arXiv subjects

Eduardo Ponton

Publications and source records attributed to Eduardo Ponton.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Supersymmetric Higgs Bosons and Beyond

We consider supersymmetric models that include particles beyond the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with masses in the TeV range, and that couple significantly to the MSSM Higgs sector. We perform a model-independent analysis of the spectrum and couplings of the MSSM Higgs fields, based on an effective theory of the MSSM degrees of freedom. The tree-level mass of the lightest CP-even state can easily be above the LEP bound of 114 GeV, thus allowing for a relatively light spectrum of superpartners, restricted only by direct searches. The Higgs spectrum and couplings can be significantly modified compared to the MSSM ones, often allowing for interesting new decay modes. We also observe that the gluon fusion production cross section of the SM-like Higgs can be enhanced with respect to both the Standard Model and the MSSM.

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arXiv2009

Warped 5-Dimensional Models: Phenomenological Status and Experimental Prospects

Warped 5-dimensional models, based on the original Randall-Sundrum geometry, have been extended beyond their initial purpose of resolving the gauge hierarchy problem. Over the past decade, various ingredients have been added to their basic structure in order to provide natural and predictive models of flavor and also to address existing constraints from precision data. In this review, we examine the theoretical and experimental status of realistic models that accommodate current data, while addressing the hierarchy and flavor puzzles of the Standard Model. We also discuss the prospects for future discovery of the TeV-scale Kaluza-Klein states that are predicted to emerge in these models, and outline some of the challenges that the detection of such particles pose for experiments at the Large Hadron Collider.

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arXiv2009

B-Decay Signatures of Warped Top-Condensation

We point out that the light radion phi in a recently proposed Warped Top-Condensation Model, can provide distinct signatures in b -> s phi, where the on-shell phi can decay with displaced vertices. We find that some of the parameter space of these models is constrained by B-meson and astrophysical data. Future B-decay measurements can lead to the discovery of the WTCM.

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arXiv2009

TeV Scale Singlet Dark Matter

It is well known that stable weak scale particles are viable dark matter candidates since the annihilation cross section is naturally about the right magnitude to leave the correct thermal residual abundance. Many dark matter searches have focused on relatively light dark matter consistent with weak couplings to the Standard Model. However, in a strongly coupled theory, or even if the coupling is just a few times bigger than the Standard Model couplings, dark matter can have TeV-scale mass with the correct thermal relic abundance. Here we consider neutral TeV-mass scalar dark matter, its necessary interactions, and potential signals. We consider signals both with and without higher-dimension operators generated by strong coupling at the TeV scale, as might happen for example in an RS scenario. We find some potential for detection in high energy photons that depends on the dark matter distribution. Detection in positrons at lower energies, such as those PAMELA probes, would be difficult though a higher energy positron signal could in principle be detectable over background. However, a light dark matter particle with higher-dimensional interactions consistent with a TeV cutoff can in principle match PAMELA data.

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arXiv2008

The Supersymmetric Higgs

In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (the MSSM), the electroweak symmetry is restored as supersymmetry-breaking terms are turned off. We describe a generic extension of the MSSM where the electroweak symmetry is broken in the supersymmetric limit. We call this limit the "sEWSB" phase, short for supersymmetric electroweak symmetry breaking. We define this phase in an effective field theory that only contains the MSSM degrees of freedom. The sEWSB vacua naturally have an inverted scalar spectrum, where the heaviest CP-even Higgs state has Standard Model-like couplings to the massive vector bosons; experimental constraints in the scalar Higgs sector are more easily satisfied than in the MSSM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Dark Matter and Electroweak Symmetry Breaking in Models with Warped Extra Dimensions

We show that a discrete exchange symmetry can give rise to realistic dark matter candidates in models with warped extra dimensions. We show how to realize our construction in a variety of models with warped extra dimensions and study in detail a realistic model of Gauge-Higgs Unification/composite Higgs in which the observed amount of dark matter is naturally reproduced. In this model, a realistic pattern of electroweak symmetry breaking typically occurs in a region of parameter space in which the fit to the electroweak precision observables improves, the Higgs is heavier than the experimental bound and new light quark resonances are predicted. We also quantify the fine-tuning of such scenarios, and discuss in which sense Gauge-Higgs Unification models result in a natural theory of electroweak symmetry breaking.

