arXiv subjects

Fiona Kirk

Publications and source records attributed to Fiona Kirk.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing Ultralight Dark Matter at the Mega-Planck Scale with the Thorium Nuclear Clock

Ultralight dark matter is expected to induce oscillations of nuclear parameters. These oscillations are characterized by extremely weak couplings or high suppression scales, with the Planck scale - the characteristic scale of quantum gravity - serving as a natural benchmark. Probing this phenomenon requires systems with exceptional sensitivity to shifts in nuclear energies. The uniquely low-energy nuclear isomeric transition in ${}^{229}$Th provides such sensitivity: it directly probes the nuclear interaction and, owing to a near cancellation between electromagnetic and nuclear contributions, its response to changes in nuclear structure is greatly amplified. We devise and perform a new type of ultrasensitive search for dark matter which uses the precision nuclear spectroscopy at JILA to set the strongest bounds in the mass range $10^{-21}\,{\rm eV} \lesssim m_{\rm DM} \lesssim 10^{-19}\,{\rm eV}$. Our results probe effective interaction scales exceeding $10^6$ times the Planck scale (the Mega-Planck scale) and establish the ${}^{229}$Th system as the leading probe of dark matter couplings to the nuclear sector.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Atomic Observables Induced by Cosmic Fields

The existence of cosmic fields made from yet unknown light bosons is predicted in many extensions to the Standard Model. They are especially of interest as possible constituents of dark matter. To detect such light and weakly interacting fields, atomic precision measurements offer one of the most sensitive platforms. In this work, we derive which atomic observables are sensitive to what kind of cosmic field couplings. For this we consider fields that couple either through scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, axial vector, or tensor couplings. We derive the corresponding non relativistic atomic potentials. Based on their symmetry properties, these can induce direct energy shifts or induce atomic electric dipole, magnetic dipole, electric quadrupole as well as nuclear Schiff and anapole moments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Apparent Lorentz violation from disformally coupled ultralight dark matter

We study the impact of general disformal metric transformations on fermions, which shift the gravitational metric by an additional rank-2 tensor. This tensor can in principle be constructed from scalar-field gradients, vector fields, or field-strength contractions. We show this transformation results in the conventional Dirac action being modified by additional kinetic and axial-current couplings that are quadratic in the shifted field. When the field sourcing the metric shift takes on a non-trivial background value, apparent Lorentz-violating effects can result, which we identify as terms in an effective field theory. Assuming the well-motivated cases of scalar and vector ultralight dark matter, we demonstrate that experimental tests of rotation and boost violation imply constraints on the additional kinetic coupling. Even under conservative assumptions, the constraints for vector ultralight dark matter are extremely stringent.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Towards a Global Search for New Physics with Isotope Shifts

Isotope shifts have emerged as a sensitive probe of new bosons that couple to electrons and neutrons, and of nuclear structure. The recent Hz- or even sub-Hz-level isotope shift measurements across different elements call for a global assessment of all available data. In this work, we present the fit framework kifit that for the first time enables a combined analysis of isotope shift data from several elements, taking into account correlations. We provide a thorough comparison of analytical methods and the fit to analyse linear and nonlinear King plots and quantify their uncertainties. Finally, we provide recommendations for future measurements that could enhance the sensitivity to new physics and offer new insights into nuclear structure.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Searching for dark matter with the Th-229 nuclear lineshape from laser spectroscopy

The recent laser excitation of the low-lying Th-229 isomer transition is starting a revolution in ultralight dark matter searches. The enhanced sensitivity of this transition to the large class of dark matter models dominantly coupling to quarks and gluons will ultimately allow us to probe coupling strengths eight orders of magnitude smaller than the current bounds from optical atomic clocks, which are mainly sensitive to dark matter couplings to electrons and photons. We argue that, with increasing precision, observations of the Th-229 excitation spectrum will soon give world-leading constraints. Using data from the pioneering laser excitation of Th-229 by Tiedau et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 182501 (2024)], we present a first dark matter search in the excitation spectrum. While the exclusion limits of our detailed study of the lineshape are still below the sensitivity of currently operating clock experiments, we project the measurement of Zhang et al. [Nature 663, 63 (2024)] to surpass it.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Probing new bosons and nuclear structure with ytterbium isotope shifts

