arXiv subjects

Carla Biggio

Publications and source records attributed to Carla Biggio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

How to Identify a Majoron: Effective Field Theories of Spontaneous Lepton Number Breaking

We revisit the traditional Type I, II and III Seesaw mechanisms in the presence of a complex scalar field charged under a global $U(1)$ symmetry that can be identified with lepton number and the Peccei-Quinn symmetry. After symmetry breaking, the radial mode becomes heavy while the angular mode appears as an axion-like particle, traditionally dubbed the Majoron. We construct the effective field theory obtained after integrating out the heavy states and analyse two matching orders: first removing the radial mode and then the Seesaw fields, and vice versa. Both procedures yield the same low-energy Lagrangian containing only Standard Model fields and the Majoron. Because a single vacuum expectation value fixes the mediator masses, the radial mode and every Majoron coupling, these models predict relations among observables rather than their individual size, and it is these relations that are testable. Indeed, the invisible Higgs width is locked to the universal suppression of the Higgs couplings, while the Majoron-lepton coupling is fixed by the measured non-unitarity of the leptonic mixing matrix, and the two independently give comparable lower bounds on the same lepton-number breaking scale, of order $1$-$10$ TeV. Neutrinoless double beta decay with Majoron emission, by contrast, has no sensitivity in this class of models. The framework is thus falsifiable even when the new states lie far beyond experimental reach.

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arXiv2023

Type-II Majoron Dark Matter

We discuss in detail the possibility that the ``type-II majoron'' -- that is, the pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson that arises in the context of the type-II seesaw mechanism if the lepton number is spontaneously broken by an additional singlet scalar -- account for the dark matter (DM) observed in the universe. We study the requirements the model's parameters have to fulfill in order to reproduce the measured DM relic abundance through two possible production mechanisms in the early universe, freeze-in and misalignment, both during a standard radiation-dominated era and early matter domination. We then study possible signals of type-II majoron DM and the present and expected constraints on the parameter space that can be obtained from cosmological observations, direct detection experiments, and present and future searches for decaying DM at neutrino telescopes and cosmic-ray experiments. We find that -- depending on the majoron mass, the production mechanism, and the vacuum expectation value of the type-II triplet -- all of the three decay modes (photons, electrons, neutrinos) of majoron DM particles can yield observable signals at future indirect searches for DM. Furthermore, in a corner of the parameter space, detection of majoron DM is possible through electron recoil at running and future direct detection experiments.

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arXiv2020

Global Bounds on the Type-III Seesaw

We derive general bounds on the Type-III Seesaw parameters from a global fit to flavor and electroweak precision data. We explore and compare three Type-III Seesaw realizations: a general scenario, where an arbitrary number of heavy triplets is integrated out without any further assumption, and the more constrained cases in which only 3 or 2 (minimal scenario) additional heavy states are included. The latter assumption implies rather non-trivial correlations in the Yukawa flavor structure of the model so as to reproduce the neutrino masses and mixings as measured in neutrino oscillations experiments and thus qualitative differences can be found with the more general scenario. In particular, we find that, while the bounds on most elements of the dimension 6 operator coefficients are of order $10^{-4}$ for the general and 3-triplet cases, the 2-triplet scenario is more strongly constrained with bounds between $10^{-5}$ and $10^{-7}$ for the different flavours. We also discuss how these correlations affect the present CMS constraints on the Type-III Seesaw in the minimal 2-triplet scenario.

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arXiv2016

Massive vectors and loop observables: the $g-2$ case

We discuss the use of massive vectors for the interpretation of some recent experimental anomalies, with special attention to the muon $g-2$. We restrict our discussion to the case where the massive vector is embedded into a spontaneously broken gauge symmetry, so that the predictions are not affected by the choice of an arbitrary energy cut-off. Extended gauge symmetries, however, typically impose strong constraints on the mass of the new vector boson and for the muon $g-2$ they basically rule out, barring the case of abelian gauge extensions, the explanation of the discrepancy in terms of a single vector extension of the standard model. We finally comment on the use of massive vectors for $B$-meson decay and di-photon anomalies.

