110 research outputs found
The Minimal Scale Invariant Extension of the Standard Model
We perform a systematic analysis of an extension of the Standard Model that
includes a complex singlet scalar field and is scale invariant at the tree
level. We call such a model the Minimal Scale Invariant extension of the
Standard Model (MSISM). The tree-level scale invariance of the model is
explicitly broken by quantum corrections, which can trigger electroweak
symmetry breaking and potentially provide a mechanism for solving the gauge
hierarchy problem. Even though the scale invariant Standard Model is not a
realistic scenario, the addition of a complex singlet scalar field may result
in a perturbative and phenomenologically viable theory. We present a complete
classification of the flat directions which may occur in the classical scalar
potential of the MSISM. After calculating the one-loop effective potential of
the MSISM, we investigate a number of representative scenarios and determine
their scalar boson mass spectra, as well as their perturbatively allowed
parameter space compatible with electroweak precision data. We discuss the
phenomenological implications of these scenarios, in particular, whether they
realize explicit or spontaneous CP violation, neutrino masses or provide dark
matter candidates. In particular, we find a new minimal scale-invariant model
of maximal spontaneous CP violation which can stay perturbative up to
Planck-mass energy scales, without introducing an unnaturally large hierarchy
in the scalar-potential couplings.Comment: 71 pages, 34 eps figures, numerical error corrected, clarifying
comments adde
Light Higgsino from Axion Dark Radiation
The recent observations imply that there is an extra relativistic degree of
freedom coined dark radiation. We argue that the QCD axion is a plausible
candidate for the dark radiation, not only because of its extremely small mass,
but also because in the supersymmetric extension of the Peccei-Quinn mechanism
the saxion tends to dominate the Universe and decays into axions with a sizable
branching fraction. We show that the Higgsino mixing parameter mu is bounded
from above when the axions produced at the saxion decays constitute the dark
radiation: mu \lesssim 300 GeV for a saxion lighter than 2m_W, and mu less than
the saxion mass otherwise. Interestingly, the Higgsino can be light enough to
be within the reach of LHC and/or ILC even when the other superparticles are
heavy with mass about 1 TeV or higher. We also estimate the abundance of axino
produced by the decays of Higgsino and saxion.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure; published in JHE
Neutrino Mass and from a Mini-Seesaw
The recently proposed "mini-seesaw mechanism" combines naturally suppressed
Dirac and Majorana masses to achieve light Standard Model neutrinos via a
low-scale seesaw. A key feature of this approach is the presence of multiple
light (order GeV) sterile-neutrinos that mix with the Standard Model. In this
work we study the bounds on these light sterile-neutrinos from processes like
\mu ---> e + \gamma, invisible Z-decays, and neutrinoless double beta-decay. We
show that viable parameter space exists and that, interestingly, key
observables can lie just below current experimental sensitivities. In
particular, a motivated region of parameter space predicts a value of BR(\mu
---> e + \gamma) within the range to be probed by MEG.Comment: 1+26 pages, 7 figures. v2 JHEP version (typo's fixed, minor change to
presentation, results unchanged
Neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models
We study the general phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay in
seesaw models. In particular, we focus on the dependence of the neutrinoless
double beta decay rate on the mass of the extra states introduced to account
for the Majorana masses of light neutrinos. For this purpose, we compute the
nuclear matrix elements as functions of the mass of the mediating fermions and
estimate the associated uncertainties. We then discuss what can be inferred on
the seesaw model parameters in the different mass regimes and clarify how the
contribution of the light neutrinos should always be taken into account when
deriving bounds on the extra parameters. Conversely, the extra states can also
have a significant impact, cancelling the Standard Model neutrino contribution
for masses lighter than the nuclear scale and leading to vanishing neutrinoless
double beta decay amplitudes even if neutrinos are Majorana particles. We also
discuss how seesaw models could reconcile large rates of neutrinoless double
beta decay with more stringent cosmological bounds on neutrino masses.Comment: 34 pages, 5 eps figures and 1 axodraw figure. Final version published
in JHEP. NME results available in Appendi
Disguised Propaganda from Digital to Social Media
Disguised propaganda and political deception in digital media have been studied since the early days of the World Wide Web. At the intersection of internet research and propaganda studies, this chapter explores disguised propaganda on websites and social media platforms. Based on a discussion of key concepts and terminology, this chapter outlines how new modes of deception and source obfuscation emerge in digital and social media environments, and how this development complicates existing conceptual and epistemological frameworks in propaganda studies. The chapter concludes by arguing that contemporary challenges of detecting and countering disguised propaganda can only be resolved, if social media companies are held accountable and provide the necessary support for user contestation
Comparing online campaigning: The evolution of interactive campaigning from Royal to Obama to Hollande
© 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.Studies of election campaigning from a comparative perspective have a long history; this study approaches the topic through a most-similar regime perspective to explore the ebb and flow of innovations in digital campaigning between presidential campaigns in France and the United States. The hype surrounding the 2008 Obama campaign overshadowed innovations in France the previous year, while the 2011 contest gained little serious academic attention. Using a well-established content analysis methodology the research explains the strategic design of the digital dimension of the campaigns of the leading candidates (Sarkozy and Royal in 2007, Obama and McCain in 2008, Hollande and Sarkozy in 2011, and Obama and Romney in 2012). The research then assesses the strategic contribution of each feature using schematics for understanding the flow of communication, as well as the strategy employed by each candidate. The key findings are that the campaigns are becoming more interactive, with the citizens increasingly more able to enter into conversations with the campaign teams, however interactivity when it happens is carefully controlled. Largely, however, there is a strong similarity masked by the sophistication of US contests. Despite the advances in communication technology and the social trends they have instigated, campaign communication remains top-down and digital technologies are used to gather data and push supporters towards activism than creating an inclusive space for the co-creation that cyberoptimists argued would revitalise the structures of democracy
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