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arXiv2007

Resonances from Two Universal Extra Dimensions

Standard model gauge bosons propagating in two universal extra dimensions give rise to heavy spin-1 and spin-0 particles. The lightest of these, carrying Kaluza-Klein numbers (1,0), may be produced only in pairs at colliders, whereas the (1,1) modes, which are heavier by a factor of \sqrt{2}, may be singly produced. We show that the cascade decays of (1,1) particles generate a series of closely-spaced narrow resonances in the t\bar{t} invariant mass distribution. At the Tevatron, s-channel production of (1,1) gluons and electroweak bosons will be sensitive to t\bar{t} resonances up to masses in the 0.5 - 0.7 TeV range. Searches at the LHC for resonances originating from several higher-level modes will further test the existence of two universal extra dimensions.

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arXiv2007

Electroweak constraints on warped models with custodial symmetry

It has been recently argued that realistic models with warped extra dimensions can have Kaluza-Klein particles accessible at the Large Hadron Collider if a custodial symmetry, SU(2)_V \times P_{LR}, is used to protect the T parameter and the coupling of the left-handed bottom quark to the Z gauge boson. In this article we emphasize that such a symmetry implies that the loop corrections to both the T parameter and the Z b_L \bar{b}_L coupling are calculable. In general, these corrections are correlated, can be sizable, and should be considered to determine the allowed parameter space region in models with warped extra dimensions and custodial symmetry, including Randall-Sundrum models with a fundamental Higgs, models of gauge-Higgs unification and Higgsless models. As an example, we derive the constraints that arise on a representative model of gauge-Higgs unification from a global fit to the precision electroweak observables. A scan over the parameter space typically leads to a lower bound on the Kaluza-Klein excitations of the gauge bosons of about 2-3 TeV, depending on the configuration. In the fermionic sector one can have Kaluza-Klein excitations with masses of a few hundred GeV. We present the constraints on these light fermions from recent Tevatron searches, and explore interesting discovery channels at the LHC.

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arXiv2006

Light Kaluza-Klein States in Randall-Sundrum Models with Custodial SU(2)

We consider Randall-Sundrum scenarios based on SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R and a discrete parity exchanging L with R. The custodial and parity symmetries can be used to make the tree level contribution to the T parameter and the anomalous couplings of the bottom quark to the Z very small. We show that the resulting quantum numbers typically induce a negative T parameter at one loop that, together with the positive value of the S parameter, restrict considerably these models. There are nevertheless regions of parameter space that successfully reproduce the fit to electroweak precision observables with light Kaluza-Klein excitations accessible at colliders. We consider models of gauge-Higgs unification that implement the custodial and parity symmetries and find that the EW data singles out a very well defined region in parameter space. In this region one typically finds light gauge boson Kaluza-Klein excitations as well as light SU(2)_L singlet, and sometimes also doublet, fermionic states, that mix with the top quark, and may yield interesting signatures at future colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Radiative Effects on the Chiral Square

We consider general field theories in six dimensions, with two of the dimensions compactified on a T_{2}/Z_{4} orbifold. Six-dimensional Weyl fermions propagating on this background give rise to a chiral zero-mode, which makes them interesting for phenomenological applications. The compact two-dimensional space is flat and has three conical singularities. We consider the one-loop structure of these theories, and show that the presence of logarithmic divergences requires the introduction of counterterms precisely at these three singular points. We also show that the corresponding localized operators are rotationally symmetric in the plane of the two extra dimensions, as expected from the geometry about the singularities. We derive the propagators for spin-0, spin-1/2 and spin-1 fields in momentum space, in such a way that the appropriate boundary conditions are satisfied. This allows us to efficiently calculate loop diagrams in any given model. We give general expressions for the mass splittings among Kaluza-Klein modes within a given level. Our results can also be used to obtain interesting KK-parity preserving interactions among Kaluza-Klein modes. We pay special attention to the components of six-dimensional gauge fields that transform as scalars under the four-dimensional Lorentz group. These states provide a characteristic signature for these scenarios. In particular, we find that they can easily be the lightest particles in the Kaluza-Klein spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Six-Dimensional Gauge Theory on the Chiral Square

