arXiv subjects

Emidio Gabrielli

Publications and source records attributed to Emidio Gabrielli.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Left-Right Supersymmetry as the Origin of Flavor Physics

We propose a new framework for the observed flavor hierarchy and mixing based on left-right supersymmetry. The model contains the most minimal Higgs sector consisting only of gauge doublets which forbid the standard model Yukawa couplings. New mediator fields then connect the left- and right-chiral fermion sectors and result in effective tree level Yukawa couplings for the third generation charged fermions. The remaining fermions, including all neutrinos, acquire effective Yukawa couplings sourced by the supersymmetry breaking sector at loop level. We predict new TeV range scalars, as well as heavier fermions and vector bosons, that can be discovered at the LHC and future colliders.

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arXiv2018

Radiative Yukawa Couplings in the Simplest Left-Right Symmetric Model

We revisit a recent solution to the flavor hierarchy problem based on the paradigm that Yukawa couplings are, rather than fundamental constants, effective low energy couplings radiatively generated by interactions in a hidden sector of the theory. In the present paper we show that the setup required by this scenario can be set by gauge invariance alone, provided that the Standard Model gauge group be extended to the left-right symmetric group of $SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R\times U(1)_Y$. The simplest scheme in which Yukawa couplings are forbidden at the tree-level organises the right-handed fermions into doublets and presents an additional Higgs $SU(2)_R$ doublet, responsible for the spontaneous breaking of the $SU(2)_R$ gauge sector. The flavor and chiral symmetry breaking induced by the $SU(2)_R$ breaking is transferred at the one-loop level to the Standard Model via the dynamics of the hidden sector, which effectively regulates the spread of the effective Yukawa couplings. The emerging left-right symmetric framework recovers additional appealing features typical of these models, allowing for instance to identify the hypercharges of the involved fermions with their $B-L$ charges and offering a straightforward solution to the strong CP problem. The scheme gives rise to a distinguishing phenomenology that potentially can be tested at the LHC and future colliders through the same interactions that result in the radiative generation of Yukawa couplings, as well as by exploiting the properties of the additional $SU(2)_R$ Higgs doublet.

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arXiv2017

Dark-photon searches via $ZH$ production at $e^+e^-$ colliders

We study the $ZH$ associated production followed by the Higgs $H\to γ\barγ$ decay into a photon plus an invisible and massless dark photon, at future high-energy $e^+e^-$ facilities. Large $H\to γ\barγ$ decay rates (with branching ratios up to a few percent) are allowed, thanks to possible non-decoupling properties of the Higgs boson under specific conditions, and unsuppressed dark-photon couplings in the dark sector. Such large decay rates can be obtained in the framework of recent flavor models that aim to naturally explain the observed spread in the fermion mass spectrum. We analyze the experimental prospects for observing the $e^+e^-\rightarrow ZH$ process followed by the semi invisible Higgs decay into a photon plus a massless invisible system. Search strategies for both the leptonic and the hadronic final states (arising from $Z\rightarrow μ^+μ^-$ and $Z\rightarrow q\bar{q}$, respectively) are outlined. We find that a $5σ$ sensitivity to a branching fraction $BR_{γ\barγ}\sim 3\times 10^{-4}$ can be achieved by combining the two channels with an integrated luminosity of 10 ab$^{-1}$ at a c.m. energy of 240 GeV. This is considerably better than the corresponding sensitivity in alternative channels previously studied at lepton colliders. The analysis is model independent, and its results can be straightforwardly applied to the search of any Higgs two-body decay into a photon plus an undetected light particle.

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arXiv2017

FCNC decays of SM fermions into a dark photon

We analyze a new class of FCNC processes, the $f \to f^{\prime} \, \barγ$ decays of a fermion $f$ into a lighter (same-charge) fermion $f^{\prime}$ plus a {\it massless} neutral vector boson, a {\it dark photon} $\barγ$. A massless dark photon does not interact at tree level with observable fields, and the $f \!\to\! f^{\prime} \, \barγ$ decay presents a characteristic signature where the final fermion $f^{\prime}$ is balanced by a {\it massless invisible} system. Models recently proposed to explain the exponential spread in the standard-model Yukawa couplings can indeed foresee an extra unbroken {\it dark} $U(1)$ gauge group, and the possibility to couple on-shell dark photons to standard-model fermions via one-loop magnetic-dipole kind of FCNC interactions. The latter are suppressed by the characteristic scale related to the mass of heavy messengers, connecting the standard model particles to the dark sector. We compute the corresponding decay rates for the top, bottom, and charm decays ($t\to c\, \barγ,u\, \barγ$, $\;b\to s\, \barγ,d\, \barγ$, and $c\to u \barγ$), and for the charged-lepton decays ($τ\to μ\, \barγ, e\, \barγ$, and $μ\to e \barγ$) in terms of model parameters. We find that large branching ratios for both quark and lepton decays are allowed in case the messenger masses are in the discovery range of the LHC. Implications of these new decay channels at present and future collider experiments are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2016