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arXiv2016

Probing a slepton Higgs on all frontiers

We study several aspects of supersymmetric models with a $U(1)_R$ symmetry where the Higgs doublet is identified with the superpartner of a lepton. We derive new, stronger bounds on the gaugino masses based on current measurements, and also propose ways to probe the model up to scales of $\mathcal{O}(10\, \textrm{TeV})$ at future $e^+e^-$ colliders. Since the $U(1)_R$ symmetry cannot be exact, we analyze the effects of $R$-symmetry breaking on neutrino masses and proton decay. In particular, we find that getting the neutrino mixing angles to agree with experiments in a minimal model requires a UV cutoff for the theory at around $ 10 \text{ TeV} $.

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arXiv2014

Minimal muon anomalous magnetic moment

We classify all possible one-particle (scalar and fermion) extensions of the Standard Model that can contribute to the anomalous magnetic moment of leptons. We review the cases already discussed in the literature and complete the picture by performing the calculation for a fermionic doublet with hypercharge -3/2. We conclude that, out of the listed possibilities, only two scalar leptoquarks and the pseudoscalar of a peculiar two-Higgs-doublet model could be the responsibles for the muon anomalous magnetic moment discrepancy. Were this the case, this particles could be seen in the next LHC run. To this aim, especially to test the leptoquark hypothesis, we suggest to look for final states with tops and muons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Is the standard model scalar the first discovered SUSY particle?

The scalar particle recently discovered at the LHC has the same gauge quantum numbers as the neutrino, so they could be one the superpartner of the other. We discuss the conditions that should be satisfied in order to realize such identification and present a model where this is realized. This model possesses an interesting phenomenology that we present here.

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arXiv2012

Is the 125 GeV Higgs the superpartner of a neutrino?

Recent LHC searches have provided strong evidence for the Higgs, a boson whose gauge quantum numbers coincide with those of a SM fermion, the neutrino. This raises the mandatory question of whether Higgs and neutrino can be related by supersymmetry. We study this possibility in a model in which an approximate R-symmetry acts as a lepton number. We show that Higgs physics resembles that of the SM-Higgs with the exception of a novel invisible decay into Goldstino and neutrino with a branching fraction that can be as large as ~10%. Based on naturalness criteria, only stops and sbottoms are required to be lighter than the TeV with a phenomenology dictated by the R-symmetry. They have novel decays into quarks+leptons that could be seen at the LHC, allowing to distinguish these scenarios from the ordinary MSSM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Postcards from oases in the desert: phenomenology of SUSY with intermediate scales

The presence of new matter fields charged under the Standard Model gauge group at intermediate scales below the Grand Unification scale modifies the renormalization group evolution of the gauge couplings. This can in turn significantly change the running of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model parameters, in particular the gaugino and the scalar masses. In the absence of new large Yukawa couplings we can parameterise all the intermediate scale models in terms of only two parameters controlling the size of the unified gauge coupling. As a consequence of the modified running, the low energy spectrum can be strongly affected with interesting phenomenological consequences. In particular, we show that scalar over gaugino mass ratios tend to increase and the regions of the parameter space with neutralino Dark Matter compatible with cosmological observations get drastically modified. Moreover, we discuss some observables that can be used to test the intermediate scale physics at the LHC in a wide class of models.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

Implementation of the type III seesaw model in FeynRules/MadGraph and prospects for discovery with early LHC data

We discuss the implementation of the "minimal" type III seesaw model, i.e. with one fermionic triplet, in FeynRules/MadGraph. This is the first step in order to realize a real study of LHC data recorded in the LHC detectors. With this goal in mind, we comment on the possibility of discovering this kind of new physics at the LHC running at 7 TeV with a luminosity of few fb^-1.

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arXiv2010

Phenomenology of SUSY SU(5) with type I+III seesaw

We consider a supersymmetric SU(5) model where two neutrino masses are obtained via a mixed type I+III seesaw mechanism induced by the component fields of a single SU(5) adjoint. We have analyzed the phenomenology of the model paying particular attention to flavour violating processes and dark matter relic density, assuming universal boundary conditions. We have found that, for a seesaw scale larger than $10^{12÷13}$ GeV, BR$(μ\to e γ)$ is in the reach of the MEG experiment in sizable regions of the parameter space. On the other side, current bounds on it force BR$(τ\to μγ)$ to be well below the reach of forthcoming experiments, rendering thus the model disprovable if a positive signal is found. The same bounds still allow for a sizable positive contribution to $ε_K$, while the CP violation in the $B_s$ mixing turns out to be too small to account for the di-muon anomaly reported by the D0 collaboration. Finally, the regions where the neutralino relic density is within the WMAP bounds can be strongly modified with respect to the constrained MSSM case. In particular, a peculiar coannihilation region, bounded from above, can be realized, which allows us to put an upper bound on the dark matter mass for certain set-ups of the parameters.