We construct gauge theories in two extra dimensions compactified on the chiral square, which is a simple compactification that leads to chiral fermions in four dimensions. Stationarity of the action on the boundary specifies the boundary conditions for gauge fields. Any six-dimensional gauge field decomposed in Kaluza-Klein modes includes a tower of heavy spin-1 particles whose longitudinal polarizations are linear combinations of the extra-dimensional components, and a tower of heavy spin-0 particles corresponding to the orthogonal combinations. These linear combinations depend on the Kaluza-Klein numbers, and are independent of the gauge fixing. If the gauge symmetry is broken by the vacuum expectation value of a six-dimensional scalar, at each Kaluza-Klein level three spinless fields in the adjoint representation mix to provide the longitudinal polarization of the spin-1 mode, leaving the orthogonal states as two spin-0 particles. We derive the interactions of the Kaluza-Klein modes for generic gauge theories, laying the groundwork for the Standard Model in two universal extra dimensions, and more generally for future model building and phenomenological studies.

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arXiv2004

Warped Fermions and Precision Tests

We analyze the behavior of Standard Model matter propagating in a slice of AdS_5 in the presence of infrared-brane kinetic terms. Brane kinetic terms are naturally generated through radiative corrections and can also be present at tree level. The effect of the brane kinetic terms is to expell the heavy KK modes from the infrared-brane, and hence to reduce their coupling to the localized Higgs field. In a previous work we showed that sizable gauge kinetic terms can allow KK mode masses as low as a few TeV, compatible with present precision measurements. We study here the effect of fermion brane kinetic terms and show that they ameliorate the behavior of the theory for third generation fermions localized away from the infrared brane, reduce the contribution of the third generation quarks to the oblique correction parameters and mantain a good fit to the precision electroweak data for values of the KK masses of the order of the weak scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2004

Chiral Compactification on a Square

We study quantum field theory in six dimensions with two of them compactified on a square. A simple boundary condition is the identification of two pairs of adjacent sides of the square such that the values of a field at two identified points differ by an arbitrary phase. This allows a chiral fermion content for the four-dimensional theory obtained after integrating over the square. We find that nontrivial solutions for the field equations exist only when the phase is a multiple of π/2, so that this compactification turns out to be equivalent to a T^2/Z_4 orbifold associated with toroidal boundary conditions that are either periodic or anti-periodic. The equality of the Lagrangian densities at the identified points in conjunction with six-dimensional Lorentz invariance leads to an exact Z_8\times Z_2 symmetry, where the Z_2 parity ensures the stability of the lightest Kaluza-Klein particle.

hep-th↗

arXiv2003

Precision Electroweak Data and Unification of Couplings in Warped Extra Dimensions

Warped extra dimensions allow a novel way of solving the hierarchy problem, with all fundamental mass parameters of the theory naturally of the order of the Planck scale. The observable value of the Higgs vacuum expectation value is red-shifted, due to the localization of the Higgs field in the extra dimension. It has been recently observed that, when the gauge fields propagate in the bulk, unification of the gauge couplings may be achieved. Moreover, the propagation of fermions in the bulk allows for a simple solution to potentially dangerous proton decay problems. However, bulk gauge fields and fermions pose a phenomenological challenge, since they tend to induce large corrections to the precision electroweak observables. In this article, we study in detail the effect of gauge and fermion fields propagating in the bulk in the presence of gauge brane kinetic terms compatible with gauge coupling unification, and we present ways of obtaining a consistent description of experimental data, while allowing values of the first Kaluza Klein mode masses of the order of a few TeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Opaque Branes in Warped Backgrounds

