CP Violation in D0 - anti-D0 Oscillations: General Considerations and Applications to the Littlest Higgs Model with T-Parity

The observed D0 - anti-D0 oscillations provide a new stage in our search for New Physics in heavy flavour dynamics. The theoretical verdict on the observed values of x_D and y_D remains ambiguous: while they could be totally generated by Standard Model dynamics, they could also contain a sizable or even leading contribution from New Physics. Those oscillations are likely to enhance the observability of CP violation as clear manifestations of New Physics. We present general formulae for D0 - anti-D0 oscillations, concentrating on the case of negligible direct CP violation. In particular we derive a general formula for the time-dependent mixing-induced CP asymmetry in decays to a CP eigenstate and its correlation with the semileptonic CP asymmetry a_SL(D0) in D0(t) -> l nu K. We apply our formalism to the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity, using the time-dependent CP asymmetry in D -> K_S phi as an example. We find observable effects at a level well beyond anything possible with CKM dynamics. Comparisons with CP violation in the K and B systems offer an excellent test of this scenario and reveal the specific pattern of flavour and CP violation in the D0 - anti-D0 system predicted by this model. We discuss a number of charm decays that could potentially offer an insight in the dynamics of CP violation in D decays. We also apply our formalism to B_s - anti-B_s mixing.Comment: 26 pages, 9 png figures, 1 table. v2: eq. (A.1) corrected, minor clarifying comments and few references added. v3: typos corrected, matches published versio

Minimal Flavour Violation and Beyond

Starting from the effective-theory framework for Minimal Flavour Violation, we give a systematic definition of next-to-minimal (quark) flavour violation in terms of a set of spurion fields exhibiting a particular hierarchy with respect to a small (Wolfenstein-like) parameter. A few illustrative examples and their consequences for charged and neutral decays with different quark chiralities are worked out in some detail. Our framework can be used as a model-independent classification scheme for the parameterization of flavour structure from physics beyond the Standard Model.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, phenomenological discussion extended, references adde

On CP Asymmetries in Two-, Three- and Four-Body D Decays

Indirect and direct CP violations have been established in K_L and B_d decays. They have been found in two-body decay channels -- with the exception of K_L to pi^+ pi^- e^+ e^- transitions. Evidence for direct CP asymmetry has just appeared in LHCb data on A_{CP}(D^0 to K^+ K^-) - A_{CP}(D^0 to pi^+ pi^-) with 3.5 sigma significance. Manifestations of New Dynamics (ND) can appear in CP asymmetries just below experimental bounds. We discuss D^{\pm}_{(s)}, D^0/\bar D^0 and D_L/D_S transitions to 2-, 3- and 4-body final states with a comment on predictions for inclusive vs. exclusive CP asymmetries. In particular we discuss T asymmetries in D to h_1 h_2 l^+ l^- in analogy with K_L to pi^+ pi^- e^+ e^- transitions due to interference between M1, internal bremsstrahlung and possible E1 amplitudes. Such an effect depends on the strength of CP violation originating from the ND -- as discussed here for Little Higgs Models with T parity and non-minimal Higgs sectors -- but also in the interferences between these amplitudes even in the Standard Model (SM). More general lessons can be learnt for T asymmetries in non-leptonic D decays like D to h_1h_2 h_3 h_4. Such manifestations of ND can be tested at LHCb and other Super-Flavour Factories like the projects at KEK near Tokyo and at Tor Vergata/Frascati near Rome.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures. Revised with current results from LHCb and HFAG and further interpretation

Inverse problems with inexact forward operator : iterative regularization and application in dynamic imaging

The classic regularization theory for solving inverse problems is built on the assumption that the forward operator perfectly represents the underlying physical model of the data acquisition. However, in many applications, for instance in microscopy or magnetic particle imaging, this is not the case. Another important example represent dynamic inverse problems, where changes of the searchedfor quantity during data collection can be interpreted as model uncertainties. In this article, we propose a regularization strategy for linear inverse problems with inexact forward operator based on sequential subspace optimization methods (SESOP). In order to account for local modelling errors, we suggest to combine SESOP with the Kaczmarz’ method. We study convergence and regularization properties of the proposed method and discuss several practical realizations. Relevance and performance of our approach are evaluated at simulated data from dynamic computerized tomography with various dynamic scenarios

Photon-induced production of the mirror quarks from the LHTLHT model at the LHCLHC

The photon-induced processes at the $LHC$ provide clean experimental conditions due to absence of the proton remnants, which might produce complementary and interesting results for tests of the standard model and for searching of new physics. In the context of the littlest $Higgs$ model with T-parity, we consider the photon-induced production of the mirror quarks at the $LHC$. The cross sections for various production channels are calculated and a simply phenomenology analysis is performed by assuming leptonic decays.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Characterising New Physics Models by Effective Dimensionality of Parameter Space

We show that the dimension of the geometric shape formed by the phenomenologically valid points inside a multi-dimensional parameter space can be used to characterise different new physics models and to define a quantitative measure for the distribution of the points. We explain a simple algorithm to determine the box-counting dimension from a given set of parameter points, and illustrate our method with examples from different models that have recently been studied with respect to precision flavour observables.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Precise limits from lepton flavour violating processes on the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity

We recalculate the leading one-loop contributions to mu > e gamma and mu -> eee in the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity, recovering previous results for the former. When all the Goldstone interactions are taken into account, the latter is also ultraviolet finite. The present experimental limits on these processes require a somewhat heavy effective scale ~2.5 TeV, or the flavour alignment of the Yukawa couplings of light and heavy leptons at the ~10% level, or the splitting of heavy lepton masses to a similar precision. Present limits on tau decays set no bounds on the corresponding parameters involving the tau leptonComment: 41 pages, 11 figures; v3: matches published version in JHE

Altered Physiology of Gastrointestinal Vagal Afferents Following Neurotrauma

The adaptability of the central nervous system has been revealed in several model systems. Of particular interest to central nervous system-injured individuals is the ability for neural components to be modified for regain of function. In both types of neurotrauma, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, the primary parasympathetic control to the gastrointestinal tract, the vagus nerve, remains anatomically intact. However, individuals with traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury are highly susceptible to gastrointestinal dysfunctions. Such gastrointestinal dysfunctions attribute to higher morbidity and mortality following traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. While the vagal efferent output remains capable of eliciting motor responses following injury, evidence suggests impairment of the vagal afferents. Since sensory input drives motor output, this review will discuss the normal and altered anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal vagal afferents to better understand the contributions of vagal afferent plasticity following neurotrauma

Rare K and B Decays in the Littlest Higgs Model without T-Parity

We analyze rare K and B decays in the Littlest Higgs (LH) model without T-parity. We find that the final result for the Z^0-penguin contribution contains a divergence that is generated by the one-loop radiative corrections to the currents corresponding to the dynamically broken generators. Including an estimate of these logarithmically enhanced terms, we calculate the branching ratios for the decays K^+ -> pi^+ nu bar nu, K_L -> pi^0 nu bar nu, B_{s,d} -> mu^+ mu^- and B -> X_{s,d} nu bar nu. We find that for the high energy scale f=O(2-3) TeV, as required by the electroweak precision studies, the enhancement of all branching ratios amounts to at most 15% over the SM values. On the technical side we identify a number of errors in the existing Feynman rules in the LH model without T-parity that could have some impact on other analyses present in the literature. Calculating penguin and box diagrams in the unitary gauge, we find divergences in both contributions that are cancelled in the sum except for the divergence mentioned above.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figures, typos corrected, comment on (2.17) and (2.18) added, references added, results unchange