sector including radiative corrections and the 2-loop beta-functions for all parameters of the general NMSSM; the tadpole and domain wall problems, baryogenesis; NMSSM phenomenology at colliders, B physics and dark matter; specific scenarios as the constrained NMSSM, Gauge Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking, U(1)'-extensions, CP and R-parity violation.Comment: 144 pages, 11 figures, corrections in Eqs.(2.2), (2.21), (B.9

Enantiomeric Natural Products: Occurrence and Biogenesis

In nature, chiral natural products are usually produced in optically pure form—however, occasionally both enantiomers are formed. These enantiomeric natural products can arise from a single species or from different genera and/or species. Extensive research has been carried out over the years in an attempt to understand the biogenesis of naturally occurring enantiomers; however, many fascinating puzzles and stereochemical anomalies still remain. Two sides to the story : The formation of enantiomerically opposite natural products by nature is known, although rare (see examples). To date, many puzzles and stereochemical anomalies remain regarding the biogenesis of these unique natural products, despite the substantial body of research that has been carried out over the years in an attempt to understand the biogenesis of enantiomeric metabolites.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92098/1/4802_ftp.pd

Enantiomere Naturstoffe: Vorkommen und Biogenese

In der Natur werden chirale Substanzen meist in enantiomerenreiner Form synthetisiert – manchmal entstehen aber auch beide Enantiomere. Solche enantiomeren Naturstoffe können von einer Art oder von verschiedenen Gattungen und/oder Arten gebildet werden. Intensive Forschungen wurden über viele Jahre durchgeführt, um die Biogenese natürlich vorkommender Enantiomere zu verstehen, doch viele faszinierende Rätsel und stereochemische Anomalien sind nach wie vor ungelöst. Bild und Spiegelbild in der Natur: Die Bildung von natürlich vorkommenden Enantiomerenpaaren ist bekannt, wenn auch selten (siehe Beispiel). Bis heute sind noch viele Rätsel und stereochemische Anomalien bei der Biogenese dieser einmaligen Naturstoffe ungelöst, auch wenn im Laufe der Jahre viel Arbeit investiert worden ist, um die Entstehung enantiomerer Metaboliten zu verstehen.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91315/1/4886_ftp.pd

Small Yukawa couplings in particle physics and cosmology from Type 1 string theory

Within the framework of Type I string theory we construct phenomenologically interesting models.  The string theory is formulated in a 10 dimensional space of which 6 are compact and the anisotropies in the compact dimensions lead to a hierarchy of gauge and Yukawa couplings.  We make use of this hierarchy to construct a model of inflationary particle physics and a consistent model for Dirac neutrino masses.  The inflation model solves the strong CP and μ problems of the MSSM and predicts a range of allowed ratios for μ and the soft masses for the Higgs doublets.  We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain Dirac masses in agreement with current experimental data.</p

Small Yukawa couplings in particle physics and cosmology from Type 1 string theory

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Inflationary solution to the strong CP and mu problems

We show that the vacuum expectation value of the inflaton at the Peccei-Quinn axion scale can generate the supersymmetric Higgs mass $\mu$ term. This provides an inflationary simultaneous solution to the strong CP problem and the $\mu$ problem of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, and gives a testable prediction for the $\mu$ parameter: $\mu^2 \approx (0.25-0.5)m_0^2$, where $m_0$ is the soft Higgs scalar mass. Our model involves a very small Yukawa coupling of order $10^{-10}$, which could originate from an extra-dimensional scenario or type I string theory.Comment: Version to appear in Physics Letters B. 14 page