We examine localized kinetic terms for gauge fields which can propagate into compact, warped extra dimensions. We show that these terms can have a relevant impact on the values of the Kaluza-Klein (KK) gauge field masses, wave functions, and couplings to brane and bulk matter. The resulting phenomenological implications are discussed. In particular, we show that the presence of opaque branes, with non-vanishing brane-localized gauge kinetic terms, allow much lower values of the lightest KK mode than in the case of transparent branes. Moreover, we show that if the large discrepancies among the different determinations of the weak mixing angle would be solved in favor of the value obtained from the lepton asymmetries, bulk electroweak gauge fields in warped-extra dimensions may lead to an improvement of the agreement of the fit to the electroweak precision data for a Higgs mass of the order of the weak scale and a mass of the first gauge boson KK excitation most likely within reach of the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2003

Bulk Gauge Fields in Warped Space and Localized Supersymmetry Breaking

We consider five dimensional supersymmetric warped scenarios in which the Standard Model quark and lepton fields are localized on the ultraviolet brane, while the Standard Model gauge fields propagate in the bulk. Supersymmetry is assumed to be broken on the infrared brane. The relative sizes of supersymmetry breaking effects are found to depend on the hierarchy between the infrared scale and the weak scale. If the infrared scale is much larger than the weak scale the leading supersymmetry breaking effect on the visible brane is given by gaugino mediation. The gaugino masses at the weak scale are proportional to the square of the corresponding gauge coupling, while the dominant contribution to the scalar masses arises from logarithmically enhanced radiative effects involving the gaugino mass that are cutoff at the infrared scale. While the LSP is the gravitino, the NLSP which is the stau is stable on collider time scales. If however the infrared scale is close to the weak scale then the effects of hard supersymmetry breaking operators on the scalar masses can become comparable to those from gaugino mediation. These operators alter the relative strengths of the couplings of gauge bosons and gauginos to matter, and give loop contributions to the scalar masses that are also cutoff at the infrared scale. The gaugino masses, while exhibiting a more complicated dependence on the corresponding gauge coupling, remain hierarchical and become proportional to the corresponding gauge coupling in the limit of strong supersymmetry breaking. The scalar masses are finite and a loop factor smaller than the gaugino masses. The LSP remains the gravitino.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Neutrinos Vis-a-vis the Six-Dimensional Standard Model

We examine the origin of neutrino masses and oscillations in the context of the six-dimensional standard model. The space-time symmetries of this model explain proton stability and forbid Majorana neutrino masses. The consistency of the six-dimensional theory requires three right-handed neutrinos, and therefore Dirac neutrino masses are allowed. We employ the idea that the smallness of these masses is due to the propagation of the right-handed neutrinos in a seventh, warped dimension. We argue that this class of theories is free of gravitational anomalies. Although an exponential hierarchy arises between the neutrino masses and the electroweak scale, we find that the mass hierarchy among the three neutrino masses is limited by higher-dimension operators. All current neutrino oscillation data, except for the LSND result, are naturally accommodated by our model. In the case of the solar neutrinos, the model leads to the large mixing angle, MSW solution. The mechanism employed, involving three right-handed neutrinos coupled to a scalar in an extra dimension, may explain the features of the neutrino spectrum in a more general class of theories that forbid Majorana masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2002

Yukawa Deflected Gauge Mediation

We consider models which are natural extensions of those where supersymmetry is broken at low energy scales and transmitted to visible matter by gauge interactions. We investigate the situation where the quark and lepton superfields of the MSSM are localized to a brane in a higher dimensional space while the messenger fields and the sector which breaks supersymmetry dynamically are localized to another brane in the same space. The MSSM gauge and Higgs fields are assumed to propagate in the bulk. If some of the messenger fields and the Higgs fields have the same quantum numbers, this allows the possibility of mixing between these fields so that the physical Higgs and messenger fields are admixtures of the brane and bulk fields. This manifests itself in direct couplings of the quark and lepton fields to the physical messengers that are proportional to the MSSM Yukawa couplings and hence preserve the flavor structure of the CKM matrix. The result is new contributions to the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters that are related to the Yukawa couplings and which therefore naturally satisfy the constraints from FCNC's. For messenger scales greater then 1000 TeV these new contributions are parametrically of the same order of magnitude as gauge mediation. This scenario naturally avoids the cosmological problems associated with stable messengers and admits a simple and natural solution to the $μ$ problem based on the NMSSM.

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