B Physics: CP Violation Beyond the SM

We analyse the present experimental evidence for a complex CKM matrix, even allowing for New Physics contributions to $\epsilon_{K}$, $a_{J/\Psi K_{S}}$%, $\Delta M_{B_{d}}$, $\Delta M_{B_{s}}$, and the $\Delta I=1/2$ piece of $\rho \rho$ and $B\to \rho \pi$. We emphasize the crucial r\^{o}le played by the angle $\gamma$ in both providing irrefutable evidence for a 3$\times$3 complex CKM matrix and placing constraints on the size of NP contributions. It is shown that even if one allows for New Physics a real CKM matrix is excluded at a 99.92% C.L., and the probability for the phase $\gamma$ to be in the interval $[-170^{\circ};-10^{\circ}]\cup \lbrack 10^{\circ};170^{\circ}]$ is 99.7%. Large value of the phase $\chi$, e.g. of order $\lambda$, is only possible in models where the unitarity of the $3\times 3$ Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix is violated through the introduction of extra $Q=2/3$ quarks. We study the allowed range for $\chi$ and the effect of a large $\chi$ on various low-energy observables, such as CP asymmetries in $B$ meson decays. We also discuss the correlated effects which would be observable at high energy colliders, like decays $t\to cZ$, etc..Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Presented at the Symposium in Honour of Gustavo C. Branco "CP Violation and the Flavour Puzzle", Lisbon, Portugal, 19-20 July 2005. To appear in Acta Physica Polonica

Dynamical zeros in neutrino-electron elastic scattering at leading order

We show the existence of dynamical zeros in the helicity amplitudes for neutrino-electron elastic scattering at lowest order in the standard theory. In particular, the $\lambda=1/2$ non-flip electron helicity amplitude in the electron antineutrino process vanishes for an incident neutrino energy $E_{\nu}=m_{e}/(4sin^{2}\theta_{W})$ and forward electrons (maximum recoil energy). The rest of helicity amplitudes show kinematical zeros in this configuration and therefore the cross section vanishes. Prospects to search for neutrino magnetic moment are discussed.Comment: 9 pg.+ 2 figures (not included available upon request

Invariant approach to flavour-dependent CP-violating phases in the MSSM

We use a new weak basis invariant approach to classify all the observable phases in any extension of the Standard Model (SM). We apply this formalism to determine the invariant CP phases in a simplified version of the Minimal Supersymmetric SM with only three non-trivial flavour structures. We propose four experimental measures to fix completely all the observable phases in the model. After these phases have been determined from experiment, we are able to make predictions on any other CP-violating observable in the theory, much in the same way as in the Standard Model all CP-violation observables are proportional to the Jarlskog invariant.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figure

A Novel Kind of Neutrino Oscillation Experiment

A novel method to look for neutrino oscillations is proposed based on the elastic scattering process $\bar{\nu}_{i} e^{-}\rightarrow \bar{\nu}_{i} e^{-}$, taking advantage of the dynamical zero present in the differential cross section for $\bar{\nu}_{e} e^{-}\rightarrow \bar{\nu}_{e} e^{-}$. An effective tunable experiment between the "appearance" and "disappearance" limits is made possible. Prospects to exclude the allowed region for atmospheric neutrino oscillations are given.Comment: 11 pages (+3 figures, available upon request),Standard Latex, FTUV/94-3

Measurements of New Physics in B -> pi pi Decays

If new physics (NP) is present in B -> pi pi decays, it can affect the isospin I=2 or I=0 channels. In this paper, we discuss various methods for detecting and measuring this NP. The techniques have increasing amounts of theoretical hadronic input. If NP is eventually detected in B -> pi pi -- there is no evidence for it at present -- one will be able to distinguish I=2 and I=0, and measure its parameters, using these methods.Comment: 24 pages, no figures, revte

Can one detect new physics in I=0 and/or I=2 contributions to the decays B --> pi pi?

We study the effects of new-physics contributions to B --> pi pi decays, which can be parametrized as four new complex quantities. A simple analysis is provided by utilizing the reparametrization invariance of the decay amplitudes. We find that six quantities can be reabsorbed into the definitions of Standard Model-like parameters. As a result, the usual isospin analysis provides only two constraints on new physics which are independent of estimates for the Standard Model contributions. In particular, we show that one is not sensitive to new physics affecting the I=0 amplitudes. On the other hand, I=2 new physics can be detected, and its parameters can be measured by using independent determinations of the weak phases. We obtain constraints on these new-physics parameters through a fit to the current experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, RevTe

Flavour Changing Higgs Couplings in a Class of Two Higgs Doublet Models

We analyse various flavour changing processes like $t\to hu,hc$, $h\to \tau e,\tau\mu$ as well as hadronic decays $h\to bs,bd$, in the framework of a class of two Higgs doublet models where there are flavour changing neutral scalar currents at tree level. These models have the remarkable feature of having these flavour-violating couplings entirely determined by the CKM and PMNS matrices as well as $\tan\beta$. The flavour structure of these scalar currents results from a symmetry of the Lagrangian and therefore it is natural and stable under the renormalization group. We show that in some of the models the rates of the above flavour changing processes can reach the discovery level at the LHC at 13 TeV even taking into account the stringent bounds on low energy processes, in particular $\mu\to e\gamma$.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures; matches version accepted for publicatio

Measure of the size of CP violation in extended models

In this letter we introduce a possible measure of the size of CP violation in the Standard Model and its extensions, based on quantities invariant under the change of weak quark basis. We also introduce a measure of the ``average size'' of CP violation in a model, which can be used to compare the size of CP violation in models involving extra sequential or vector-like quarks, or left-right symmetry.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, no figure

What if the Masses of the First Two Quark Families are not Generated by the Standard Higgs?

We point out that, in the context of the SM, $|V^2_{13}| + | V^2_{23}|$ is expected to be large, of order one. The fact that $|V^2_{13}| + |V^2_{23}| \approx 1.6 \times 10^{-3}$ motivates the introduction of a symmetry S which leads to $V_{CKM} ={1\>\!\!\!\mathrm{I}}$, with only the third generation of quarks acquiring mass. We consider two scenarios for generating the mass of the first two quark generations and full quark mixing. One consists of the introduction of a second Higgs doublet which is neutral under S. The second scenario consists of assuming New Physics at a high energy scale , contributing to the masses of light quark generations, in an effective field theory approach. This last scenario leads to couplings of the Higgs particle to $s\overline s$ and $c \overline c$ which are significantly enhanced with respect to those of the SM. In both schemes, one has scalar-mediated flavour- changing neutral currents which are naturally suppressed. Flavour violating top decays are predicted in the second scenario at the level \mbox{Br} (t \rightarrow h c ) \geq 5\times 10^{-5}.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur