4D Effective Theory and Geometrical Approach

We consider the 4D effective theory for the light Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes. The heavy KK mode contribution is generally needed to reproduce the correct physical predictions: an equivalence, between the effective theory and the D-dimensional (or geometrical) approach to spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB), emerges only if the heavy mode contribution is taken into account. This happens even if the heavy mode masses are at the Planck scale. In particular, we analyze a 6D Einstein-Maxwell model coupled to a charged scalar and fermions. Moreover, we briefly review non-Abelian and supersymmetric extensions of this theory.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Proceeding for the Cairo International Conference on High Energy Physics (CICHEP II), 14 - 17 January 200

Chiral Asymmetry from a 5D Higgs Mechanism

An intriguing feature of the Standard Model is that the representations of the unbroken gauge symmetries are vector-like whereas those of the spontaneously broken gauge symmetries are chiral. Here we provide a toy model which shows that a natural explanation of this property could emerge in higher dimensional field theories and discuss the difficulties that arise in the attempt to construct a realistic theory. An interesting aspect of this type of models is that the 4D low energy effective theory is not generically gauge invariant. However, the non-invariant contributions to the observable quantities are very small, of the order of the square of the ratio between the light particle mass scale and the Kaluza-Klein mass scale. Remarkably, when we take the unbroken limit both the chiral asymmetry and the non-invariant terms disappear.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, uses axodraw.sty. Extended version, matches the article published on JHE

Relaxing Lorentz invariance in general perturbative anomalies

We analyze the role of Lorentz symmetry in the perturbative non-gravitational anomalies for a single family of fermions. The theory is assumed to be translational invariant, power-counting renormalizable and based on a local action, but is allowed to have general Lorentz violating operators. We study the conservation of global and gauge currents associate with general internal symmetry groups and find, by using a perturbative approach, that Lorentz symmetry does not participate in the clash of symmetries that leads to the anomalies. We first analyze the triangle graphs and prove that there are regulators for which the anomalous part of the Ward identities exactly reproduces the Lorentz invariant case. Then we show, by means of a regulator independent argument, that the anomaly cancellation conditions derived in Lorentz invariant theories remain necessary ingredients for anomaly freedom.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figure. Few comments added. Article published in Physical Review

On the Decoupling of Heavy Modes in Kaluza-Klein Theories

In this paper we examine the 4-dimensional effective theory for the light Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes. Our main interest is in the interaction terms. We point out that the contribution of the heavy KK modes is generally needed in order to reproduce the correct predictions for the observable quantities involving the light modes. As an example we study in some detail a 6-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell theory coupled to a charged scalar and fermions. In this case the contribution of the heavy KK modes are geometrically interpreted as the deformation of the internal space.Comment: 38 pages, 1 figur

Aspects of Physics with Two Extra Dimensions

In this thesis we discuss some aspects concerning the construction of a 4D effective theory derived from higher dimensional (in particular 6D) models. The first part is devoted to the study of how the heavy Kaluza-Klein modes contribute to the low energy dynamics of the light modes. The second part concerns the analysis of the spectrum arising from non standard compactifications of 6D minimal gauged supergravities, involving a warp factor and conical defects in the internal manifold. We also review some of the background material.Comment: PhD Thesis, 142 pages, 2 Postscript figures, uses axodraw.st

Gravitational waves from fundamental axion dynamics

A totally asymptotically free QCD axion model, where all couplings flow to zero in the infinite energy limit, was recently formulated. A very interesting feature of this fundamental theory is the ability to predict some low-energy observables, like the masses of the extra fermions and scalars. Here we find and investigate a region of the parameter space where the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is broken quantum mechanically through the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism. This results in an even more predictive framework: the axion sector features only two independent parameters (the PQ symmetry breaking scale and the QCD gauge coupling). In particular, we show that the PQ phase transition is strongly first order and can produce gravitational waves within the reach of future detectors. The predictivity of the model leads to a rigid dependence of the phase transition (like its duration and the nucleation temperature) and the gravitational wave spectrum on the PQ symmetry breaking scale and the QCD gauge coupling

Axion–sterile neutrino dark matter

Extending the standard model with three right-handed neutrinos and a simple QCD axion sector can account for neutrino oscillations, dark matter and baryon asymmetry; at the same time, it solves the strong CP problem, stabilizes the electroweak vacuum and can implement critical Higgs inflation (satisfying all current observational bounds). We perform here a general analysis of dark matter (DM) in such a model, which we call the a nu MSM. Although critical Higgs inflation features a (quasi) inflection point of the inflaton potential, we show that DM cannot receive a contribution from primordial black holes in the a nu MSM. This leads to a multicomponent axion-sterile neutrino DM and allows us to relate the axion parameters, such as the axion decay constant, to the neutrino parameters. We include several DM production mechanisms: the axion production via misalignment and decay of topological defects as well as the sterile neutrino production through the resonant and non-resonant mechanisms and in the recently proposed CPT-symmetric universe

(In)equivalence of metric-affine and metric effective field theories

In a geometrical approach to gravity the metric and the (gravitational) connection can be independent and one deals with metric-affine theories. We construct the most general action of metric-affine effective field theories, including a generic matter sector, where the connection does not carry additional dynamical fields. Among other things, this helps in identifying the complement set of effective field theories where there are other dynamical fields, which can have an interesting phenomenology. Within the latter set, we study in detail a vast class where the Holst invariant (the contraction of the curvature with the Levi-Civita antisymmetric tensor) is a dynamical pseudoscalar. In the Einstein-Cartan case (where the connection is metric compatible and fermions can be introduced) we also comment on the possible phenomenological role of dynamical dark photons from torsion and compute interactions of the above-mentioned pseudoscalar with a generic matter sector and the metric. Finally, we show that in an arbitrary realistic metric-affine theory featuring a generic matter sector the equivalence principle always emerges at low energies without the need to postulate it

Running with Rugby Balls: Bulk Renormalization of Codimension-2 Branes

We compute how one-loop bulk effects renormalize both bulk and brane effective interactions for geometries sourced by codimension-two branes. We do so by explicitly integrating out spin-zero, -half and -one particles in 6-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar theories compactified to 4 dimensions on a flux-stabilized 2D geometry. (Our methods apply equally well for D dimensions compactified to D-2 dimensions, although our explicit formulae do not capture all divergences when D>6.) The renormalization of bulk interactions are independent of the boundary conditions assumed at the brane locations, and reproduce standard heat-kernel calculations. Boundary conditions at any particular brane do affect how bulk loops renormalize this brane's effective action, but not the renormalization of other distant branes. Although we explicitly compute our loops using a rugby ball geometry, because we follow only UV effects our results apply more generally to any geometry containing codimension-two sources with conical singularities. Our results have a variety of uses, including calculating the UV sensitivity of one-loop vacuum energy seen by observers localized on the brane. We show how these one-loop effects combine in a surprising way with bulk back-reaction to give the complete low-energy effective cosmological constant, and comment on the relevance of this calculation to proposed applications of codimension-two 6D models to solutions of the hierarchy and cosmological constant problems.Comment: 42 pages + appendices. This is the final version which appears in JHE