arXiv subjects

Andrea Romanino

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Romanino.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Modular Invariant Dynamics and Fermion Mass Hierarchies around $τ= i$

We discuss fermion mass hierarchies within modular invariant flavour models. We analyse the neighbourhood of the self-dual point $τ=i$, where modular invariant theories possess a residual $Z_4$ invariance. In this region the breaking of $Z_4$ can be fully described by the spurion $ε\approx τ- i$, that flips its sign under $Z_4$. Degeneracies or vanishing eigenvalues of fermion mass matrices, forced by the $Z_4$ symmetry at $τ=i$, are removed by slightly deviating from the self-dual point. Relevant mass ratios are controlled by powers of $|ε|$. We present examples where this mechanism is a key ingredient to successfully implement an hierarchical spectrum in the lepton sector, even in the presence of a non-minimal Kähler potential.

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arXiv2021

Lepton Flavour Symmetries

We provide a general classification of flavour symmetries according to their interplay with the proper Poincare' and gauge groups and to their linear or nonlinear action in field space. We focus on the lepton sector and we review the different types of symmetries describing neutrino masses and the lepton mixing matrix. For each type of symmetry we present several illustrative examples and we discuss specific strengths and limitations.

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arXiv2019

Rank-One Flavor Violation and B-meson anomalies

We assume that the quark-flavor coefficients matrix of the semileptonic operators addressing the neutral-current B-meson anomalies has rank-one, i.e. it can be described by a single vector in quark-flavor space. By correlating the observed anomalies to other flavor and high-$p_T$ observables, we constrain its possible directions and we show that a large region of the parameter space of this framework will be explored by flavor data from the NA62, KOTO, LHCb and Belle II experiments.

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arXiv2016

Diphotons from Diaxions

We study models in which the 750 GeV diphoton excess is due to a scalar decaying to two pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons that subsequently decay into two pairs of highly boosted photons, misidentified as individual photons. Performing a model independent analysis we find that, with axion mass around $200$ MeV, this class of theories can naturally explain the observed signal with a large width, without violating monojet constraints. At the same time the requirement of a prompt axion decay can be satisfied only with a relatively large axion-photon coupling, leading to many new charged particles at the TeV scale. However, the required multiplicities of such fields is still moderately reduced relative to models with direct diphoton production.

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arXiv2016

Stable lepton mass matrices

We study natural lepton mass matrices, obtained assuming the stability of physical flavour observables with respect to the variations of individual matrix elements. We identify all four possible stable neutrino textures from algebraic conditions on their entries. Two of them turn out to be uniquely associated to specific neutrino mass patterns. We then concentrate on the semi-degenerate pattern, corresponding to an overall neutrino mass scale within the reach of future experiments. In this context we show that i) the neutrino and charged lepton mixings and mass matrices are largely constrained by the requirement of stability, ii) naturalness considerations give a mild preference for the Majorana phase most relevant for neutrinoless double-beta decay, $α\sim π/2$, and iii) SU(5) unification allows to extend the implications of stability to the down quark sector. The above considerations would benefit from an experimental determination of the PMNS ratio $|U_{32}/U_{31}|$, i.e. of the Dirac phase $δ$.

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arXiv2014

Stable fermion mass matrices and the charged lepton contribution to neutrino mixing

We study the general properties of hierarchical fermion mass matrices in which the small eigenvalues are stable with respect to perturbations of the matrix entries and we consider specific applications to the charged lepton contribution to neutrino mixing. In particular, we show that the latter can account for the whole lepton mixing. In this case a value of $\sin θ_{13} \gtrsim m_e/m_μ\sinθ_{23} \approx 0.03$, as observed, can be obtained without the need of any fine-tuning, and present data allow to determine the last row of the charged lepton mass matrix with good accuracy. We also consider the case in which the neutrino sector only provides a maximal 12 rotation and show that i) present data provide a $2σ$ evidence for a non-vanishing $31$ entry of the charged lepton mass matrix and ii) a plausible texture for the latter can account at the same time for the atmospheric mixing angle, the $θ_{13}$ angle, and the deviation of the $θ_{12}$ angle from $π/2$ without fine-tuning or tension with data. Finally, we show that the so-called "inverted order" of the 12 and 23 rotations in the charged lepton sector can be obtained without fine-tuning, up to corrections of order $m_e/m_μ$.

