217 research outputs found
CMB Signals of Neutrino Mass Generation
We propose signals in the cosmic microwave background to probe the type and
spectrum of neutrino masses. In theories that have spontaneous breaking of
approximate lepton flavor symmetries at or below the weak scale, light
pseudo-Goldstone bosons recouple to the cosmic neutrinos after nucleosynthesis
and affect the acoustic oscillations of the electron-photon fluid during the eV
era. Deviations from the Standard Model are predicted for both the total energy
density in radiation during this epoch, \Delta N_nu, and for the multipole of
the n'th CMB peak at large n, \Delta l_n. The latter signal is difficult to
reproduce other than by scattering of the known neutrinos, and is therefore an
ideal test of our class of theories. In many models, the large shift, \Delta
l_n \approx 8 n_S, depends on the number of neutrino species that scatter via
the pseudo-Goldstone boson interaction. This interaction is proportional to the
neutrino masses, so that the signal reflects the neutrino spectrum. The
prediction for \Delta N_nu is highly model dependent, but can be accurately
computed within any given model. It is very sensitive to the number of
pseudo-Goldstone bosons, and therefore to the underlying symmetries of the
leptons, and is typically in the region of 0.03 < \Delta N_nu < 1. This signal
is significantly larger for Majorana neutrinos than for Dirac neutrinos, and,
like the scattering signal, varies as the spectrum of neutrinos is changed from
hierarchical to inverse hierarchical to degenerate.Comment: 40 pages, 4 figure
The LHC Phenomenology of Vectorlike Confinement
We investigate in detail the LHC phenomenology of "vectorlike confinement",
where the Standard Model is augmented by a new confining gauge interaction and
new light fermions that carry vectorlike charges under both the Standard Model
and the new gauge group. If the new interaction confines at the TeV scale, this
framework gives rise to a wide range of exotic collider signatures such as the
production of a vector resonance that decays to a pair of collider-stable
charged massive particles (a "di-CHAMP" resonance), to a pair of
collider-stable massive colored particles (a "di-R-hadron resonance), to
multiple photons, s and s via two intermediate scalars, and/or to
multi-jet final states. To study these signals at the LHC, we set up two
benchmark models: one for the di-CHAMP and multi-photon signals, and the other
for the di-R-hadron and multijet signals. For the di-CHAMP/multi-photon model,
Standard Model backgrounds are negligible, and we show that a full
reconstruction of the spectrum is possible, providing powerful evidence for
vectorlike confinement. For the di-R-hadron/multijet model, we point out that
in addition to the di-R-hadron signal, the rate of the production of four
R-hadrons can also be sizable at the LHC. This, together with the multi-jet
signals studied in earlier work, makes it possible to single out vectorlike
confinement as the underlying dynamics.Comment: 32 pages, 28 figures. Several typos fixed, one paragraph added
elaborating choice of benchmarks. Version accepted by JHEP
Supersymmetry in Slow Motion
We construct new theories of electroweak symmetry breaking that employ a
combination of supersymmetry and discrete symmetries to stabilize the weak
scale up to and beyond the energies probed by the LHC. These models exhibit
conventional supersymmetric spectra but the fermion-sfermion-gaugino vertices
are absent. This closes many conventional decay channels, thereby allowing
several superpartners to be stable on collider time scales. This opens the door
to the possibility of directly observing R-hadrons and three flavors of
sleptons inside the LHC detectors.Comment: A reference added. The discussion on the Higgs sector expanded. The
version accepted for publication in JHE
Abnormalities of the FHIT gene in human oral carcinogenesis
The abnormalities of the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene in tissue samples of oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) along with several leukoplakias and an erythroplakia were examined to determine whether the FHIT gene is actually a frequent target in vivo for alteration during oral carcinogenesis. Abnormal transcripts of the FHIT gene were found in eight of 15 oral SCCs. Although these abnormal transcripts varied widely, deletion patterns incorporating a deletion of exon 5 were the most common. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis demonstrated that the abnormal FHIT transcripts found in cancer cells were attributable to abnormalities of the FHIT gene. Abnormal FHIT transcripts were also observed in two of seven premalignant lesions. Interestingly, in the case of one patient with a premalignant lesion showing an abnormal FHIT transcript, subsequent oral SCC developed during a 3-year follow-up period. On the other hand, in the two patients from whom both leukoplakia and SCC samples were taken simultaneously, abnormal FHIT transcripts were found only in the SCCs. Although the functional role of FHIT remains to be clarified, these results suggest that the FHIT alteration is actually involved in carcinogenesis of the oral epithelium. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
Mini Z' Burst from Relic Supernova Neutrinos and Late Neutrino Masses
In models in which neutrinos are light, due to a low scale of symmetry
breaking, additional light bosons are generically present. We show that the
interaction between diffuse relic supernova neutrinos (RSN) and the cosmic
background neutrinos, via exchange of these light scalars, can result in a
dramatic change of the supernova (SN) neutrinos flux. Measurement of this
effect with current or future experiments can provide a spectacular direct
evidence for the low scale models. We demonstrate how the observation of
neutrinos from SN1987A constrains the symmetry breaking scale of the above
models. We also discuss how current and future experiments may confirm or
further constrain the above models, either by detecting the ``accumulative
resonance'' that diffuse RSN go through or via a large suppression of the flux
of neutrinos from nearby < O(Mpc) SN bursts.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, version to be published in JHE
Composite Dirac Neutrinos
We present a mechanism that naturally produces light Dirac neutrinos. The
basic idea is that the right-handed neutrinos are composite. Any realistic
composite model must involve `hidden flavor' chiral symmetries. In general some
of these symmetries may survive confinement, and in particular, one of them
manifests itself at low energy as an exact symmetry. Dirac neutrinos are
therefore produced. The neutrinos are naturally light due to compositeness. In
general, sterile states are present in the model, some of them can naturally be
warm dark matter candidates.Comment: 12 pages; Sec. IIC updated; minor corrections; published versio
Vectorlike Confinement at the LHC
We argue for the plausibility of a broad class of vectorlike confining gauge
theories at the TeV scale which interact with the Standard Model predominantly
via gauge interactions. These theories have a rich phenomenology at the LHC if
confinement occurs at the TeV scale, while ensuring negligible impact on
precision electroweak and flavor observables. Spin-1 bound states can be
resonantly produced via their mixing with Standard Model gauge bosons. The
resonances promptly decay to pseudo-Goldstone bosons, some of which promptly
decay to a pair of Standard Model gauge bosons, while others are charged and
stable on collider time scales. The diverse set of final states with little
background include multiple photons and leptons, missing energy, massive stable
charged particles and the possibility of highly displaced vertices in dilepton,
leptoquark or diquark decays. Among others, a novel experimental signature of
resonance reconstruction out of massive stable charged particles is
highlighted. Some of the long-lived states also constitute Dark Matter
candidates.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures. v4: expanded discussion of Z_2 symmetry for
stability, one reference adde
KeV Warm Dark Matter and Composite Neutrinos
Elementary keV sterile Dirac neutrinos can be a natural ingredient of the
composite neutrino scenario. For a certain class of composite neutrino
theories, these sterile neutrinos naturally have the appropriate mixing angles
to be resonantly produced warm dark matter (WDM). Alternatively, we show these
sterile neutrinos can be WDM produced by an entropy-diluted thermal freeze-out,
with the necessary entropy production arising not from an out-of-equilibrium
decay, but rather from the confinement of the composite neutrino sector,
provided there is sufficient supercooling.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, published versio
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