arXiv subjects

Avelino Vicente

Publications and source records attributed to Avelino Vicente.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Anomalies in $b \to s$ transitions and dark matter

Since 2013, the LHCb collaboration has reported on the measurement of several observables associated to $b \to s$ transitions, finding various deviations from their predicted values in the Standard Model. These include a set of deviations in branching ratios and angular observables, as well as in the observables $R_K$ and $R_{K^\ast}$, specially built to test the possible violation of Lepton Flavor Universality. Even though these tantalizing hints are not conclusive yet, the $b \to s$ anomalies have gained considerable attention in the flavor community. Here we review New Physics models that address these anomalies and explore their possible connection to the dark matter of the Universe. After discussing some of the ideas introduced in these works and classifying the proposed models, two selected examples are presented in detail in order to illustrate the potential interplay between these two areas of current particle physics.

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arXiv2018

WCxf: an exchange format for Wilson coefficients beyond the Standard Model

We define a data exchange format for numerical values of Wilson coefficients of local operators parameterising low-energy effects of physics beyond the Standard Model. The format facilitates interfacing model-specific Wilson coefficient calculators, renormalisation group (RG) runners, and observable calculators. It is designed to be unambiguous (defining a non-redundant set of operators with fixed normalisation in each basis), extensible (allowing the addition of new EFTs or bases by the user), and robust (being based on industry standard file formats with parsers implemented in many programming languages). We have implemented the format for the Standard Model EFT (SMEFT) and for the weak effective theory (WET) below the electroweak scale and have added interfaces to a number of public codes dealing with SMEFT or WET. We also provide command-line utilities and a Python module for convenient manipulation of WCxf files, including translation between different bases and matching from SMEFT to WET.

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arXiv2017

From the trees to the forest: a review of radiative neutrino mass models

A plausible explanation for the lightness of neutrino masses is that neutrinos are massless at tree level, with their mass (typically Majorana) being generated radiatively at one or more loops. The new couplings, together with the suppression coming from the loop factors, imply that the new degrees of freedom cannot be too heavy (they are typically at the TeV scale). Therefore, in these models there are no large mass hierarchies and they can be tested using different searches, making their detailed phenomenological study very appealing. In particular, the new particles can be searched for at colliders and generically induce signals in lepton-flavor and lepton-number violating processes (in the case of Majorana neutrinos), which are not independent from reproducing correctly the neutrino masses and mixings. The main focus of the review is on Majorana neutrinos. We order the allowed theory space from three different perspectives: (i) using an effective operator approach to lepton number violation, (ii) by the number of loops at which the Weinberg operator is generated, (iii) within a given loop order, by the possible irreducible topologies. We also discuss in more detail some popular radiative models which involve qualitatively different features, revisiting their most important phenomenological implications. Finally, we list some promising avenues to pursue.

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arXiv2017

Gauge-invariant implications of the LHCb measurements on Lepton-Flavour Non-Universality

We study the implications of the recent measurements of $R_K$ and $R_{K^*}$ by the LHCb collaboration. We do that by adopting a model-independent approach based on the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), in which the dominant new physics effects are encoded in the coefficients of dimension-six operators respecting the full Standard Model (SM) gauge symmetry. After providing simplified expressions for $R_K$ and $R_{K^\ast}$, we determine the implications of the recent LHCb results for these observables on the coefficients of the SMEFT operators at low and high energies. We also take into account all $b\to s \ell\ell$ data, which combined lead to effective New Physics (NP) scenarios with SM pulls in excess of 5~$σ$. Thus the operators discussed in this paper would be the first dimension-six terms in the SM Lagrangian to be detected experimentally. Indirect constraints on these operators are also discussed. The results of this paper transcend the singularity of the present situation, and set a standard for future analyses in $b\to s$ transitions when the NP is assumed to lie above the electroweak scale.

