Z_p scalar dark matter from multi-Higgs-doublet models

In many models, stability of dark matter particles is protected by a conserved Z_2 quantum number. However dark matter can be stabilized by other discrete symmetry groups, and examples of such models with custom-tailored field content have been proposed. Here we show that electroweak symmetry breaking models with N Higgs doublets can readily accommodate scalar dark matter candidates stabilized by groups Z_p with any $p \le 2^{N-1}$, leading to a variety of kinds of microscopic dynamics in the dark sector. We give examples in which semi-annihilation or multiple semi-annihilation processes are allowed or forbidden, which can be especially interesting in the case of asymmetric dark matter.Comment: 10 page

Dark origins of matter-antimatter asymmetry

In a non-minimal Higgs framework, we present a novel mechanism in which the CP violating dark particles only interact with the SM through the gauge bosons, primarily the Z boson. Such Z-portal dark CP violation is realised in the regions of the parameter space where Higgs-mediated (co)annihilation processes are sub-dominant and have negligible contributions to the DM relic density. We show that in these regions of the parameter space, the Z-portal CP violating DM can still thermalise and satisfy all experimental and observational data. We discuss the implications of such phenomena for electroweak baryogenesis.In a non-minimal Higgs framework, we present a novel mechanism in which the CP violating dark particles only interact with the SM through the gauge bosons, primarily the Z boson. Such Z-portal dark CP violation is realised in the regions of the parameter space where Higgs-mediated (co)annihilation processes are sub-dominant and have negligible contributions to the DM relic density. We show that in these regions of the parameter space, the Z portal CP violating DM can still thermalise and satisfy all experimental and observational data. We discuss the implications of such phenomena for electroweak baryogenesis. © 2019 Sissa Medialab Srl. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

CP violation and BSM Higgs bosons

6th International Workshop Charged 2016.We study extensions of the Standard Model (SM) in which copies of the SM scalar SU(2) doublet are added to the Higgs sector. These scalar doublets either acquire a Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV) and hence are active or do not develop a VEV and are inert. We consider CP-violation (CPV) in both the active and inert sector. As an example of a model with CPV in the active sector, we present a Type-I 2-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) with two active doublets and show Large Hadron Collider (LHC) signals of such a scenario. The amount of CPV in this case is very limited due to constraints coming from Electric Dipole Moment experiments. Moreover, 2HDMs with only active doublets do not provide a Dark Matter (DM) candidate. As a result, we turn to 3-Higgs-Doublet Models (3HDMs) where unbounded CPV and viable DM candidates could be introduced simultaneously in the inert sector. We investigate DM phenomenology of such models.Peer reviewe

Symmetries of the Scalar Sector of Multi-Higgs-Doublet Models

Classifying the symmetries of the scalar sector in multi-Higgs-doublet models is the main focus of this thesis. We have found certain symmetries that are always broken in models with more than two doublets, which we name "frustrated symmetries". In the attempt towards the classification of possible symmetries in the scalar sector of the NHDM, we find that these symmetry groups are either subgroups of the maximal torus, or certain finite Abelian groups which are not subgroups of maximal tori. For the subgroups of the maximal torus, we present an algorithmic strategy that gives the full list of possible realizable Abelian symmetries for any given $N$. We extend this strategy to include Abelian antiunitary symmetries (with generalized CP transformations) in NHDM. We also show that multi-Higgs-doublet models can naturally accommodate scalar dark matter candidates protected by the group $\Z_p$, since these groups are realizable in NHDM. These models do not require any significant fine-tuning and can lead to a variety of forms of microscopic dynamics among the dark matter candidates.Comment: PhD thesi

Baryogenesis from a CP-Violating Inflation

Funding Information: The author acknowledges financial support from Academy of Finland projects “Particle cosmology and gravitational waves” No. 320123 and “Particle cosmology beyond the Standard Model” No. 310130, and would like to thank the organisers of the BSM-2021 conference for creating the opportunity for lively scientific discussions. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 CERN. All rights reserved.We introduce the novel phenomena of CP-violating inflation in the frameworks of a 3-Higgs doublet model where the inflaton doublets have a non-minimal coupling to gravity. We allow for this coupling to be complex, thereby introducing CP-violation - a necessary source of the baryon asymmetry - in the inflaton couplings. We investigate the inflationary dynamics of such a framework and the inflaton decay in the reheating phase. We discuss how the CP-violation of the model is imprinted on the particle asymmetries.Peer reviewe

Short Report: Association Between Chloroquine and Amodiaquine Resistance and Allelic Variation in the Plasmodium Falciparum Multiple Drug Resistance 1 Gene and the Chloroquine Resistance Transporter Gene in Isolates from the Upper Nile in Southern Sudan.

Amodiaquine, a 4-aminoquinoline compound, is being considered as an alternative to chloroquine and pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine where resistance in Plasmodium falciparum to both drugs has been selected. Although amodiaquine is more potent than chloroquine, its effectiveness is reduced in areas where chloroquine resistance is high. We report an association of the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene and the P. falciparum multiple drug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) gene, two chloroquine resistance markers, with chloroquine and amodiaquine efficacy in vivo in southern Sudan. The data show that the allele of the pfcrt gene with a lysine to threonine change at codon 76 is strongly associated with both chloroquine and amodiaquine resistance. No such association was observed with the pfmdr1 gene

Cueing training in the home improves mobility in Parkinson's disease

QuestionDoes a 3-week, home-based cueing program improve gait, gait-related activity, and health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease (PD)?DesignA multicentre, single-blinded randomised crossover trial.SettingUniversity medical centres in the UK, Belgium, and The Netherlands.Patients153 patients with PD aged between 41 and 80 years and in Hoehn and Yahr stage II–IV were randomly allocated to an ‘early’ or ‘late’ intervention group. Subjects in the late group were put on a 3-week waiting list, without intervention, followed immediately by three weeks of cueing training. The order of the 3-week periods was reversed in the early group. Both groups underwent a follow-up period of 6 weeks without training.InterventionsThe cueing program was delivered at home and consisted of nine treatment sessions of 30 minutes. Patients were trained with their preferred cueing modality: auditory, visual (light flashes), or somatic-sensory (vibrations). Cueing strategies were trained during a variety of tasks and environmental situations (indoor and outdoor), aiming to improve step length and walking speed, prevent freezing episodes and improve balance, by correcting the temporal aspects of gait.OutcomesPosture and gait scores (PG scores) measured at 3, 6, and 12 weeks were the primary outcomes. The PG scores consisted of a composite score of gait and balance based on items of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes included specific measures of gait, freezing and balance, functional activities, quality of life, and carer strain.Main resultsSmall but significant (p < 0.05) improvements were found after intervention of 4.2% on the PG scores, gait speed (5 cm/sec), step length (4 cm), timed balance tests, and the confidence to carry out functional activities as measured with the Falls Efficacy Scale (3.7%). Severity of freezing was reduced by 5.5% in freezers only.ConclusionCueing training in the home improves mobility in patients with PD