arXiv subjects

A. B. Lahanas

Publications and source records attributed to A. B. Lahanas.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Aspects of supersymmetry breaking driven inflation in orbifold models

We consider gravitationally induced corrections to inflaton potentials driven by supersymmetry breaking in a five-dimensional supergravity, compactified on a $ S_1/Z_2 $ orbifold. The supersymmetry breaking takes place on the hidden brane and is transmitted to the visible brane through finite one loop graphs giving rise to an inflaton potential which includes gravitationally induced terms. These corrections are significant for inflationary cosmology and have the potential to modify the predictions of widely studied supergravity models if the latter are embedded in this framework. To explore these effects we examine two classes of models those inspired by no-scale supergravity models and $α$-attractors. Both models are compatible with current cosmological observations but face chalenges in reconciling enhanced values for the scalar power spectrum $ P_ζ$ with cosmological data, particularly regarding the tensor to scalar ratio $r$. In fact $ P_ζ\gtrsim 10^{-2}$ results to $ r > \mathcal{O} (0.1) $, outside the limits put by current data.

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arXiv2022

Issues in Palatini ${\cal{R}}^2$ inflation: Bounds on the Reheating Temperature

We consider ${\cal{R}}^2$-inflation in Palatini gravity, in the presence of scalar fields coupled to gravity. These theories, in the Einstein frame, and for one scalar field $h$, share common features with $K$ - inflation models. We apply this formalism for the study of single-field inflationary models, whose potentials are monomials, $ V \sim h^{n} $, with $ n $ a positive even integer. We also study the Higgs model non-minimally coupled to gravity. With ${\cal{R}}^2$-terms coupled to gravity as $\sim α{\cal{R}}^2 $, with $α$ constant, the instantaneous reheating temperature $T_{ins}$, is bounded by $ T_{ins} \leq { 0.290 \, m_{Planck}} / {\, α^{1/4}} $, with the upper bound being saturated for large $α$. For such large $α$ need go beyond slow-roll to calculate reliably the cosmological parameters, among these the end of inflation through which $T_{ins}$ is determined. In fact, as inflaton rolls towards the end of inflation point, the quartic in the velocity terms, unavoidable in Palatini gravity, play a significant role and can not be ignored. The values of $α$, and other parameters, are constrained by cosmological data, setting bounds on the inflationary scale $M_{s} \sim 1/\sqrtα$ and the reheating temperature of the Universe.

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arXiv2020

Reheating in $R^2$ Palatini inflationary models

We consider $R^2$ inflation in the Palatini gravity assuming the existence of scalar fields, coupled to gravity in the most general manner. These theories, in the Einstein frame, and for one scalar field $h$, share common features with $K$ - inflation models. We apply this formalism for the study of popular inflationary models, whose potentials are monomials, $ V \sim h^{n} $, with $ n $ a positive even integer. We also study the Higgs model non-minimally coupled to gravity. Although these have been recently studied, in the framework of the Palatini approach, we show that the scalar power spectrum severely constrains these models. Although we do not propose a particular reheating mechanism, we show that the quadratic $ \sim h^2$ and the Higgs model can survive these constraints with a maximum reheating temperature as large as $ \sim 10^{15} \, GeV$, when reheating is instantaneous. However, this can be only attained at the cost of a delicate fine-tuning of couplings. Deviations from this fine-tuned values can still yield predictions compatible with the cosmological data, for couplings that lie in very tight range, giving lower reheating temperatures.

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arXiv2017

Deforming the Starobinsky model in ghost-free higher derivative supergravities

We consider higher derivative supergravities that are dual to ghost-free $N=1$ supergravity theories in the Einstein frame. The duality is implemented by deforming the Kähler function, and/or the superpotential, to include nonlinear dependences on chiral fields that in other approaches play the role of the Lagrange multipliers employed to establish this duality. These models are of the no-scale type, and in the minimal case, require the presence of four chiral multiplets, with a Kähler potential having the structure of the $ SU(4,1)/SU(4) \times U(1) $ coset manifold. In the standard $N=1$ supergravity formulation, these models are described by a multifield scalar potential, featuring Starobinsky-like behavior in particular directions.