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arXiv2014

Nonzero |U_e3| from Charged Lepton Corrections and the Atmospheric Neutrino Mixing Angle

After the successful determination of the reactor neutrino mixing angle θ_13 ~ 0.16 \neq 0, a new feature suggested by the current neutrino oscillation data is a sizeable deviation of the atmospheric neutrino mixing angle θ_23 from π/4. Using the fact that the neutrino mixing matrix U = U_e^\dagger U_ν, where U_e and U_νresult from the diagonalisation of the charged lepton and neutrino mass matrices, and assuming that U_νhas a i) bimaximal (BM), ii) tri-bimaximal (TBM) form, or else iii) corresponds to the conservation of the lepton charge L' = L_e - L_μ- L_τ(LC), we investigate quantitatively what are the minimal forms of U_e, in terms of angles and phases it contains, that can provide the requisite corrections to U_νso that θ_13, θ_23 and the solar neutrino mixing angle θ_12 have values compatible with the current data. Two possible orderings of the 12 and the 23 rotations in U_e, "standard" and "inverse", are considered. The results we obtain depend strongly on the type of ordering. In the case of "standard" ordering, in particular, the Dirac CP violation phase δ, present in U, is predicted to have a value in a narrow interval around i) δ~ πin the BM (or LC) case, ii) δ~ 3π/2 or π/2 in the TBM case, the CP conserving values δ= 0, π, 2πbeing excluded in the TBM case at more than 4σ. In the addendum we discuss the implications of the latest 2013 data.

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arXiv2013

A framework for baryonic R-parity violation in grand unified theories

We investigate the possibility of obtaining sizeable R-parity breaking interactions violating baryon number but not lepton number within supersymmetric grand unified theories. Such a possibility allows to ameliorate the naturalness status of supersymmetry while maintaining successful gauge coupling unification, one of its main phenomenological motivations. We show that this can be achieved without fine-tuning or the need of large representations in simple SO(10) models.

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arXiv2013

Phenomenology of Minimal Unified Tree Level Gauge Mediation at the LHC

We study the collider phenomenology of the minimal unified version of the supersymmetry breaking scheme called Tree-level Gauge Mediation. We identify a peculiar source of gaugino mass non-universality related to the necessary SU(5)-breaking in the light fermion mass ratios and a gaugino mass sum rule at the GUT scale, 3 M_2 + 2 M_3 = 5 M_1, which represents a smoking gun of this scenario, together with the known tree-level sfermion mass ratio \tilde m_{d^c,l} = \sqrt{2} \tilde m_{q,u^c,e^c}. The boundary conditions of the soft SUSY breaking terms can be parameterised in terms of six relevant parameters only (plus the sign of the μ-parameter). We analyze the parameter space and define three benchmark points, corresponding to the three possible NLSPs, a bino- or wino-like neutralino or the stau. The LSP is the gravitino as in gauge mediation. For these benchmark points we show possible signatures at the LHC focusing on the Razor variable. We also comment on the Higgs mass.

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arXiv2012

Simple and direct communication of dynamical supersymmetry breaking

We present a complete, calculable, and phenomenologically viable model of dynamical supersymmetry breaking. The model is a simple extension of the so called 3-2 model, with gauge group SU(3)xSU(2)xG_SM and the MSSM fields directly coupled to the hidden sector SU(2) vector fields. Sfermion masses are universal, thus solving the supersymmetric flavour problem, and gaugino masses are not suppressed, in fact they are predicted to be of the same order as sfermion masses. Sizeable contributions to the MSSM A-terms can be generated, depending on the size of some free couplings. As a byproduct, we show some properties of a class of models with n pairs of Higgs doublets.

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arXiv2012

Neutrino Physics

These lectures aim at providing a pedagogical overview of neutrino physics. We will mostly deal with standard neutrinos, the ones that are part of the Standard Model of particle physics, and with their standard dynamics, which is enough to understand in a coherent picture most of the rich data available. After introducing the basic theoretical framework, we will illustrate the experimental determination of the neutrino parameters and their theoretical implications, in particular for the origin of neutrino masses.

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arXiv2011

Sizeable θ_13 from the Charged Lepton Sector in SU(5), (Tri-)Bimaximal Neutrino Mixing and Dirac CP Violation

The recent results from T2K and MINOS experiments point towards a relatively large value of the reactor angle θ_13 in the lepton sector. In this paper we show how a large θ_13 can arise from the charged lepton sector alone in the context of an SU(5) GUT. In such a scenario (tri-)bimaximal mixing in the neutrino sector is still a viable possibility. We also analyse the general implications of the considered scenario for the searches of CP violation in neutrino oscillations.

