146 research outputs found
Status Report on Universal Extra Dimensions After LHC8
Although they do not address the hierarchy problem, models with Universal
Extra Dimensions have attracted a lot of attention as simple benchmark models
characterized by small mass splittings and a dark matter WIMP played by the
Lightest Kaluza-Klein particle (LKP). We review their status, with emphasis on
the minimal implementation in 5 dimensions (MUED) in which the LKP is a massive
hypercharge gauge boson. In this case, the mass range accounting for the
correct dark matter abundance (around 1.4 TeV) remains untouched by LHC8 and is
out of reach of present DM direct detection experiments. However, LHC14 can
probe the relevant region in the 3-lepton channel.Comment: Invited review for special issue on "Extra dimensions vs Collider
Physics" to appear in IJMPA. 14 pages, 9 figures; v2: Figure 5 clarified and
references added; v3:comment added on low cutoff cas
Higgsogenesis
In addition to explaining the masses of elementary particles, the Higgs boson
may have far-reaching implications for the generation of the matter content in
the Universe. For instance, the Higgs plays a key role in two main theories of
baryogenesis, namely electroweak baryogenesis and leptogenesis. In this letter,
we propose a new cosmological scenario where the Higgs chemical potential
mediates asymmetries between visible and dark matter sectors, either generating
a baryon asymmetry from a dark matter asymmetry or vice-versa. We illustrate
this mechanism with a simple model with two new fermions coupled to the Higgs
and discuss associated signatures.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; v2: Intro and conclusion improved, clarifications
added, results unchanged. Compared to the PRL version, this arxiv version
contains two extra plots, one additional table and a slightly longer
conclusio
Gravitational Waves from Phase Transitions at the Electroweak Scale and Beyond
If there was a first order phase transition in the early universe, there
should be an associated stochastic background of gravitational waves. In this
paper, we point out that the characteristic frequency of the spectrum due to
phase transitions which took place in the temperature range 100 GeV - 10^7 GeV
is precisely in the window that will be probed by the second generation of
space-based interferometers such as the Big Bang Observer (BBO). Taking into
account the astrophysical foreground, we determine the type of phase
transitions which could be detected either at LISA, LIGO or BBO, in terms of
the amount of supercooling and the duration of the phase transition that are
needed. Those two quantities can be calculated for any given effective scalar
potential describing the phase transition. In particular, the new models of
electroweak symmetry breaking which have been proposed in the last few years
typically have a different Higgs potential from the Standard Model. They could
lead to a gravitational wave signature in the milli-Hertz frequency, which is
precisely the peak sensitivity of LISA. We also show that the signal coming
from phase transitions taking place at T ~ 1-100 TeV could entirely screen the
relic gravitational wave signal expected from standard inflationary models.Comment: 18 pages, 24 figure
QCD-induced Electroweak Phase Transition
Phase transitions associated with nearly conformal dynamics are known to lead
to significant supercooling. A notorious example is the phase transition in
Randall-Sundrum models or their CFT duals. In fact, it was found that the phase
transition in this case is first-order and the tunneling probability for the
radion/dilaton is so small that the system typically remains trapped in the
false vacuum and the phase transition never completes. The universe then keeps
expanding and cooling. Eventually the temperature drops below the QCD scale. We
show that the QCD condensates which subsequently form give an additional
contribution to the radion/dilaton potential, an effect which had been ignored
so far. This significantly reduces the barrier in the potential and allows the
phase transition to complete in a substantially larger region of parameter
space. Due to the supercooling, electroweak symmetry is then broken
simultaneously. This class of models therefore naturally leads to an
electroweak phase transition taking place at or below QCD temperatures, with
interesting cosmological implications and signatures.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figure
The Serendipity of Electroweak Baryogenesis
The origin of the matter antimatter asymmetry of the universe remains
unexplained in the Standard Model of particle physics. The origin of the
flavour structure is another major puzzle of the theory. In this article, we
report on recent work attempting to link the two themes through the appealing
framework of electroweak baryogenesis. We show that Yukawa couplings of
Standard Model fermions can be the source of CP-violation for electroweak
baryogenesis if they vary at the same time as the Higgs is acquiring its vacuum
expectation value, offering new avenues for electroweak baryogenesis. The
advantage of this approach is that it circumvents the usual severe bounds from
Electric Dipole moments. These ideas apply if the mechanism explaining the
flavour structure of the Standard Model is connected to electroweak symmetry
breaking, as motivated for instance in Randall-Sundrum or Composite Higgs
models. We compute the resulting baryon asymmetry for different configurations
of the Yukawa coupling variation across the bubble wall, and show that it can
naturally be of the right order.Comment: ArXiv version of the contribution to the "Higgs cosmology" issue
published in Philosophical Transactions A, associated with the Theo Murphy
meeting which took place at the Royal Society Kavli Centre at Chicheley Hall
on March 27-28 2017. 12 pages, 6 figure
Extra Dimensions at the LHC
We discuss the motivation and the phenomenology of models with either flat or
warped extra dimensions. We describe the typical mass spectrum and discovery
signatures of such models at the LHC. We also review several proposed methods
for discriminating the usual low-energy supersymmetry from a model with flat
(universal) extra dimensions. (For the official website of the book, see
http://cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521763684 .)Comment: 33 pages, 17 figure
CP-violation for Electroweak Baryogenesis from Dynamical CKM Matrix
We show that the CKM matrix can be the source of CP violation for electroweak
baryogenesis if Yukawa couplings vary at the same time as the Higgs acquires
its vacuum expectation value. This offers new avenues for explaining the baryon
asymmetry of the universe. These ideas apply if the mechanism explaining the
flavour structure of the Standard Model is connected to electroweak symmetry
breaking. We compute the resulting baryon asymmetry for various low-scale
flavour models and different configurations of the Yukawa coupling variation
across the bubble wall, and show that it can naturally be of the right order.Comment: 43 pages, 17 figures; v2: replaced mismatched plot in Figure 8 and
corrected a typo in the caption; v3: JCAP published version, clarifications
added, results unchange
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