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arXiv2009

General bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We derive model-independent bounds on production and detection non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI). We find that the constraints for NSI parameters are around O(10^{-2}) to O(10^{-1}). Furthermore, we review and update the constraints on matter NSI. We conclude that the bounds on production and detection NSI are generally one order of magnitude stronger than their matter counterparts.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Loop bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We reconsider the bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions with matter which can be derived by constraining the four-charged-lepton operators induced at the loop level. We find that these bounds are model dependent. Naturalness arguments can lead to much stronger constraints than those presented in previous studies, while no completely model-independent bounds can be derived. We will illustrate how large loop-contributions to four-charged-lepton operators are induced within a particular model that realizes gauge invariant non-standard interactions and discuss conditions to avoid these bounds. These considerations mainly affect the $\mathcal O(10^{-4})$ constraint on the non-standard coupling strength $\eps_{eμ}$, which is lost. The only model-independent constraints that can be derived are $\mathcal O(10^{-1})$. However, significant cancellations are required in order to saturate this bound.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Mixing of photons with massive spin-two particles in a magnetic field

We study the mixing of photons with hypothetical massive spin-two particles in the presence of a magnetic field. Mixing phenomena have been studied in the case of axion-like particles and strictly massless spin-two particles (gravitons) but not in this case. We find several interesting differences between them.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Divergences and Symmetries in Higgs-Gauge Unification Theories

In theories with extra dimensions the Standard Model Higgs field can be identified with the internal components of higher-dimensional gauge fields (Higgs-gauge unification). The higher-dimensional gauge symmetry prevents the Higgs mass from quadratic divergences, but at the fixed points of the orbifold this symmetry is broken and divergences can arise if U(1) subgroups are conserved. We show that another symmetry, remnant of the internal rotation group after orbifold projection, can avoid the generation of such divergences.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Fermion Generations, Masses and Mixing Angles from Extra Dimensions

We discuss a toy model in six dimensions that predicts two fermion generations, natural mass hierarchy and intergenerational mixing. Matter is described by vector-like six dimensional fermions, one per each irreducible standard model representation. Two fermion generations arise from the compactification mechanism, through orbifold projection. They are localized in different regions of the compact space by a six dimensional mass term. Flavour symmetry is broken via Yukawa couplings, with a Higgs vacuum expectation value not constant in the extra space. A hierarchical spectrum is obtained from order one dimensionless parameters of the six dimensional theory. The Cabibbo angle arises from the soft breaking of six dimensional parity symmetry. We also briefly discuss how the present model could be extended to cover the realistic case.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Symmetry Breaking in Extra Dimensions

In this thesis we analyze the problem of symmetry breaking in models with extra dimensions compactified on orbifolds. In the first chapter we briefly review the main symmetry breaking mechanisms peculiar of extra dimensions such as the Scherk-Schwarz mechanism, the Hosotani mechanism and the orbifold projection. In the second chapter we study the most general boundary conditions for fields on the orbifold S^1/Z_2 and we apply them to gauge and SUSY breaking. In the third chapter we focus on flavour symmetry and we present a six dimensional toy model for two generations that can solve the fermion hierarchy problem.

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arXiv2002

Equivalent effective Lagrangians for Scherk-Schwarz compactifications

We discuss the general form of the mass terms that can appear in the effective field theories of coordinate-dependent compactifications a la Scherk-Schwarz. As an illustrative example, we consider an interacting five-dimensional theory compactified on the orbifold S^1/Z_2, with a fermion subject to twisted periodicity conditions. We show how the same physics can be described by equivalent effective Lagrangians for periodic fields, related by field redefinitions and differing only in the form of the five-dimensional mass terms. In a suitable limit, these mass terms can be localized at the orbifold fixed points. We also show how to reconstruct the twist parameter from any given mass terms of the allowed form. Finally, after mentioning some possible generalizations of our results, we re-discuss the example of brane-induced supersymmetry breaking in five-dimensional Poincare' supergravity, and comment on its relation with gaugino condensation in M-theory.

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