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arXiv2015

Towards a formulation of $f(R)$ supergravity

The supersymmetric completion of $R+R^2$ gravity is known to be equivalent to standard supergravity coupled to two chiral supermultiples with a Kähler potential of the no-scale type. The generalization of this programme to $f(R)$ gravity can be carried out in an analogous framework in terms of four chiral multiplets with appropriately chosen superpotential and Kähler potential. Although the construction strategy has been known for sometime, we carry out this programme further by setting these theories in a closed form. The general framework considered can accommodate supergravity actions local in the scalar curvature, dual to ordinary $N = 1$ supergravities. Although these are in general plagued by ghosts, the framework studied in this work offers a possibility that these can decouple as can be seen in specific examples.

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arXiv2015

Inflation in no-scale supergravity

$R+R^2$ Supergravity is known to be equivalent to standard Supergravity coupled to two chiral supermultiples with a no-scale Kähler potential. Within this framework, that can accomodate vanishing vacuum energy and spontaneous supersymmetry breaking, we consider modifications of the associated superpotential and study the resulting models, which, viewed as generalizations of the Starobinsky model, for a range of the superpotential parameters, describe viable single-field slow-roll inflation. In all models studied in this work the tensor to scalar ratio is found to be small, well below the upper bound established by the very recent PLANCK and BICEP2 data.

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arXiv2015

Inflation in $R^2$ supergravity with non-minimal superpotentials

We investigate the cosmological inflation in a class of supergravity models that are generalizations of non-supersymmetric $R^2$ models. Although such models have been extensively studied recently, especially after the launch of the PLANCK and BICEP2 data, the class of models that can be constructed has not been exhausted. In this note, working in a supergravity model that is a generalization of Cecotti's model, we show that the appearance of new superpotential terms, which are quadratic in the superfield $\, Λ$ that couples to the Ricci supermultiplet, alters substantially the form of the scalar potential. The arising potential has the form of the Starobinsky potential times a factor that is exponential in the inflaton field and dominates for large inflaton values. We show that the well-known Starobinsky inflation scenario is maintained only for unnaturally small fine-tuned values of the coupling describing the $Λ^2$ superpotential terms. A welcome feature is the possible increase of the tensor to scalar ratio $r$, within the limits set by the new Planck and BICEP2 data.

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arXiv2014

Inflationary behavior of $R^2$ gravity in a conformal framework

Models of inflation are tightly constrained by the PLANCK satellite data. Among them, Starobinsky's model with an exponential type potential seems to be challenged by the recent BICEP2 results. The model is based on the existence of $\,~ R^2$ terms in the Einstein-Hilbert action, which have their origin in the conformal-anomaly. Conformal (or Weyl) gravitational theories are relevant when matter fields become effectively massless; i.e. their masses are negligible in comparison with the spacetime curvature. These theories may include other, additional scalar fields. We show that their presence under general conditions does not destabilize the inflationary behaviour encountered in the Starobinsky model, although the issue of the exact quantitative agreement with existing data, like the tensor to scalar ratio, rests on the choice of parameters.

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arXiv2014

Six-dimensional origin of gravity mediated brane to brane supersymmetry breaking

Four dimensional supergravities may be the right framework to describe particle physics at low energies. Its connection to the underlying string theory can be implemented through higher dimensional supergravities which bear special characteristics. Their reduction to four dimensions breaks supersymmetry whose magnitude depends both on the compactifying manifold and the mechanism that generates the breaking. In particular compactifications, notably on a $S_1/Z_2$ orbifold, the breaking of supersymmetry occuring on a hidden brane, residing at one end of $S_1/Z_2$, is communicated to the visible brane which lies at the other end, via gravitational interactions propagating in the bulk. This scenario has been exemplified in the framework of the $N=2$, $D=5$ supergravity. In this note, motivated by the recent developments in the field, related to the six-dimensional description of the supergravity theory, we study the $N=2$, $D=5$ supergravity theory as originating from a $D=6$ supergravity which, in addition to the gravity, includes a number of tensor multiplets. This reduces to $N=1$, $D=4$ supergravity in a two step manner, first by Kaluza-Klein reduction followed by a $S_1/Z_2$ orbifold compactification. The resulting theory has striking similarities with the one that follows from the single standalone $N=2$, $D=5$ supergravity, with no reference to the underlying higher dimensional $D=6$ supergravity, and a structure that makes the supersymmetry breaking mechanisms studied in the past easily incorporated in higher dimensional schemes.