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arXiv2017

DsixTools: The Standard Model Effective Field Theory Toolkit

We present DsixTools, a Mathematica package for the handling of the dimension-six Standard Model Effective Field Theory. Among other features, DsixTools allows the user to perform the full one-loop Renormalization Group Evolution of the Wilson coefficients in the Warsaw basis. This is achieved thanks to the SMEFTrunner module, which implements the full one-loop anomalous dimension matrix previously derived in the literature. In addition, DsixTools also contains modules devoted to the matching to the $ΔB = ΔS = 1,2$ and $ΔB = ΔC = 1$ operators of the Weak Effective Theory at the electroweak scale and their QCD and QED Renormalization Group Evolution below the electroweak scale.

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arXiv2017

Computer tools in particle physics

The field of particle physics is living very exciting times with a plethora of experiments looking for new physics in complementary ways. This has made increasingly necessary to obtain precise predictions in new physics models in order to be ready for a discovery that might be just around the corner. However, analyzing new models and studying their phenomenology can be really challenging. Computing mass matrices, interaction vertices and decay rates is already a tremendous task. In addition, obtaining predictions for the dark matter relic density and its detection prospects, computing flavor observables or estimating the LHC reach in certain collider signals constitutes quite a technical work due to the precision level that is currently required. For this reason, computer tools such as SARAH, MicrOmegas, MadGraph, SPheno or FlavorKit have become quite popular, and many physicists use them on a daily basis. In this course we will learn how to use these computer tools to explore new physics models and get robust numerical predictions to probe them in current and future experiments.

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arXiv2016

Phenomenology of an $SU(2) \times SU(2) \times U(1)$ model with lepton-flavour non-universality

We investigate a gauge extension of the Standard Model in light of the observed hints of lepton universality violation in $b \to c \ell ν$ and $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ decays at BaBar, Belle and LHCb. The model consists of an extended gauge group $\mathrm{SU(2)}_{1} \times \mathrm{SU(2)}_{2} \times \mathrm{U(1)}_Y$ which breaks spontaneously around the TeV scale to the electroweak gauge group. Fermion mixing effects with vector-like fermions give rise to potentially large new physics contributions in flavour transitions mediated by $W^{\prime}$ and $Z^{\prime}$ bosons. This model can ease tensions in $B$-physics data while satisfying stringent bounds from flavour physics, tau decays, and electroweak precision data. Possible ways to test the proposed new physics scenario with upcoming experimental measurements are discussed. Among other predictions, the lepton flavour violating ratios $R_M$, with $M = K^*, ϕ$, are found to be reduced with respect to the Standard Model expectation $R_M \simeq 1$.

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arXiv2016

Lepton Flavor Violation in the singlet-triplet scotogenic model

We investigate lepton flavor violation (LFV) in the the singlet-triplet scotogenic model in which neutrinos acquire non-zero masses at the 1-loop level. In contrast to the most popular variant of this setup, the singlet scotogenic model, this version includes a triplet fermion as well as a triplet scalar, leading to a scenario with a richer dark matter phenomenology. Taking into account results from neutrino oscillation experiments, we explore some aspects of the LFV phenomenology of the model. In particular, we study the relative weight of the dipole operators with respect to other contributions to the LFV amplitudes and determine the most constraining observables. We show that in large portions of the parameter space, the most promising experimental perspectives are found for LFV 3-body decays and for coherent $μ-e$ conversion in nuclei.

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arXiv2016

The LHC diphoton resonance from gauge symmetry

Motivated by what is possibly the first sign of new physics seen at the LHC, the diphoton excess at $750$ GeV in ATLAS and CMS, we present a model that provides naturally the necessary ingredients to explain the resonance. The simplest phenomenological explanation for the diphoton excess requires a new scalar state, $X(750)$, as well as additional vector-like (VL) fermions introduced in an ad-hoc way in order to enhance its decays into a pair of photons and/or increase its production cross-section. We show that the requiered VL quarks and their couplings can emerge naturally from a complete framework based on the $SU(3)_L \otimes U(1)_\mathcal{X}$ gauge symmetry.

