Insensitivity of flavoured leptogenesis to low energy CP violation

If the baryon asymmetry of the Universe is produced by leptogenesis, CP violation is required in the lepton sector. In the seesaw extension of the Standard Model with three hierarchical right-handed neutrinos, we show that the baryon asymmetry is insensitive to the PMNS phases: thermal leptogenesis can work for any value of the observable phases. This result was well-known when there are no flavour effects in leptogenesis; we show that it remains true when flavour effects are included.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; version accepted for publication, added explanations, notation clarifie

Apego y psicopatología en adolescentes y jóvenes que han sufrido maltrato: implicaciones clínicas

ResumenSe estudia la relación entre apego y psicopatología en una muestra de 40 adolescentes y jóvenes que han sufrido maltrato intrafamiliar. El apego se evalúa mediante el cuestionario RQ de Bartholomew, que distingue cuatro estilos de apego en función de la imagen positiva o negativa del self y de los demás: apego seguro, preocupado, temeroso y evitativo. Los resultados del estudio muestran que el apego inseguro, sobre todo el subtipo evitativo, es el más prevalente. Algo más de la mitad de la muestra (52.5%) presenta sintomatología clínicamente significativa (evaluada mediante el SCL-90-R), en especial hostilidad, obsesión-compulsión, ideación paranoide, psicoticismo y sensibilidad interpersonal. Los estilos de apego con una visión negativa del self (preocupado y temeroso) tienden a presentar más sintomatología psicopatológica. Se discuten las implicaciones clínicas de estos resultados.AbstractIn this research, the relationship between attachment and psychopathology was studied in a sample of 40 adolescents and young adults who have suffered from intrafamily maltreatment. Attachment was assessed with Bartholomew's RQ, which distinguishes four attachment styles depending on the positive or negative image of the self and others: secure, preoccupied, fearful and dismissive attachment. Results show that insecure attachment, particularly the dismissive subtype, is the most prevalent one. Slightly more than half of the sample (52.5%) shows clinically significant symptoms (as assessed with the SCL-90-R), particularly hostility, obsessive-compulsive, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, and interpersonal sensitivity. Attachment styles with a negative vision of the self (preoccupied and fearful) tend to show more psychopathological symptoms. The clinical implications of these results are also discussed

On the full Boltzmann equations for Leptogenesis

We consider the full Boltzmann equations for standard and soft leptogenesis, instead of the usual integrated Boltzmann equations which assume kinetic equilibrium for all species. Decays and inverse decays may be inefficient for thermalising the heavy-(s)neutrino distribution function, leading to significant deviations from kinetic equilibrium. We analyse the impact of using the full kinetic equations in the case of a previously generated lepton asymmetry, and find that the washout of this initial asymmetry due to the interactions of the right-handed neutrino is larger than when calculated via the integrated equations. We also solve the full Boltzmann equations for soft leptogenesis, where the lepton asymmetry induced by the soft SUSY-breaking terms in sneutrino decays is a purely thermal effect, since at T=0 the asymmetry in leptons cancels the one in sleptons. In this case, we obtain that in the weak washout regime (K ~< 1) the final lepton asymmetry can change up to a factor four with respect to previous estimates.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, to be published in JCA

Non-relativistic leptogenesis

Bödeker D, Wörmann M. Non-relativistic leptogenesis. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. 2014;2014(02):016.In many phenomenologically interesting models of thermal leptogenesis the heavy neutrinos are non-relativistic when they decay and produce the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We propose a non-relativistic approximation for the corresponding rate equations in the non-resonant case, and a systematic way for computing relativistic corrections. We determine the leading order coefficients in these equations, and the first relativistic corrections. The non-relativistic approximation works remarkably well. It appears to be consistent with results obtained using a Boltzmann equation taking into account the momentum distribution of the heavy neutrinos, while being much simpler. We also compute radiative corrections to some of the coefficients in the rate equations. Their effect is of order 1% in the regime favored by neutrino oscillation data. We obtain the correct leading order lepton number washout rate in this regime, which leads to large (~ 20%) effects compared to previous computations

Full Boltzmann equations for leptogenesis including scattering

We study the evolution of a cosmological baryon asymmetry produced via leptogenesis by means of the full classical Boltzmann equations, without the assumption of kinetic equilibrium and including all quantum statistical factors. Beginning with the full mode equations we derive the usual equations of motion for the right-handed neutrino number density and integrated lepton asymmetry, and show explicitly the impact of each assumption on these quantities. For the first time, we investigate also the effects of scattering of the right-handed neutrino with the top quark to leading order in the Yukawa couplings by means of the full Boltzmann equations. We find that in our full Boltzmann treatment the final lepton asymmetry can be suppressed by as much as a factor of 1.5 in the weak wash-out regime (K<1), compared to the usual integrated approach which assumes kinetic equilibrium and neglects quantum statistics. This suppression is in contrast with the enhancement seen in some previous studies that considered only decay and inverse decay of the right-handed neutrino. However, this suppression quickly decreases as we increase K. In the strong wash-out regime (K>1), the full Boltzmann treatment and the integrated approach give nearly identical final lepton asymmetries (within 10 % of each other at K>3). Finally, we show that the opposing effects of quantum statistics on decays/inverse decays and the scattering processes tend to reduce the net importance of scattering on leptogenesis in the full treatment compared to the integrated approach.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figures, typos corrected, replaced to match published versio

Soft leptogenesis in the inverse seesaw model

We consider leptogenesis induced by soft supersymmetry breaking terms ("soft leptogenesis"), in the context of the inverse seesaw mechanism. In this model there are lepton number (L) conserving and L-violating soft supersymmetry-breaking B-terms involving the singlet sneutrinos which, together with the -- generically small-- L-violating parameter responsible of the neutrino mass, give a small mass splitting between the four singlet sneutrino states of a single generation. In combination with the trilinear soft supersymmetry breaking terms they also provide new CP violating phases needed to generate a lepton asymmetry in the singlet sneutrino decays. We obtain that in this scenario the lepton asymmetry is proportional to the L-conserving soft supersymmetry-breaking B-term, and it is not suppressed by the L-violating parameters. Consequently we find that, as in the standard see-saw case, this mechanism can lead to sucessful leptogenesis only for relatively small value of the relevant soft bilinear coupling. The right-handed neutrino masses can be sufficiently low to elude the gravitino problem. Also the corresponding Yukawa couplings involving the lightest of the right-handed neutrinos are constrained to be \sum |Y_{1k}|^2\lesssim 10^{-7} which generically implies that the neutrino mass spectrum has to be strongly hierarchical.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure; some references added; final version to appear in JHE

Neutrino masses from higher than d=5 effective operators

We discuss the generation of small neutrino masses from effective operators higher than dimension five, which open new possibilities for low scale see-saw mechanisms. In order to forbid the radiative generation of neutrino mass by lower dimensional operators, extra fields are required, which are charged under a new symmetry. We discuss this mechanism in the framework of a two Higgs doublet model. We demonstrate that the tree level generation of neutrino mass from higher dimensional operators often leads to inverse see-saw scenarios in which small lepton number violating terms are naturally suppressed by the new physics scale. Furthermore, we systematically discuss tree level generalizations of the standard see-saw scenarios from higher dimensional operators. Finally, we point out that higher dimensional operators can also be generated at the loop level. In this case, we obtain the TeV scale as new physics scale even with order one couplings.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Some references adde

Wash-Out in N_2-dominated leptogenesis

We study the wash-out of a cosmological baryon asymmetry produced via leptogenesis by subsequent interactions. Therefore we focus on a scenario in which a lepton asymmetry is established in the out-of-equilibrium decays of the next-to-lightest right-handed neutrino. We apply the full classical Boltzmann equations without the assumption of kinetic equilibrium and including all quantum statistical factors to calculate the wash-out of the lepton asymmetry by interactions of the lightest right-handed state. We include scattering processes with top quarks in our analysis. This is of particular interest since the wash-out is enhanced by scatterings and the use of mode equations with quantum statistical distribution functions. In this way we provide a restriction on the parameter space for this scenarios.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures, profound revision, exposition is now in flavor notation, one plot and discussion added, numerical error corrected, three plots changed, text polished, main results remain unchanged, reference added,matches published versio

Leptogenesis from Soft Supersymmetry Breaking (Soft Leptogenesis)

Soft leptogenesis is a scenario in which the cosmic baryon asymmetry is produced from a lepton asymmetry generated in the decays of heavy sneutrinos (the partners of the singlet neutrinos of the seesaw) and where the relevant sources of CP violation are the complex phases of soft supersymmetry-breaking terms. We explain the motivations for soft leptogenesis, and review its basic ingredients: the different CP-violating contributions, the crucial role played by thermal corrections, and the enhancement of the efficiency from lepton flavour effects. We also discuss the high temperature regime $T > 10^7$ GeV in which the cosmic baryon asymmetry originates from an initial asymmetry of an anomalous $R$-charge, and soft leptogenesis reembodies in $R$-genesis.Comment: References updated. Some minor corrections to match the published versio

Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction : The Moderating Role of Attachment

Introduction: In clinical consultations, men with erectile dysfunction do not always express personal, sexual, and interpersonal concerns. Aim: We explore whether the attenuated impact of erectile dysfunction may be explained by a regulation of negative affect that causes activation of the attachment system. Methods: The study sample consisted of 69 men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, mean (SD) age 56 (10.83) years. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to assess erectile dysfunction severity, attachment style, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological symptoms. Main Outcome Measure: The moderating role of attachment between erectile dysfunction and sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and psychological distress was evaluated using multiple linear regression and moderation analysis. Results: All men in the sample had high attachment avoidance, distributed between the dismissive-avoidant (69.6%) and fearful-avoidant (30.4%) substyles, but low levels of psychological symptoms. Despite their erectile dysfunction, 27 patients (39.1%) rated their sexual life as satisfactory, and 46 (66.7%) rated their relationship with their partner as satisfactory. Men with fearful-avoidant attachment reported feeling more sexual desire and less sexual satisfaction than men with dismissive-avoidant attachment. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that sexual satisfaction variance was explained by erectile dysfunction severity, attachment anxiety, and relationship satisfaction scores. Moderation analysis showed that attachment anxiety, but not relationship satisfaction, moderated the impact of erectile dysfunction on sexual satisfaction. Conclusion: The avoidance dimension of attachment, which tends to be high in patients with erectile dysfunction, involves deactivation of the sexual system in an effort to minimize the emotional distress associated with erectile dysfunction, which damages sexual and relationship intimacy and delays the decision to obtain professional help. The presence of high attachment avoidance and the moderating value of attachment anxiety allow us to propose specific treatments for these men. Maestre-Lorén F, Castillo-Garayoa JA, López-i-Martín X, et al. Psychological Distress in Erectile Dysfunction: The Moderating Role of Attachment. Sex Med 2021;9:100436