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arXiv2012

Dilaton dominance relaxes LHC and cosmological constraints in supersymmetric models

It has been pointed out recently that the presence of dilaton field in the early Universe can dilute the neutralino dark matter (DM) abundance, if Universe is not radiation dominated at DM decoupling, due to its dissipative-like coupling to DM. In this scenario two basic mechanisms compete, the modified Hubble expansion rate tending to increase the relic density and a dissipative force that tends to decrease it. The net effect can lead to an overall dramatic decrease of the predicted relic abundance, sometimes by amounts of the order of O(10^2) or so. This feature is rather generic, independent of any particular assumption on the underlying string dynamics, provided dilaton dominates at early eras after the end of inflation but before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). The latter ensures that BBN is not upset by the presence of the dilaton. In this paper, within the context of such a scenario, we study the phenomenology of the constrained minimal supersymmetric model (CMSSM) by taking into account all recent experimental constraints, including those from the LHC searches. We find that the allowed parameter space is greatly enlarged and includes regions that are beyond the reach of LHC. The allowed regions are compatible with Direct Dark Matter searches since the small neutralino annihilation rates, that are now in accord with the cosmological data on the relic density, imply small neutralino-nucleon cross sections below the sensitivities of the Direct Dark Matter experiments. It is also important that the new cosmologically accepted regions are compatible with Higgs boson masses larger than 120 GeV, as it is indicated from the LHC experimental data. The smaller annihilation cross sections needed to explain WMAP data require that the detector performances of current and planned indirect DM search experiments through gamma rays should be greatly improved in order to probe the CMSSM regions.

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arXiv2011

Dilaton dominance in the early Universe dilutes Dark Matter relic abundances

The role of the dilaton field and its coupling to matter may result to a dilution of Dark Matter (DM) relic densities. This is to be contrasted with quintessence scenarios in which relic densities are augmented, due to modification of the expansion rate, since Universe is not radiation dominated at DM decoupling. Dilaton field, besides this, affects relic densities through its coupling to dust which tends to decrease relic abundances. Thus two separate mechanisms compete each other resulting, in general, to a decrease of the relic density. This feature may be welcome and can rescue the situation if Direct Dark Matter experiments point towards small neutralino-nucleon cross sections, implying small neutralino annihilation rates and hence large relic densities, at least in the popular supersymmetric scenarios. In the presence of a diluting mechanism both experimental constraints can be met. The role of the dilaton for this mechanism has been studied in the context of the non-critical string theory but in this work we follow a rather general approach assuming that the dilaton dominates only at early eras long before Big Bang Nucleosynthesis.

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arXiv2010

The soft supersymmetry breaking in D=5 supergravity compactified on S_1/Z_2 orbifolds

We study the origin of the supersymmetry breaking induced by the mediation of gravity and the radion multiplet from the hidden to the visible brane in the context of the N=2, D=5 supergravity compactified on S_1/Z_2 orbifolds. The soft supersymmetry breaking terms for scalar masses, trilinear scalar couplings and gaugino masses are calculated to leading order in the five dimensional Newton's constant k_5^2 and the gravitino mass m_{3/2}. These are finite and non-vanishing, with the scalar soft masses be non-tachyonic, and are all expressed in terms of the gravitino mass and the length scale R of the fifth dimension. The soft supersymmetry breaking parameters are thus correlated and the phenomenological implications are discussed.

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arXiv2009

Supersymmetry Signals of Supercritical String Cosmology at the Large Hadron Collider

We investigate the minimal supergravity (mSUGRA) signals at the LHC in the context of supercritical string cosmology (SSC). In this theory, the presence of a time dependent dilaton provides us with a smoothly evolving dark energy and modifies the dark matter allowed region of the mSUGRA model with standard cosmology. Such a dilaton dilutes the supersymmetric dark matter density (of neutralinos) by a factor O(10) and consequently the regions with too much dark matter in the standard scenario are allowed in the SSC. The final states expected at the LHC in this scenario, unlike the standard scenario, consist of Z bosons, Higgs bosons, and/or high energy taus. We show how to characterize these final states and determine the model parameters. Using these parameters, we determine the dark matter content and the neutralino-proton cross section. All these techniques can also be applied to determine model parameters in SSC models with different SUSY breaking scenarios.