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arXiv2016

Non-abelian gauge extensions for B-decay anomalies

We study the generic features of minimal gauge extensions of the Standard Model in view of recent hints of lepton-flavor non-universality in semi-leptonic $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ and $b \to c \ell ν$ decays. We classify the possible models according to the symmetry-breaking pattern and the source of flavor non-universality. We find that in viable models the $\mathrm{SU(2)}_L$ factor is embedded non-trivially in the extended gauge group, and that gauge couplings should be universal, hinting to the presence of new degrees of freedom sourcing non-universality. Finally, we provide an explicit model that can explain the $B$-decay anomalies in a coherent way and confront it with the relevant phenomenological constraints.

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arXiv2016

A Flavor Kit for BSM models

We present a new kit for the study of flavor observables in models beyond the standard model. The setup is based on the public codes SARAH and SPheno and allows for an easy implementation of new observables. The Wilson coefficients of the corresponding operators in the effective Lagrangian are computed by SPheno modules written by SARAH. New operators can also be added by the user in a modular way. For this purpose a handy Mathematica package called PreSARAH has been developed. This uses FeynArts and FormCalc to derive the generic form factors at tree- and 1-loop levels and to generate the necessary input files for SARAH. This framework has been used to implement BR($\ell_α\to \ell_βγ$), BR($\ell_α\to 3\, \ell_β$), CR($μ-e,A$), BR($τ\to P \, \ell$), BR($h\to \ell_α\ell_β$), BR($Z\to \ell_α\ell_β$), BR($B_{s,d}^0 \to \ell \bar{\ell}$), BR($\bar B \to X_sγ$), BR($\bar B \to X_s \ell \bar{\ell}$), BR($\bar B \to X_{d,s} ν\bar ν$), BR($K^+ \to π^+ ν\bar ν$), BR($K_L \to π^0 ν\bar ν$), $ΔM_{B_s,B_d}$, $ΔM_K$, $\varepsilon_K$, BR($B \to K μ\barμ$), BR($B\to \ell ν$), BR($D_s \to \ell ν$) and BR($K \to \ell ν$) in SARAH. Predictions for these observables can now be obtained in a wide range of SUSY and non-SUSY models. Finally, the user can use the same approach to easily compute additional observables.

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arXiv2016

Consistency of WIMP Dark Matter as radiative neutrino mass messenger

The scotogenic scenario provides an attractive approach to both Dark Matter and neutrino mass generation, in which the same symmetry that stabilises Dark Matter also ensures the radiative seesaw origin of neutrino mass. However the simplest scenario may suffer from inconsistencies arising from the spontaneous breaking of the underlying $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. Here we show that the singlet-triplet extension of the simplest model naturally avoids this problem due to the presence of scalar triplets neutral under the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ which affect the evolution of the couplings in the scalar sector. The scenario offers good prospects for direct WIMP Dark Matter detection through the nuclear recoil method.

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arXiv2016

Precision tools and models to narrow in on the 750 GeV diphoton resonance

The hints for a new resonance at 750 GeV from ATLAS and CMS have triggered a significant amount of attention. Since the simplest extensions of the standard model cannot accommodate the observation, many alternatives have been considered to explain the excess. Here we focus on several proposed renormalisable weakly-coupled models and revisit results given in the literature. We point out that physically important subtleties are often missed or neglected. To facilitate the study of the excess we have created a collection of 40 model files, selected from recent literature, for the Mathematica package SARAH. With SARAH one can generate files to perform numerical studies using the tailor-made spectrum generators FlexibleSUSY and SPheno. These have been extended to automatically include crucial higher order corrections to the diphoton and digluon decay rates for both CP-even and CP-odd scalars. Additionally, we have extended the UFO and CalcHep interfaces of SARAH, to pass the precise information about the effective vertices from the spectrum generator to a Monte-Carlo tool. Finally, as an example to demonstrate the power of the entire setup, we present a new supersymmetric model that accommodates the diphoton excess, explicitly demonstrating how a large width can be obtained. We explicitly show several steps in detail to elucidate the use of these public tools in the precision study of this model.