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arXiv2011

Extended Tree-Level Gauge Mediation

Tree-level gauge mediation (TGM) is a scenario of SUSY breaking in which the tree-level exchange of heavy (possibly GUT) vector fields generates flavor-universal sfermion masses. In this work we extend this framework to the case of E_6 that is the natural extension of the minimal case studied so far. Despite the number of possible E_6 subgroups containing G_SM is large (we list all rank 6 subgroups), there are only three different cases corresponding to the number of vector messengers. As a robust prediction we find that sfermion masses are SU(5) invariant at the GUT scale, even if the gauge group does not contain SU(5). If SUSY breaking is mediated purely by the U(1) generator that commutes with SO(10) we obtain universal sfermion masses and thus can derive the CMSSM boundary conditions in a novel scenario.

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arXiv2009

General Aspects of Tree Level Gauge Mediation

Tree level gauge mediation (TGM) may be considered as the simplest way to communicate supersymmetry breaking: through the tree level renormalizable exchange of heavy gauge messengers. We study its general structure, in particular the general form of tree level sfermion masses and of one loop, but enhanced, gaugino masses. This allows us to set up general guidelines for model building and to identify the hypotheses underlying the phenomenological predictions. In the context of models based on the "minimal" gauge group SO(10), we show that only two "pure" embeddings of the MSSM fields are possible using $d< 120$ representations, each of them leading to specific predictions for the ratios of family universal sfermion masses at the GUT scale, $m^2_{\bar{5}} = 2 m^2_{10}$ or $m^2_{\bar{5}} = (3/4) m^2_{10}$ (in SU(5) notation). These ratios are determined by group factors and are peculiar enough to make this scheme testable at the LHC. We also discuss three possible approaches to the $μ$-problem, one of them distinctive of TGM.

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arXiv2009

Tree Level Gauge Mediation

We propose a new scheme in which supersymmetry breaking is communicated to the MSSM sfermions by GUT gauge interactions at the tree level. The (positive) contribution of MSSM fields to $\text{Str}(\mathcal{M}^2)$ is automatically compensated by a (negative) contribution from heavy fields. Sfermion masses are flavour universal, thus solving the supersymmetric flavour problem. In the simplest SO(10) embedding, the ratio of different sfermion masses is predicted and differs from mSugra and other schemes, thus making this framework testable at the LHC. Gaugino masses are generated at the loop level but enhanced by model dependent factors.

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arXiv2009

Flavour violation in supersymmetric SO(10) unification with a type II seesaw mechanism

We study flavour violation in a supersymmetric SO(10) implementation of the type II seesaw mechanism, which provides a predictive realization of triplet leptogenesis. The experimental upper bounds on lepton flavour violating processes have a significant impact on the leptogenesis dynamics, in particular they exclude the strong washout regime. Requiring successful leptogenesis then constrains the otherwise largely unknown overall size of flavour-violating observables, thus yielding testable predictions. In particular, the branching ratio for mu -> e gamma lies within the reach of the MEG experiment if the superpartner spectrum is accessible at the LHC, and the supersymmetric contribution to epsilon_K can account for a significant part of the experimental value. We show that this scenario can be realized in a consistent SO(10) model achieving gauge symmetry breaking and doublet-triplet splitting in agreement with the proton decay bounds, improving on the MSSM prediction for alpha_3(m_Z), and reproducing the measured quark and lepton masses.

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arXiv2008

Hierarchical Soft Terms and Flavor Physics

We study the framework of hierarchical soft terms, in which the first two generations of squarks and sleptons are heavier than the rest of the supersymmetric spectrum. This scheme gives distinctive predictions for the pattern of flavor violations, which we compare to the case of nearly degenerate squarks. Experiments in flavor physics have started to probe the most interesting parameter region, especially in $b\leftrightarrow s$ transitions, where hierarchical soft terms can predict a phase of $B_s$ mixing much larger than in the Standard Model.

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arXiv2008

A new, direct link between the baryon asymmetry and neutrino masses

We point out that, in a class of SO(10) models with matter fields in 16 and 10 representations and type II realization of the seesaw mechanism, the light neutrino masses and the CP asymmetry needed for leptogenesis are controlled by one and the same set of couplings. The generated baryon asymmetry then directly depends on the low-energy neutrino parameters, with no unknown seesaw-scale flavour parameters involved; in particular, the necessary CP violation is provided by the CP-violating phases of the lepton mixing matrix. We compute the CP asymmetry in triplet decays for this scenario and show that it can lead to successful leptogenesis.

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