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A. Pomarol

Publications and source records attributed to A. Pomarol.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2016

One-loop non-renormalization results in EFTs

In Effective Field Theories (EFTs) with higher-dimensional operators many anomalous dimensions vanish at the one-loop level for no apparent reason. With the use of supersymmetry, and a classification of the operators according to their embedding in super-operators, we are able to show why many of these anomalous dimensions are zero. The key observation is that one-loop contributions from superpartners trivially vanish in many cases under consideration, making supersymmetry a powerful tool even for non-supersymmetric models. We show this in detail in a simple U(1) model with a scalar and fermions, and explain how to extend this to SM EFTs and the QCD Chiral Langrangian. This provides an understanding of why most "current-current" operators do not renormalize "loop" operators at the one-loop level, and allows to find the few exceptions to this ubiquitous rule.

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arXiv2015

Cosmological Higgs-Axion Interplay for a Naturally Small Electroweak Scale

Recently, a new mechanism to generate a naturally small electroweak scale has been proposed. It exploits the coupling of the Higgs to an axion-like field and a long era in the early universe where the axion unchains a dynamical screening of the Higgs mass. We present a new realization of this idea with the new feature that it leaves no signs of new physics up to a rather large scale, 10^9 GeV, except for two very light and weakly coupled axion-like states. One of the scalars can be a viable Dark Matter candidate. Such a cosmological Higgs-axion interplay could be tested with a number of experimental strategies.

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arXiv2013

Higgs windows to new physics through d = 6 operators: Constraints and one-loop anomalous dimensions

The leading contributions from heavy new physics to Higgs processes can be captured in a model-independent way by dimension-six operators in an effective Lagrangian approach. We present a complete analysis of how these contributions affect Higgs couplings. Under certain well-motivated assumptions, we find that 8 CP-even plus 3 CP-odd Wilson coefficients parametrize the main impact in Higgs physics, as all other coefficients are constrained by non-Higgs SM measurements. We calculate the most relevant anomalous dimensions for these Wilson coefficients, which describe operator mixing from the heavy scale down to the electroweak scale. This allows us to find the leading-log corrections to the predictions for the Higgs couplings in specific models, such as the MSSM or composite Higgs, which we find to be significant in certain cases.

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arXiv2013

Renormalization of dimension-six operators relevant for the Higgs decays $h\rightarrow γγ,γZ$

The discovery of the Higgs boson has opened a new window to test the SM through the measurements of its couplings. Of particular interest is the measured Higgs coupling to photons which arises in the SM at the one-loop level, and can then be significantly affected by new physics. We calculate the one-loop renormalization of the dimension-six operators relevant for $h\rightarrow γγ, γZ$, which can be potentially important since it could, in principle, give log-enhanced contributions from operator mixing. We find however that there is no mixing from any current-current operator that could lead to this log-enhanced effect. We show how the right choice of operator basis can make this calculation simple. We then conclude that $h\rightarrow γγ, γZ$ can only be affected by RG mixing from operators whose Wilson coefficients are expected to be of one-loop size, among them fermion dipole-moment operators which we have also included.

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arXiv2012

Beyond the Standard Model

In these lectures we briefly cover some of the main lines of research in particle physics beyond the Standard Model.

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arXiv2007

The Strongly-Interacting Light Higgs

We develop a simple description of models where electroweak symmetry breaking is triggered by a light composite Higgs, which emerges from a strongly-interacting sector as a pseudo-Goldstone boson. Two parameters broadly characterize these models: m_rho, the mass scale of the new resonances and g_rho, their coupling. An effective low-energy Lagrangian approach proves to be useful for LHC and ILC phenomenology below the scale m_rho. We identify two classes of operators: those that are genuinely sensitive to the new strong force and those that are sensitive to the spectrum of the resonances only. Phenomenological prospects for the LHC and the ILC include the study of high-energy longitudinal vector boson scattering, strong double-Higgs production and anomalous Higgs couplings. We finally discuss the possibility that the top quark could also be a composite object of the strong sector.

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arXiv1999

Electroweak and Flavor Physics in Extensions of the Standard Model with Large Extra Dimensions

We study the implications of extra dimensions of size $R\sim 1/TeV$ on electroweak and flavor physics due to the presence of Kaluza-Klein excitations of the SM gauge-bosons. We consider several scenarios with the SM fermions either living in the bulk or being localized at different points of an extra dimension. Global fits to electroweak observables provide lower bounds on 1/R, which are generically in the 2-5 TeV range. We find, however, certain models where the fit to electroweak observables is better than in the SM, because of an improvement in the prediction to the weak charge Q_W. We also consider the case of softly-broken supersymmetric theories and we find new non-decoupling effects that put new constraints on 1/R. If quarks of different families live in different points of the extra dimension, we find that the Kaluza-Klein modes of the SM gluons generate (at tree level) dangerous flavor and CP-violating interactions. The lower bounds on 1/R can increase in this case up to 5000 TeV, disfavoring these scenarios in the context of TeV-strings.