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arXiv2008

Refining the predictions of supersymmetric CP-violating models: A top-down approach

We explore in detail the consequences of the CP-violating phases residing in the supersymmetric and soft SUSY breaking parameters in the approximation that family flavour mixings are ignored. We allow for non-universal boundary conditions and in such a consideration the model is described by twelve independent CP-violating phases and one angle which misaligns the vacuum expectation values (VEVs) of the Higgs scalars. We run two-loop renormalization group equations (RGEs), for all parameters involved, including phases, and we properly treat the minimization conditions using the one-loop effective potential with CP-violating phases included. We show that the two-loop running of phases may induce sizable effects for the electric dipole moments (EDMs) that are absent in the one-loop RGE analysis. Also important corrections to the EDMs are induced by the Higgs VEVs misalignment angle which are sizable in the large tanb region. Scanning the available parameter space we seek regions compatible with accelerator and cosmological data with emphasis on rapid neutralino annihilations through a Higgs resonance. It is shown that large CP-violating phases, as required in Baryogenesis scenarios, can be tuned to obtain agreement with WMAP3 cold dark matter constraints, EDMs and all available accelerator data, in extended regions of the parameter space which may be accessible to LHC.

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arXiv2008

Non-critical String Cosmologies

Non-critical String Cosmologies are offered as an alternative to Standard Big Bang Cosmology. The new features encompassed within the dilaton dependent non-critical terms affect the dynamics of the Universeś evolution in an unconventional manner being in agreement with the cosmological data. Non-criticality is responsible for a late transition to acceleration at redshifts z=0.2. The role of the uncoupled rolling dilaton to relic abundance calculations is discussed. The uncoupled rolling dilaton dilutes the neutralino relic densities in supersymmetric theories by factors of ten, relaxing considerably the severe WMAP Dark Matter constraints, while at the same time leaves almost unaffected the baryon density in agreement with primordial Nucleosynthesis.

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arXiv2008

On the radion mediation of the Supersymmetry breaking in N=2, D=5 Supergravity Orbifolds

We discuss the on-shell N=1 Supersymmetric coupling of brane chiral multiplets in the context of N=2, D=5 Supergravity compactified on $S_1/Z_2$ orbifolds. Assuming a constant superpotential on the hidden brane we study the transmission of the supersymmetry breaking to the visible brane. We find that to lowest order in the five dimensional Newton's constant $k_5^2$ and gravitino mass $m_{3/2}^2$ the spinor field of the radion multiplet is responsible of inducing positive one-loop squared masses $m_ϕ^2 \sim {m_{3/2}^2} / (M_{Planck}^2 R^2)$ to the scalar fields which are localized on the visible brane with $R$ the length scale of the fifth dimension. Considering a cubic superpotential on the visible brane we also find that non-vanishing soft trilinear scalar couplings $A$ are induced given by $A=3m_ϕ^2/m_{3/2}$.

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arXiv2007

Smoothly evolving Supercritical-String Dark Energy relaxes Supersymmetric-Dark-Matter Constraints

We show that Supercritical-String-Cosmology (SSC) off-equilibrium and time-dependent-dilaton effects lead to a smoothly evolving dark energy for the last 10 billion years in concordance with all presently available astrophysical data. Such effects dilute by a factor O (10) the supersymmetric dark matter density (neutralinos), relaxing severe WMAP 1,3 constraints on the SUSY parameter space. Thus, LHC anticipated searches/discoveries may discriminate between conventional and Supercritical-String Cosmology.

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arXiv2006

LSP as a Candidate for Dark Matter

The most recent observations by the WMAP satellite provided us with data of unprecedented accuracy regarding the parameters describing the Standard Cosmological Model. The current matter-energy density of the Universe is close to its critical value of which 73% is attributed to Dark Energy, 23% to Cold Dark Matter and only 4% is ordinary matter of baryonic nature. The origins of the Dark Energy (DE) and Dark Matter (DM) constitute the biggest challenge of Modern Astroparticle Physics. Particle theories, which will be tested in the next round experiments in large accelerators, such as the LHC, provide candidates for DM while at the same time can be consistent with the DE component. We give a pedagogical account on the DM problem and the possibility that this has supersymmetric origin.

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