The LHC di-photon excess and Gauge Coupling Unification in Extra Z′Z^\prime Heterotic-String Derived Models

The di-photon excess observed at the LHC can be explained as a Standard Model singlet that is produced and decays by heavy vector-like colour triplets and electroweak doublets in one-loop diagrams. The characteristics of the required spectrum are well motivated in heterotic-string constructions that allow for a light $Z^\prime$. Anomaly cancellation of the $U(1)_{Z^\prime}$ symmetry requires the existence of the Standard Model singlet and vector-like states in the vicinity of the $U(1)_{Z^\prime}$ breaking scale. In this paper we show that the agreement with the gauge coupling data at one-loop is identical to the case of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, owing to cancellations between the additional states. We further show that effects arising from heavy thresholds may push the supersymmetric spectrum beyond the reach of the LHC, while maintaining the agreement with the gauge coupling data. We show that the string inspired model can indeed account for the observed signal and discuss the feasibility of obtaining viable scalar mass spectrum.Comment: 26 pages. 11 figures. Published versio

8{}^8Be Decay Anomaly and Light Z′Z'

In this proceedings, we discuss a light (17 MeV) $Z'$ solution to the anomaly observed in the decay of Beryllium-8 by the Atomki collaboration. We detail an anomaly free model with minimal particle content which can satisfy all other experimental constraints with gauge couplings $\mathcal{O}(10^{-4})$.Comment: Prepared for the 2019 EW session of the 54th Rencontres de Moriond, talk presented by Simon Kin

Water on Pt(111): the importance of proton disorder

The structure of a water adlayer on Pt(111) surface is investigated by extensive first principle calculations. Only allowing for proton disorder the ground state energy can be found. This results from an interplay between water/metal chemical bonding and the hydrogen bonding of the water network. The resulting short O-Pt distance accounts for experimental evidences. The novelty of these results shed a new light on relevant aspects of water-metal interaction.Comment: 10 pages 4 figures (color

Naturalness and Dark Matter Properties of the BLSSM

In this report, we compare the naturalness and Dark Matter (DM) properties of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and the $B-L$ Supersymmetric Standard Model (BLSSM), with universality in both cases. We do this by adopting standard measures for the quantitative analysis of the Fine-Tuning (FT), at both low (i.e. supersymmetric (SUSY)) and high (i.e. unification) scales. We will see a similar level of FT for both models in these scenarios, with a slightly better FT for the BLSSM at SUSY scales and MSSM at Grand Unification Theory (GUT) scales. When including DM relic constraints, we drastically confine the MSSM's parameter space, whereas we still find a large parameter space available for the non-minimal scenario.Comment: Prepared for proceedings for DIS2017, talk presented by Simon Kin

Prospects for Sneutrino Dark Matter in the BLSSM

The $(B-L)$ Supersymmetric Standard Model (BLSSM) motivates several Dark Matter (DM) candidates beyond the Minimally Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). We assess the comparative naturalness of the two models and discuss the potential detection properties of a particular candidate, the Right-Handed (RH) sneutrino.Comment: Prepared for proceedings for La Thuile 2018, talk by Simon Kin

Polymers near Metal Surfaces: Selective Adsorption and Global Conformations

We study the properties of a polycarbonate melt near a nickel surface as a model system for the interaction of polymers with metal surfaces by employing a multiscale modeling approach. For bulk properties a suitably coarse grained bead spring model is simulated by molecular dynamics (MD) methods with model parameters directly derived from quantum chemical calculations. The surface interactions are parameterized and incorporated by extensive quantum mechanical density functional calculations using the Car-Parrinello method. We find strong chemisorption of chain ends, resulting in significant modifications of the melt composition when compared to an inert wall.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures (2 color), 1 tabl

Sneutrino Dark Matter in the BLSSM

In the framework of the $(B-L)$ Supersymmetric Standard Model (BLSSM), we assess the ability of ground and space based experiments to establish the nature of its prevalent Dark Matter (DM) candidate, the sneutrino, which could either be CP-even or -odd. Firstly, by benchmarking this theory construct against the results obtained by the Planck spacecraft, we extract the portions of the BLSSM parameter space compliant with relic density data. Secondly, we show that, based on current sensitivities of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (FermiLAT) and their future projections, the study of high-energy $\gamma$-ray spectra will eventually enable us to extract evidence of this DM candidate through its annihilations into $W^+W^-$ pairs (in turn emitting photons), in the form of both an integrated flux and a differential energy spectrum which cannot be reconciled with the assumption of DM being fermionic (like, e.g., a neutralino), although it should not be possible to distinguish between the scalar and pseudoscalar hypotheses. Thirdly, we show that, while underground direct detection experiments will have little scope in testing sneutrino DM, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) may be able to do so in a variety of multi-lepton signatures, with and without accompanying jets (plus missing transverse energy), following data collection during Run 2 and 3.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Comments on Anomaly Cancellations by Pole Subtractions and Ghost Instabilities with Gravity

We investigate some aspects of anomaly cancellation realized by the subtraction of an anomaly pole, stressing on some of its properties in superspace. In a local formulation these subtractions can be described in terms of a physical scalar, an axion and related ghosts. They appear to be necessary for the unitarization of the theory in the ultraviolet, but they may generate an infrared instability of the corresponding effective action, signalled by ghost condensation. In particular the subtraction of the superanomaly multiplet by a pole in superspace is of dubious significance, due to the different nature of the chiral and conformal anomalies. In turn, this may set more stringent constraints on the coupling of supersymmetric theories to gravity.Comment: 18 pages. Revised version. To appear in "Classical and Quantum Gravity

Adaptive Molecular Resolution Approach in Hamiltonian Form: An Asymptotic Analysis

Adaptive Molecular Resolution approaches in Molecular Dynamics are becoming relevant tools for the analysis of molecular liquids characterized by the interplay of different physical scales. The essential difference among these methods is in the way the change of molecular resolution is made in a buffer/transition region. In particular a central question concerns the possibility of the existence of a global Hamiltonian which, by describing the change of resolution, is at the same time physically consistent, mathematically well defined and numerically accurate. In this paper we present an asymptotic analysis of the adaptive process complemented by numerical results and show that under certain mathematical conditions a Hamiltonian, which is physically consistent and numerically accurate, may exist. Such conditions show that molecular simulations in the current computational implementation require systems of large size and thus a Hamiltonian approach as the one proposed, at this stage, would not be practical from the numerical point of view. However, the Hamiltonian proposed provides the basis for a simplification and generalization of the numerical implementation of adaptive resolution algorithms to other molecular dynamics codes