Improved results for N=(2,2) super Yang-Mills theory using supersymmetric discrete light-cone quantization

We consider the (1+1)-dimensional ${\cal N}=(2,2)$ super Yang--Mills theory which is obtained by dimensionally reducing ${\cal N}=1$ super Yang--Mills theory in four dimension to two dimensions. We do our calculations in the large-$N_c$ approximation using Supersymmetric Discrete Light Cone Quantization. The objective is to calculate quantities that might be investigated by researchers using other numerical methods. We present a precision study of the low-mass spectrum and the stress-energy correlator $$. We find that the mass gap of this theory closes as the numerical resolution goes to infinity and that the correlator in the intermediate $r$ region behaves like $r^{-4.75}$.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

Bound States and Power Counting in Effective Field Theories

The problem of bound states in effective field theories is studied. A rescaled version of nonrelativistic effective field theory is formulated which makes the velocity power counting of operators manifest. Results obtained using the rescaled theory are compared with known results from NRQCD. The same ideas are then applied to study Yukawa bound states in 1+1 and 3+1 dimensions, and to analyze when the Yukawa potential can be replaced by a delta-function potential. The implications of these results for the study of nucleon-nucleon scattering in chiral perturbation theory is discussed.Comment: 23 pages, eps figures, uses revte

Cosmological Consequences of Nearly Conformal Dynamics at the TeV scale

Nearly conformal dynamics at the TeV scale as motivated by the hierarchy problem can be characterized by a stage of significant supercooling at the electroweak epoch. This has important cosmological consequences. In particular, a common assumption about the history of the universe is that the reheating temperature is high, at least high enough to assume that TeV-mass particles were once in thermal equilibrium. However, as we discuss in this paper, this assumption is not well justified in some models of strong dynamics at the TeV scale. We then need to reexamine how to achieve baryogenesis in these theories as well as reconsider how the dark matter abundance is inherited. We argue that baryonic and dark matter abundances can be explained naturally in these setups where reheating takes place by bubble collisions at the end of the strongly first-order phase transition characterizing conformal symmetry breaking, even if the reheating temperature is below the electroweak scale $\sim 100$ GeV. We also discuss inflation as well as gravity wave smoking gun signatures of this class of models.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Evidence for a Binary Companion to the Central Compact Object 1E 1207.4-5209

Unique among neutron stars, 1E 1207.4-5209 is an X-ray pulsar with a spin period of 424 ms that contains at least two strong absorption features in its energy spectrum. This neutron star has been identified as a member of the radio-quiet compact central objects in supernova remnants. It has been found that 1E 1207.4-5209 is not spinning down monotonically suggesting that this neutron star undergoes strong, frequent glitches, contains a fall-back disk, or possess a binary companion. Here, we report on a sequence of seven XMM-Newton observations of 1E 1207.4-5209 performed during a 40 day window in June/July 2005. Due to unanticipated variance in the phase measurements beyond the statistical uncertainties, we could not identify a unique phase-coherent timing solution. The three most probable timing solutions give frequency time derivatives of +0.9, -2.6, and +1.6 X 10^(-12) Hz/s (listed in descending order of significance). We conclude that the local frequency derivative during our XMM-Newton observing campaign differs from the long-term spin-down rate by more than an order of magnitude, effectively ruling out glitch models for 1E 1207.4-5209. If the long-term spin frequency variations are caused by timing noise, the strength of the timing noise in 1E 1207.4-5209 is much stronger than in other pulsars with similar period derivatives. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the spin variations are caused by the same physical process that causes timing noise in other isolated pulsars. The most plausible scenario for the observed spin irregularities is the presence of a binary companion to 1E 1207.4-5209. We identified a family of orbital solutions that are consistent with our phase-connected timing solution, archival frequency measurements, and constraints on the companions mass imposed by deep IR and optical observations.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. To be published in the proceedings of "Isolated Neutron Stars: from the Interior to the Surface" (April 24-28, 2006) - eds. D. Page, R. Turolla & S. Zan

Top quark effects in composite vector pair production at the LHC

In the context of a strongly coupled Electroweak Symmetry Breaking, composite light scalar singlet and composite triplet of heavy vectors may arise from an unspecified strong dynamics and the interactions among themselves and with the Standard Model gauge bosons and fermions can be described by a $SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R/SU(2)_{L+R}$ Effective Chiral Lagrangian. In this framework, the production of the $V^{+}V^{-}$ and $V^{0}V^{0}$ final states at the LHC by gluon fusion mechanism is studied in the region of parameter space consistent with the unitarity constraints in the elastic channel of longitudinal gauge boson scattering and in the inelastic scattering of two longitudinal Standard Model gauge bosons into Standard Model fermions pairs. The expected rates of same-sign di-lepton and tri-lepton events from the decay of the $V^{0}V^{0}$ final state are computed and their corresponding backgrounds are estimated. It is of remarkable relevance that the $V^{0}V^{0}$ final state can only be produced at the LHC via gluon fusion mechanism since this state is absent in the Drell-Yan process. It is also found that the $V^{+}V^{-}$ final state production cross section via gluon fusion mechanism is comparable with the $V^{+}V^{-}$ Drell-Yan production cross section. The comparison of the $V^{0}V^{0}$ and $V^{+}V^{-}$ total cross sections will be crucial for distinguishing the different models since the vector pair production is sensitive to many couplings. This will also be useful to determine if the heavy vectors are only composite vectors or are gauge vectors of a spontaneously broken gauge symmetry.Comment: 18 pages, 5 tables, 6 figures. Missing figures added. Matches published versio

