Vector-like Fields, Messenger Mixing and the Higgs mass in Gauge Mediation

In order to generate, in the context of gauge mediation, a Higgs mass around 126 GeV that avoids the little hierarchy problem, we explore a set of models where the messengers are directly coupled to new vector-like fields at the TeV scale in addition to the usual low energy degrees of freedom. We find that in this context, stop masses lighter than 2 TeV and large $A$-terms are generated, thereby improving issues of fine tuning.Comment: 17 pages. V3: Version accepted for publication at JHE

Fluctuations of large-scale jets in the stochastic 2D Euler equation

Two-dimensional turbulence in a rectangular domain self-organises into large-scale unidirectional jets. While several results are present to characterize the mean jets velocity profile, much less is known about the fluctuations. We study jets dynamics in the stochastically forced two-dimensional Euler equations. In the limit where the average jets velocity profile evolves slowly with respect to turbulent fluctuations, we employ a multi-scale (kinetic theory) approach, which relates jet dynamics to the statistics of Reynolds stresses. We study analytically the Gaussian fluctuations of Reynolds stresses and predict the spatial structure of the jets velocity covariance. Our results agree qualitatively well with direct numerical simulations, clearly showing that the jets velocity profile are enhanced away from the stationary points of the average velocity profile. A numerical test of our predictions at quantitative level seems out of reach at the present day

Kinetic theory of jet dynamics in the stochastic barotropic and 2D Navier-Stokes equations

We discuss the dynamics of zonal (or unidirectional) jets for barotropic flows forced by Gaussian stochastic fields with white in time correlation functions. This problem contains the stochastic dynamics of 2D Navier-Stokes equation as a special case. We consider the limit of weak forces and dissipation, when there is a time scale separation between the inertial time scale (fast) and the spin-up or spin-down time (large) needed to reach an average energy balance. In this limit, we show that an adiabatic reduction (or stochastic averaging) of the dynamics can be performed. We then obtain a kinetic equation that describes the slow evolution of zonal jets over a very long time scale, where the effect of non-zonal turbulence has been integrated out. The main theoretical difficulty, achieved in this work, is to analyze the stationary distribution of a Lyapunov equation that describes quasi-Gaussian fluctuations around each zonal jet, in the inertial limit. This is necessary to prove that there is no ultraviolet divergence at leading order in such a way that the asymptotic expansion is self-consistent. We obtain at leading order a Fokker--Planck equation, associated to a stochastic kinetic equation, that describes the slow jet dynamics. Its deterministic part is related to well known phenomenological theories (for instance Stochastic Structural Stability Theory) and to quasi-linear approximations, whereas the stochastic part allows to go beyond the computation of the most probable zonal jet. We argue that the effect of the stochastic part may be of huge importance when, as for instance in the proximity of phase transitions, more than one attractor of the dynamics is present

A Singlet Extension of the MSSM with a Dark Matter Portal

The minimal extension of the MSSM (NMSSM) has been widely studied in the search for a natural solution to the $\mu$ problem. In this work, we consider a variation of the NMSSM where an extra singlet is added and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry is imposed. We study its neutralino sector and compute the annihilation cross section of the lightest neutralino. We use existent cosmological and collider data to constrain the parameter space and consider the lightest neutralino, which is very light, as a dark matter candidate.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures . v4: minor corrections; version accepted for publicatio

Dynamics of Relaxed Inflation

The cosmological relaxation of the electroweak scale has been proposed as a mechanism to address the hierarchy problem of the Standard Model. A field, the relaxion, rolls down its potential and, in doing so, scans the squared mass parameter of the Higgs, relaxing it to a parametrically small value. In this work, we promote the relaxion to an inflaton. We couple it to Abelian gauge bosons, thereby introducing the necessary dissipation mechanism which slows down the field in the last stages. We describe a novel reheating mechanism, which relies on the gauge-boson production leading to strong electromagnetic fields, and proceeds via the vacuum production of electron-positron pairs through the Schwinger effect. We refer to this mechanism as Schwinger reheating. We discuss the cosmological dynamics of the model and the phenomenological constraints from CMB and other experiments. We find that a cutoff close to the Planck scale may be achieved. In its minimal form, the model does not generate sufficient curvature perturbations and additional ingredients, such as a curvaton field, are needed.Comment: 39 pages, 3 figures, appendices D and E added, published in JHE