Polarization observables for millicharged particles in photon collisions

Particles in a hidden sector can potentially acquire a small electric charge through their interaction with the Standard Model and can consequently be observed as millicharged particles. We systematically compute the production of millicharged scalar, fermion and vector boson particles in collisions of polarized photons. The presented calculation is model independent and is based purely on the assumptions of electromagnetic gauge invariance and unitarity. Polarization observables are evaluated and analyzed for each spin case. We show that the photon polarization asymmetries are a useful tool for discriminating between the spins of the produced millicharged particles. Phenomenological implications for searches of millicharged particles in dedicated photon-photon collision experiments are also discussed.

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arXiv2016

Higgs-boson production in association with a Dark Photon in $e^+ e^-$ collisions

We study the production of a Higgs boson recoiling from a massless invisible system in $e^ + e^ -$ collisions. This is a quite distinctive signature that can arise when the Higgs boson is produced in association with a massless dark photon, which can happen in BSM scenarios foreseeing an extra unbroken $U(1)$ gauge group. Dark photons can indeed acquire effective couplings to the Higgs boson as occurs in models recently proposed to generate exponentially-spread Yukawa couplings. We analyze the signal and corresponding backgrounds for $H\to b\bar{b}$, and estimate ILC and FCC-ee sensitivities in a model-independent way.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Asking for an extra photon in Higgs production at the LHC and beyond

We study the inclusive production of a Higgs boson in association with a high-$p_T$ photon at the LHC, detailing the leading-order features of the main processes contributing to the $Hγ$ final state. Requiring an extra hard photon in Higgs production upsets the cross-section hierarchy for the dominant channels. The $Hγ$ inclusive production comes mainly from photons radiated in vector-boson fusion (VBF), which accounts for about 2/3 of the total rate, for $p_T^{γ,j} >30$ GeV, at leading order. On the other hand, radiating a high-$p_T$ photon in the main top-loop Higgs channel implies an extra parton in the final state, which suppresses the production rate by a further $α_S$ power. As a result, the $Hγ$ production via top loops at the LHC has rates comparable with the ones arising from either the $H t\bar t$ production or the $HW(Z)γ$ associated production. Then, in order of decreasing cross section, comes the single-top-plus-Higgs channel, followed in turn by the heavy-flavor fusion processes $b\bar b \to Hγ$ and $c\bar c \to Hγ$. The $Hγ$ production via electroweak loops has just a minor role. At larger c.m. energies, the $H t\bar tγ$ channel surpasses the total contribution of top-loop processes. In particular, requiring $p_T^{γ,j} >30$ GeV at $\sqrt S \simeq 100$ TeV, $H t\bar tγ$ accounts for about $1/4$ of the inclusive $Hγ$ production at leading order, about half of the total being due to VBF production.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Dark-Photon searches via Higgs-boson production at the LHC

Dark photons $\bar γ$ mediating long-range forces in a dark sector are predicted by various new physics scenarios, and are being intensively searched for in experiments. We extend a previous study of a new discovery process for dark photons proceedings via Higgs-boson production at the LHC. Thanks to the non-decoupling properties of the Higgs boson, BR($H\to γ\bar γ$) values up to a few percent are possible for a massless dark photon, even for heavy dark-sector scenarios. The corresponding signature consists (for a Higgs boson at rest) of a striking monochromatic photon with energy $E_γ= m_H/2$, and similar amount of missing energy. We perform a model independent analysis at the LHC of both the gluon-fusion and VBF Higgs production mechanisms at 14 TeV, including parton-shower effects, and updating our previous parton-level analysis at 8 TeV in the gluon-fusion channel by a more realistic background modeling. We find that a $5σ$ sensitivity can be reached in the gluon-fusion channel for BR($H\to γ\bar γ)\simeq\,$0.1% with an integrated luminosity of $L\simeq 300\, {\rm fb}^{-1}$. The corresponding VBF reach is instead restricted to 1%. Such decay rates can be naturally obtained in dark-photon scenarios arising from unbroken $U(1)_F$ models explaining the origin and hierarchy of the Yukawa couplings, strongly motivating the search for this exotic Higgs decay at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Dark matter and spin-1 milli-charged particles

New physics scenarios beyond the Standard Model predict the existence of milli-charged particles. So far, only spin-1/2 and spin-0 milli-charged particles have been considered in literature, leaving out the interesting case of spin-1. We propose a minimal unitary and renormalizable model of massive milli-charged vector particles. Unitarity requires that these particles are gauge bosons of a non-abelian spontaneously broken gauge symmetry. The minimal scenario then consists of an extended Standard Model gauge group $SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y \times SU(2)_D$ together with a $SU(2)_D$ dark Higgs boson responsible for the symmetry breaking in the dark sector. By imposing that the dark Higgs multiplet has a non-vanishing milli-hypercharge, stable milli-charged spin-1 fields arise thereby providing a potential dark matter candidate. We analyse the phenomenological constraints on this scenario and discuss their implications.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Enhancing the ttH signal through top-quark spin polarization effects at the LHC

We compare the impact of top-quark spin polarization effects in Higgs boson production in association with top-quark pairs and in corresponding backgrounds at the LHC. Because of the spin-zero nature of the Higgs boson, one expects, in the chiral limit for the top quarks, a substantial complementarity in $t\bar t$ spin correlations for a Higgs decaying into fermions/gauge-bosons and $t\bar{t}$ spin correlations for the corresponding irreducible $t\bar t f\bar f/VV$ backgrounds. Although top mass effects in $t\bar t H$ production are in general dominant, and seriously spoil the chiral-limit expectations, one can find observables that capture the $t \bar t$ angular spin correlations and can help in separating the signal from irreducible backgrounds. In particular, we show that, for both $H\to b\bar b$ and $H\to γγ$, taking into account $t\bar{t}$ spin correlations in $t\bar t H$ production and irreducible backgrounds could appreciably improve the LHC sensitivity to the $t\bar t H$ channel.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Dark photons and resonant monophoton signatures in Higgs boson decays at the LHC

Motivated by dark-photon $\barγ$ scenarios extensively considered in the literature, we explore experimentally allowed models where the Higgs boson coupling to photon and dark photon $Hγ\barγ$ can be enhanced. Correspondingly, large rates for the $H\to γ\bar γ$ decay become plausible, giving rise to one monochromatic photon with $E^γ\simeq m_H/2$ (i.e., more than twice the photon energy in the rare standard-model decay $H\to γZ\toγ\barνν$), and a similar amount of missing energy. We perform a model-independent study of this exotic resonant monophoton signature at the LHC, featuring a distinctive $E^γ_T$ peak around 60 GeV, and $γ+\slashed{E}_T$ transverse invariant mass ruled by $m_H$. At parton level, we find a $5\,σ$ sensitivity of the present LHC data set for a $H\to γ\barγ$ branching fraction of $0.5\%$. Such large branching fractions can be naturally obtained in dark $U(1)_F$ models explaining the origin and hierarchy of the standard model Yukawa couplings. We urge the LHC experiments to search for this new exotic resonance in the present data set, and in future LHC runs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Anomalous Higgs-boson coupling effects in HWW production at the LHC

We study the LHC associated production of a Higgs boson and a W^+W^- vector-boson pair at 14 TeV, in the Standard Model and beyond. We consider different signatures corresponding to the cleanest H and W decay channels, and discuss the potential of the high-luminosity phase of the LHC. In particular, we investigate the sensitivity of the HWW production to possible anomalous Higgs couplings to vector bosons and fermions. Since the b-quark initiated partonic channel contributes significantly to this process, we find a moderate sensitivity to both the size and sign of an anomalous top-quark Yukawa coupling, because perturbative unitarity in the standard model implies a destructive interference in the b b-bar subprocess. We show that a combination of various signatures can reach a ~9 standard-deviation sensitivity in the presently allowed negative region of the top-Higgs coupling, if not previously excluded.

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arXiv2014

Towards Completing the Standard Model: Vacuum Stability, EWSB and Dark Matter

We study the standard model (SM) in its full perturbative validity range between $Λ_QCD$ and the $U(1)_Y$ Landau pole, assuming that a yet unknown gravitational theory in the UV does not introduce additional particle thresholds, as suggested by the tiny cosmological constant and the absence of new stabilising physics at the EW scale. We find that, due to dimensional transmutation, the SM Higgs potential has a global minimum at 10^26 GeV, invalidating the SM as a phenomenologically acceptable model in this energy range. We show that extending the classically scale invariant SM with one complex singlet scalar S allows us to: (i) stabilise the SM Higgs potential; (ii) induce a scale in the singlet sector via dimensional transmutation that generates the negative SM Higgs mass term via the Higgs portal; (iii) provide a stable CP-odd singlet as the thermal relic dark matter due to CP-conservation of the scalar potential; (iv) provide a degree of freedom that can act as an inflaton in the form of the CP-even singlet. The logarithmic behaviour of dimensional transmutation allows one to accommodate the large hierarchy between the electroweak scale and the Landau pole, while understanding the latter requires a new non-perturbative view on the SM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Fermion Scattering in a Gravitational Background: Electroweak Corrections and Flavour Transitions