The Minimal Supersymmetric Fat Higgs Model

We present a calculable supersymmetric theory of a composite ``fat'' Higgs boson. Electroweak symmetry is broken dynamically through a new gauge interaction that becomes strong at an intermediate scale. The Higgs mass can easily be 200-450 GeV along with the superpartner masses, solving the supersymmetric little hierarchy problem. We explicitly verify that the model is consistent with precision electroweak data without fine-tuning. Gauge coupling unification can be maintained despite the inherently strong dynamics involved in electroweak symmetry breaking. Supersymmetrizing the Standard Model therefore does not imply a light Higgs mass, contrary to the lore in the literature. The Higgs sector of the minimal Fat Higgs model has a mass spectrum that is distinctly different from the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, REVTe

Running into New Territory in SUSY Parameter Space

The LEP-II bound on the light Higgs mass rules out the vast majority of parameter space left to the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with weak-scale soft-masses. This suggests the importance of exploring extensions of the MSSM with non-minimal Higgs physics. In this article, we explore a theory with an additional singlet superfield and an extended gauge sector. The theory has a number of novel features compared to both the MSSM and Next-to-MSSM, including easily realizing a light CP-even Higgs mass consistent with LEP-II limits, tan(beta) < 1, and a lightest Higgs which is charged. These features are achieved while remaining consistent with perturbative unification and without large stop-masses. Discovery modes at the Tevatron and LHC are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures; Typo in equation (4.5) corrected; submitted to JHE

Application of the two-step Lax and Wendroff FCT and the CE-SE method to flow transport in wall-flow monoliths

[EN] Gas dynamic codes are computational tools applied to the analysis of air management in internal combustion engines. The governing equations in one-dimensional elements are approached assuming compressible unsteady non-homentropic flow and are commonly solved applying finite difference numerical methods. These techniques can also be applied to the calculation of flow transport in complex systems such as wallflow monoliths. These elements are characterized by alternatively plugged channels with porous walls. It filters the particulates when the flowgoes through thewall from the inlet to the outlet channels. Therefore, this process couples the solution of every pair of inlet and outlet channels. In this study, the adaptation of the two-step Lax and Wendroff method and the space-time Conservation Element and Solution Element method is performed to be applied in the solution of flow transport in wall-flow monolith channels. The influence on the prediction ability is analysed by a shock-tube test and experimental data obtained under impulsive flow conditions.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion through grant number DPI2010-20891-C02-02.Serrano, JR.; Arnau Martínez, FJ.; Piqueras, P.; García Afonso, Ó. (2014). Application of the two-step Lax and Wendroff FCT and the CE-SE method to flow transport in wall-flow monoliths. International Journal of Computer Mathematics. 91(1):71-84. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207160.2013.783206S718491

Supersymmetric Models with Higher Dimensional Operators

In 4D renormalisable theories, integrating out massive states generates in the low energy effective action higher dimensional operators (derivative or otherwise). Using a superfield language it is shown that a 4D N=1 supersymmetric theory with higher derivative operators in either the Kahler or the superpotential part of the Lagrangian and with an otherwise arbitrary superpotential, is equivalent to a 4D N=1 theory of second order (i.e. without higher derivatives) with additional superfields and renormalised interactions. We provide examples where a free theory with trivial supersymmetry breaking provided by a linear superpotential becomes, in the presence of higher derivatives terms and in the second order version, a non-trivial interactive one with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. The couplings of the equivalent theory acquire a threshold correction through their dependence on the scale of the higher dimensional operator(s). The scalar potential in the second order theory is not necessarily positive definite, and one can in principle have a vanishing potential with broken supersymmetry. We provide an application to MSSM and argue that at tree-level and for a mass scale associated to a higher derivative term in the TeV range, the Higgs mass can be lifted above the current experimental limits.Comment: 36 pages; some clarifications and references adde

Electroweak Symmetry Breaking via UV Insensitive Anomaly Mediation

Anomaly mediation solves the supersymmetric flavor and CP problems. This is because the superconformal anomaly dictates that supersymmetry breaking is transmitted through nearly flavor-blind infrared physics that is highly predictive and UV insensitive. Slepton mass squareds, however, are predicted to be negative. This can be solved by adding D-terms for U(1)_Y and U(1)_{B-L} while retaining the UV insensitivity. In this paper we consider electroweak symmetry breaking via UV insensitive anomaly mediation in several models. For the MSSM we find a stable vacuum when tanbeta < 1, but in this region the top Yukawa coupling blows up only slightly above the supersymmetry breaking scale. For the NMSSM, we find a stable electroweak breaking vacuum but with a chargino that is too light. Replacing the cubic singlet term in the NMSSM superpotential with a term linear in the singlet we find a stable vacuum and viable spectrum. Most of the parameter region with correct vacua requires a large superpotential coupling, precisely what is expected in the ``Fat Higgs'' model in which the superpotential is generated dynamically. We have therefore found the first viable UV complete, UV insensitive supersymmetry breaking model that solves the flavor and CP problems automatically: the Fat Higgs model with UV insensitive anomaly mediation. Moreover, the cosmological gravitino problem is naturally solved, opening up the possibility of realistic thermal leptogenesis.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl