arXiv subjects

Edward Hardy

Publications and source records attributed to Edward Hardy.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2015

Big Bang Synthesis of Nuclear Dark Matter

We investigate the physics of dark matter models featuring composite bound states carrying a large conserved dark "nucleon" number. The properties of sufficiently large dark nuclei may obey simple scaling laws, and we find that this scaling can determine the number distribution of nuclei resulting from Big Bang Dark Nucleosynthesis. For plausible models of asymmetric dark matter, dark nuclei of large nucleon number, e.g. > 10^8, may be synthesised, with the number distribution taking one of two characteristic forms. If small-nucleon-number fusions are sufficiently fast, the distribution of dark nuclei takes on a logarithmically-peaked, universal form, independent of many details of the initial conditions and small-number interactions. In the case of a substantial bottleneck to nucleosynthesis for small dark nuclei, we find the surprising result that even larger nuclei, with size >> 10^8, are often finally synthesised, again with a simple number distribution. We briefly discuss the constraints arising from the novel dark sector energetics, and the extended set of (often parametrically light) dark sector states that can occur in complete models of nuclear dark matter. The physics of the coherent enhancement of direct detection signals, the nature of the accompanying dark-sector form factors, and the possible modifications to astrophysical processes are discussed in detail in a companion paper.

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arXiv2015

Signatures of Large Composite Dark Matter States

We investigate the interactions of large composite dark matter (DM) states with the Standard Model (SM) sector. Elastic scattering with SM nuclei can be coherently enhanced by factors as large as A^2, where A is the number of constituents in the composite state (there exist models in which DM states of very large A > 10^8 may be realised). This enhancement, for a given direct detection event rate, weakens the expected signals at colliders by up to 1/A. Moreover, the spatially extended nature of the DM states leads to an additional, characteristic, form factor modifying the momentum dependence of scattering processes, altering the recoil energy spectra in direct detection experiments. In particular, energy recoil spectra with peaks and troughs are possible, and such features could be confirmed with only O(50) events, independently of the assumed halo velocity distribution. Large composite states also generically give rise to low-energy collective excitations potentially relevant to direct detection and indirect detection phenomenology. We compute the form factor for a generic class of such excitations - quantised surface modes - finding that they can lead to coherently-enhanced, but generally sub-dominant, inelastic scattering in direct detection experiments. Finally, we study the modifications to capture rates in astrophysical objects that follow from the elastic form factor, as well as the effects of inelastic interactions between DM states once captured. We argue that inelastic interactions may lead to the DM collapsing to a dense configuration at the centre of the object.

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arXiv2014

Annihilation Signals from Asymmetric Dark Matter

In the simplest models of asymmetric dark matter (ADM) annihilation signals are not expected, since the DM is non-self-conjugate and the relic density of anti-DM is negligible. We investigate a new class of models in which a symmetric DM component, in the `low-mass' 1-10 GeV regime favoured for linking the DM and baryon asymmetries, is repopulated through decays. We find that, in models without significant velocity dependence of the annihilation cross section, observational constraints generally force these decays to be (cosmologically) slow. These late decays can give rise to gamma-ray signal morphologies differing from usual annihilation profiles. A distinctive feature of such models is that signals may be absent from dwarf spheroidal galaxies.

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arXiv2014

Searching for Fermi Surfaces in Super-QED

The exploration of strongly-interacting finite-density states of matter has been a major recent application of gauge-gravity duality. When the theories involved have a known Lagrangian description, they are typically deformations of large $N$ supersymmetric gauge theories, which are unusual from a condensed-matter point of view. In order to better interpret the strong-coupling results from holography, an understanding of the weak-coupling behavior of such gauge theories would be useful for comparison. We take a first step in this direction by studying several simple supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric toy model gauge theories at zero temperature. Our supersymmetric examples are $\mathcal{N}=1$ super-QED and $\mathcal{N}=2$ super-QED, with finite densities of electron number and R-charge respectively. Despite the fact that fermionic fields couple to the chemical potentials we introduce, the structure of the interaction terms is such that in both of the supersymmetric cases the fermions do not develop a Fermi surface. One might suspect that all of the charge in such theories would be stored in the scalar condensates, but we show that this is not necessarily the case by giving an example of a theory without a Fermi surface where the fermions still manage to contribute to the charge density.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Is Natural SUSY Natural?

We study the fine tuning associated to a `Natural Supersymmetry' spectrum with stops, after RG running, significantly lighter than the first two generation sfermions and the gluino. In particular, we emphasise that this tuning should be measured with respect to the parameters taken to be independent at the assumed UV boundary of the renormalisation group flow, and improve the accuracy of previous approximate expressions. It is found that, if running begins at $10^{16}~\rm{GeV}$ $\left(10^5~\rm{GeV}\right)$, decreasing the UV stop mass below $0.75$ $\left(0.4\right)$ of the weak scale Majorana gluino mass does not improve the overall fine tuning of the theory. In contrast, it is possible to raise the first two generation sfermion masses out of LHC reach without introducing additional tuning. After running, regions of parameter space favoured by naturalness and consistent with LHC bounds typically have IR stop masses of order 1.5 TeV (0.75 TeV), and fine tuning of at least 400 (50) for high (low) scale mediation. We also study the fine tuning of theories with Dirac gluinos. These allow for substantial separation of the gluino and sfermion masses and, regardless of the scale of mediation, lead to relatively low fine tuning of order 50. Hence viable models can still favour light stops, but this requires extra structure beyond the MSSM field content.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Heavy superpartners with less tuning from hidden sector renormalisation

In supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, superpartner masses consistent with collider bounds typically introduce significant tuning of the electroweak scale. We show that hidden sector renormalisation can greatly reduce such a tuning if the supersymmetry breaking, or mediating, sector runs through a region of strong coupling not far from the weak scale. In the simplest models, only the tuning due to the gaugino masses is improved, and a weak scale gluino mass in the region of 5 TeV may be obtained with an associated tuning of only one part in ten. In models with more complex couplings between the visible and hidden sectors, the tuning with respect to sfermions can also be reduced. We give an example of a model, with low scale gauge mediation and superpartner masses allowed by current LHC bounds, that has an overall tuning of one part in twenty.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Retrofitted Natural Supersymmetry from a U(1)

We propose that a single, spontaneously broken, U(1) gauge symmetry may be responsible for suppressing both the first two generation Yukawa couplings, and also, in a correlated manner, parameters in the dynamical supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking sector by the mechanism of retrofitting. In the dynamical SUSY breaking sector, these small parameters are typically required in order to introduce R-symmetry breaking in a controlled manner and obtain phenomenologically viable meta-stable vacua. The heavy U(1) multiplet mediates a dominant contribution to the first two generation MSSM sfermion soft masses, while gauge mediation provides a parametrically suppressed soft term contribution to the stop and most other states, so realising a natural SUSY spectrum in a fashion consistent with SUSY unification. In explicit models the spectra obtained can be such that current LHC limits are evaded, and predictions of flavour changing processes are consistent with observation. We examine both implementations with low scale mediation, and string-motivated examples where the U(1) is anomalous before the inclusion of a generalised Green-Schwarz mechanism.

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arXiv2013

Axion Mediation

We explore the possibility that supersymmetry breaking is mediated to the Standard Model sector through the interactions of a generalized axion multiplet that gains a F-term expectation value. Using an effective field theory framework we enumerate the most general possible set of axion couplings and compute the Standard Model sector soft-supersymmetry-breaking terms. Unusual, non-minimal spectra, such as those of both natural and split supersymmetry are easily implemented. We discuss example models and low-energy spectra, as well as implications of the particularly minimal case of mediation via the QCD axion multiplet. We argue that if the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong-CP problem is realized in string theory then such axion-mediation is generic, while in a field theory model it is a natural possibility in both DFSZ- and KSVZ-like regimes. Axion mediation can parametrically dominate gravity-mediation and is also cosmologically beneficial as the constraints arising from axino and gravitino overproduction are reduced. Finally, in the string context, axion mediation provides a motivated mechanism where the UV completion naturally ameliorates the supersymmetric flavor problem.

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arXiv2012

Precision Unification in λSUSY with a 125 GeV Higgs

It is challenging to explain the tentative 125 GeV Higgs signal in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) without introducing excessive fine-tuning, and this motivates the study of non-minimal implementations of low energy supersymmetry (SUSY). A term λSH_uH_d involving a Standard Model (SM) singlet state S leads to an additional source for the quartic interaction raising the mass of the lightest SM-like Higgs. However, in order to achieve m_h \approx 125 GeV with light stops and small stop mixing, it is necessary for λ\gtrsim 0.7 and consequently λmay become non-perturbative before the unification scale. Moreover, as argued by Barbieri, Hall, et al. low fine-tuning prefers the region λ~1-2, leading to new or non-perturbative physics involving S below the GUT scale (`λSUSY' models). This raises the concern that precision gauge coupling unification, the prime piece of indirect experimental evidence for low energy SUSY, may be upset. Using the NSVZ exact β-function along with well motivated assumptions on the strong coupling dynamics we show that this is not necessarily the case, but rather there exist classes of UV completions where the strong-coupling effects can naturally correct for the present ~3% discrepancy in the two-loop MSSM unification prediction for α_s. Moreover, we argue that in certain scenarios a period of strong coupling can also be beneficial for t-b unification, while maintaining the small to moderate values of tanβpreferred by the Higgs mass.

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