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arXiv1999

Supersymmetry and Electroweak breaking from extra dimensions at the TeV-scale

We analyze some features of the role that extra dimensions, of radius $R$ in the TeV$^{-1}$ range, can play in the soft breaking of supersymmetry and the spontaneous breaking of electroweak symmetry. We use a minimal model where the gauge and Higgs sector of the MSSM are living in the bulk of five dimensions and the chiral multiplets in a four-dimensional boundary. Supersymmetry is broken in the bulk by the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism and transmitted to the boundary by radiative corrections. The particle spectrum is completely predicted as a function of a unique $R$-charge. The massless sector corresponds to the pure Standard Model and electroweak symmetry is radiatively broken with a light Higgs weighing $\simlt$ 110 GeV. The $μ$-problem is solved and Higgsinos, gauginos and heavy Higgses acquire masses $\sim 1/R$. Chiral sfermions acquire radiative squared-masses $\sim α_i/R^2$. The effective potential is explicitly computed in the bulk of extra dimensions and some cosmological consequences can be immediately drawn from it. Gauge coupling running and unification is studied in the presence of Scherk-Schwarz supersymmetry breaking. The unification is similar to that in the supersymmetric theory.

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arXiv1998

Soft Masses in Theories with Supersymmetry Breaking by TeV-Compactification

We study the sparticle spectroscopy and electroweak breaking of theories where supersymmetry is broken by compactification (Scherk-Schwarz mechanism) at a TeV. The evolution of the soft terms above the compactification scale and the resulting sparticle spectrum are very different from those of the usual MSSM and gauge mediated theories. This is traced to the softness of the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism which leads to scalar sparticle masses that are only logarithmically sensitive to the cutoff starting at two loops. As a result, squarks and sleptons are naturally an order of magnitude lighter than gauginos. In addition, the mechanism is very predictive and the sparticle spectrum depends on just two new parameters. A significant advantage of this mechanism relative to gauge mediation is that a Higgsino mass $μ\sim M_susy$ is automatically generated when supersymmetry is broken. Our analysis applies equally well to theories where the cutoff is near a TeV or $M_{Pl}$ or some intermediate scale. We also use these observations to show how we may obtain compactification radii which are hierarchically larger than the fundamental cutoff scale.

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arXiv1998

The Standard Model from extra dimensions

We present a simple N=1 five-dimensional model where the fifth dimension is compactified on the orbifold $S^1/Z_2$. Non-chiral matter lives in the bulk of the fifth dimension (five dimensions) while chiral matter lives on the fixed points of the orbifold (four-dimensional boundaries). The massless sector constitutes the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model while the massive modes rearrange in N=2 supermultiplets. After supersymmetry breaking by the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism the zero modes can be reduced to the non-supersymmetric Standard Model.

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arXiv1998

Limits on the mass of the lightest Higgs in supersymmetric models

In supersymmetric models extended with a gauge singlet the mass of the lightest Higgs boson has contributions proportional to the adimensional coupling $λ$. In minimal scenarios, the requirement that this coupling remains perturbative up to the unification scale constrains $λ$ to be smaller than $\approx 0.7$. We study the maximum value of $λ$ consistent with a perturbative unification of the gauge couplings in models containing nonstandard fields at intermediate scales. These fields appear in scenarios with gauge mediation of supersymmetry breaking. We find that the presence of extra fields can raise the maximum value of $λ$ up to a 19%, increasing the limits on the mass of the lightest Higgs from 135 GeV to 155 GeV.

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arXiv1996

Dark Matter in Theories of Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking

In gauge-mediated theories supersymmetry breaking originates in a strongly interacting sector and is communicated to the ordinary sparticles via SU(3)$\times$SU(2)$\times$U(1) carrying ``messenger'' particles. Stable baryons of the strongly interacting supersymmetry breaking sector naturally weigh $\sim$ 100 TeV and are viable cold dark matter candidates. They interact too weakly to be observed in dark matter detectors. The lightest messenger particle is a viable cold dark matter candidate under particular assumptions. It weighs less than 5 TeV, has zero spin and is easily observable in dark matter detectors.

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arXiv1996

The $μ$-Problem in Theories with Gauge-Mediated Supersymmetry Breaking

We point out that the $μ$-problem in theories in which supersymmetry breaking is communicated to the observable sector by gauge interactions is more severe than the one encountered in the conventional gravity-mediated scenarios. The difficulty is that once $μ$ is generated by a one-loop diagram, then usually $\bmu$ is also generated at the same loop order. This leads to the problematic relation $\bmu \sim μΛ$, where $Λ\sim$ 10--100 TeV is the effective supersymmetry-breaking scale. We present a class of theories for which this problem is naturally solved. Here, without any fine tuning among parameters, $μ$ is generated at one loop, while $\bmu$ arises only at the two-loop level. This mechanism can naturally lead to an interpretation of the Higgs doublets as pseudo-Goldstone bosons of an approximate global symmetry.

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arXiv1993

Vector Leptoquark Production at Hadron Colliders

We explore the production of vector leptoquarks ($V$) at the Tevatron, LHC, and SSC through both quark-antiquark and gluon fusion: $q \bar q, gg \to VV$. The cross sections are found to be somewhat larger than for scalar leptoquarks of the same mass implying enhanced search capabilities. Contributed to the Workshop on Physics at Current Accelerators and the Supercollider, Argonne National Lab, June 1993.

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