We investigate the role of the electroweak corrections to the scattering cross section of Standard Model fermions with gravity. We use both an approach of scattering off an external potential, where the gravitational field is treated as a classical background generated by a heavy source, and the usual interaction based on the one-graviton-exchange. In the potential appoach we consider the fields both of a localized and of a distributed gravitational source of spherical symmetry and uniform density, separating the cases of interactions taking place both in the inner and external regions of the source. This allows to make a distinction between interactions involving neutrinos and dark matter particles with a realistic gravity source, which cover the inner region, and the rest of the Standard model fermions. The role of the gravitationally induced flavour-changing transitions, as well as the flavour diagonal ones, are investigated in the limit of both large and small momentum transfers, deriving the structure of the corresponding Hamiltonian.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Exponentially spread dynamical Yukawa couplings from non-perturbative chiral symmetry breaking in the dark sector

We propose a new paradigm for generating exponentially spread standard model Yukawa couplings from a new $U(1)_F$ gauge symmetry in the dark sector. Chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken among dark fermions that obtain non-vanishing masses from a non-perturbative solution to the mass gap equation. The necessary ingredient for this mechanism to work is the existence of higher derivative terms in the dark $U(1)_F$ theory, or equivalently the existence of Lee-Wick ghosts, that (i) allow for a non-perturbative solution to the mass gap equation in the weak coupling regime of the Abelian theory; (ii) induce exponential dependence of the generated masses on dark fermion $U(1)_F$ quantum numbers. The generated flavor and chiral symmetry breaking in the dark sector is transferred to the standard model Yukawa couplings at one loop level via Higgs portal type scalar messenger fields. The latter carry quantum numbers of squarks and sleptons. A new intriguing phenomenology is predicted that could be potentially tested at the LHC, provided the characteristic mass scale of the messenger sector is accessible at the LHC as is suggested by naturalness arguments.

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arXiv2013

Direct constraints on the top-Higgs coupling from the 8 TeV LHC data

The LHC experiments have analyzed the 7 and 8 TeV LHC data in the main Higgs production and decay modes. Current analyses only loosely constrain an anomalous top-Higgs coupling in a direct way. In order to strongly constrain this coupling, the Higgs-top associated production is reanalyzed. Thanks to the strong destructive interference in the t-channel for standard model couplings, this process can be very sensitive to both the magnitude and the sign of a non-standard top-Higgs coupling. We project the sensitivity to anomalous couplings to the integrated luminosity of 50 fb^{-1}, corresponding to the data collected by the ATLAS and CMS experiments in 7 and 8 TeV collisions, as of 2012. We show that the combination of di-photon and multi-lepton signatures, originating from different combinations of the top and Higgs decay modes, can be a potential probe to constrain a large portion of the negative top-Higgs coupling space presently allowed by the ATLAS and CMS global fits.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Mass Corrections to Flavor-Changing Fermion-Graviton Vertices in the Standard Model

In a previous study, the flavor-changing fermion-graviton interactions have been analyzed in the framework of the standard model, where analytical results for the relevant form factors were obtained at the leading order in the external fermion masses. These interactions arise at one-loop level by the charged electroweak corrections to the fermion-graviton vertex, when the off-diagonal flavor transitions in the corresponding charged weak currents are taken into account. Due to the conservation of the energy-momentum tensor, the corresponding form factors turn out to be finite and gauge invariant when external fermions are on-shell. Here we extend this previous analysis by including the exact dependence on the external fermion masses. Complete analytical results are provided for all the relevant form factors to the flavor-changing fermion-graviton transitions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

One loop Standard Model corrections to flavor diagonal fermion-graviton vertices

We extend a previous analysis of flavor-changing fermion-graviton vertices, by adding the one-loop SM corrections to the flavor diagonal fermion-graviton interactions. Explicit analytical expressions taking into account fermion masses for the on-shell form factors are computed and presented. The infrared safety of the fermion-graviton vertices against radiative corrections of soft photons and gluons is proved, by extending the ordinary infrared cancellation mechanism between real and virtual emissions to the gravity case. These results can be easily generalized to fermion couplings with massive gravitons, graviscalar, and dilaton fields, with potential phenomenological implications to new physics scenarios with low gravity scale.

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