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arXiv2015

Are the B decay anomalies related to neutrino oscillations?

Neutrino oscillations are solidly established, with a hint of CP violation just emerging. Similarly, there are hints of lepton universality violation in $b \to s$ transitions at the level of $2.6 σ$. By assuming that the unitary transformation between weak and mass charged leptons equals the leptonic mixing matrix measured in neutrino oscillation experiments, we predict several lepton flavor violating (LFV) B meson decays. We are led to the tantalizing possibility that some LFV branching ratios for B decays correlate with the leptonic CP phase $δ$ characterizing neutrino oscillations. Moreover, we also consider implications for $\ell_i \to \ell_j \ell_k \ell_k$ decays.

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arXiv2015

Non-thermal Production of Minimal Dark Matter via Right-handed Neutrino Decay

Minimal Dark Matter (MDM) stands as one of the simplest dark matter scenarios. In MDM models, annihilation and co-annihilation processes among the members of the MDM multiplet are usually very efficient, pushing the dark matter mass above $\mathcal{O}(10)$ TeV in order to reproduce the observed dark matter relic density. Motivated by this little drawback, in this paper we consider an extension of the MDM scenario by three right-handed neutrinos. Two specific choices for the MDM multiplet are studied: a fermionic $SU(2)_L$ quintuplet and a scalar $SU(2)_L$ septuplet. The lightest right-handed neutrino, with tiny Yukawa couplings, never reaches thermal equilibrium in the early universe and is produced by freeze-in. This creates a link between dark matter and neutrino physics: dark matter can be non-thermally produced by the decay of the lightest right-handed neutrino after freeze-out, allowing to lower significantly the dark matter mass. We discuss the phenomenology of the non-thermally produced MDM and, taking into account significant Sommerfeld corrections, we find that the dark matter mass must have some specific values in order not to be in conflict with the current bounds from gamma-ray observations.

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arXiv2015

Predicting charged lepton flavor violation from 3-3-1 gauge symmetry

The simplest realization of the inverse seesaw mechanism in a $SU(3)_C \otimes SU(3)_L \otimes U(1)_X$ gauge theory offers striking flavor correlations between rare charged lepton flavor violating decays and the measured neutrino oscillations parameters. The predictions follow from the gauge structure itself without the need for any flavor symmetry. Such tight complementarity between charged lepton flavor violation and oscillations renders the scenario strictly testable.

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arXiv2015

Lepton flavor violation beyond the MSSM

Most extensions of the Standard Model lepton sector predict large lepton flavor violating rates. Given the promising experimental perspectives for lepton flavor violation in the next few years, this generic expectation might offer a powerful indirect probe to look for new physics. In this review we will cover several aspects of lepton flavor violation in supersymmetric models beyond the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In particular, we will concentrate on three different scenarios: high-scale and low-scale seesaw models as well as models with R-parity violation. We will see that in some cases the LFV phenomenology can have characteristic features for specific scenarios, implying that dedicated studies must be performed in order to correctly understand the phenomenology in non-minimal supersymmetric models.

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arXiv2015

Shedding light on the $b\to s$ anomalies with a dark sector

The LHCb collaboration has recently reported on some anomalies in $b\to s$ transitions. In addition to discrepancies with the Standard Model (SM) predictions in some angular observables and branching ratios, an intriguing hint for lepton universality violation was found. Here we propose a simple model that extends the SM with a dark sector charged under an additional $U(1)$ gauge symmetry. The spontaneous breaking of this symmetry gives rise to a massive $Z^\prime$ boson, which communicates the SM particles with a valid dark matter candidate, while solving the $b\to s$ anomalies with contributions to the relevant observables.

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