In this Letter, we present mass-ratio measurements on highly charged Yb$^{42+}$ ions with a precision of $4\times 10^{-12}$ and isotope-shift measurements on Yb$^{+}$ on the $^{2}$S$_{1/2}$ $\to$ $^{2}$D$_{5/2}$ and $^{2}$S$_{1/2}$ $\to$ $^{2}$F$_{7/2}$ transitions with a precision of $4\times 10^{-9}$ for the isotopes $^{168,170,172,174,176}$Yb. We present a new method that allows us to extract higher-order changes in the nuclear charge distribution along the Yb isotope chain, benchmarking ab-initio nuclear structure calculations. Additionally, we perform a King plot analysis to set bounds on a fifth force in the keV$/c^2$ to MeV$/c^2$ range coupling to electrons and neutrons.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2023

Charged Higgs-Boson Decays into Quarks

We consider the full genuine next-to-leading order SUSY-QCD corrections to the charged Higgs decays into quarks supplemented by the NNLO corrections to the effective top and bottom Yukawa couplings. The NNLO corrections to the effective top Yukawa coupling are a new ingredient of our analysis. We arrive at an approximate NNLO prediction for MSSM charged Higgs decays after including the N$^4$LO QCD corrections for large charged Higgs masses. The residual uncertainties are in the percent range or below, depending on the particular MSSM scenario.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Impact of Lorentz violation on anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons

We address the question whether a violation of Lorentz symmetry can explain the tension between the measurement and the Standard-Model prediction of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon ($(g-2)_μ$) and whether it can significantly impact the one of the electron ($(g-2)_{e}$). While anisotropic Lorentz-violating effects are, in general, expected to produce sidereal oscillations in observables, isotropic Lorentz violation in the charged-lepton sector could feed into $(g-2)_{e,μ}$. However, we find that this type of Lorentz violation, parametrised via a dim-4 field operator of the Standard-Model Extension (SME), is already strongly constrained by the absence of vacuum Čerenkov radiation and photon decay. In particular, the observations of very-high-energetic astrophysical photons at LHAASO and of high-energetic electrons (muons) by the LHC (IceCube) place the most stringent two-sided bounds on the relevant SME coefficients $\overset{\circ}{c}{}^{(e)}$ ($\overset{\circ}{c}{}^{(μ)}$). Therefore, any explanation of the tension in $(g-2)_μ$ via isotropic Lorentz violation of the minimal spin-degenerate SME is excluded, and the possible size of its impact on $(g-2)_{e}$ is very limited.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Comprehensive Analysis of Charged Lepton Flavour Violation in the Symmetry Protected Type-I Seesaw

The type-I seesaw model is probably the most straightforward and best studied extension of the Standard Model that can account for the tiny active neutrino masses determined from neutrino oscillation data. In this article, we calculate the complete set of one-loop corrections to charged lepton flavour violating processes within this model. We give the results both using exact diagonalisation of the neutrino mass matrix, and at at leading order in the seesaw expansion (i.e. $\mathcal{O}(v^2/M_R^2)$). Furthermore, we perform the matching onto the $SU(2)_L$ invariant Standard Model Effective Field Theory at the dimension-6 level. These results can be used as initial conditions for the renormalisation group evolution from the right-handed neutrino scale down to the scale of the physical processes, which resums large logarithms. In our numerical analysis, we study the inverse seesaw limit, i.e. the symmetry protected type-I seesaw, where the Wilson coefficient of the Weinberg operator is zero such that sizeable neutrino Yukawas are permissible and relevant effects in charged lepton flavour violating observables are possible. We correlate the different charged lepton flavour violating processes, e.g. $\ell\to\ell^\primeγ$, $\ell\to3\ell^\prime$, $μ\to e$ conversion and $Z\to \ell\ell^\prime$, taking into account the constraints from electroweak precision observables and tests of lepton flavour universality.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

A viable $L_e-L_\mu$ model with $\mu\to e$ violation

We extend the Standard Model gauge group by $U(1)_{L_e-L_\mu}$ and introduce two scalars, a doublet and a singlet, that are charged under this new group and have lepton flavour violating couplings. Since in this model $\mu \to e$ processes can only be mediated by $\mu\to \tau\times \tau\to e$ interactions, bounds from $\mu\to e$ transitions can be avoided while allowing for accessible new physics. We consider the case of a $Z'$ boson with a mass of $M_{Z'}\simeq10~$GeV and a gauge coupling $g'\simeq 10^{-4}$, which is in reach of Belle-II, and a long-lived $Z'$ boson with a mass of $\text{MeV}\lesssim M_{Z'}\lesssim m_\mu-m_e$ which can be probed by searching for $\ell\to \ell'+\text{inv.}$. Neutrino masses and mixing angles can also be accounted for if sterile neutrinos are added to the spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Leptophilic New Physics and the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly

The Cabibbo Angle Anomaly, an apparent deficit in first-row CKM unitarity, can be addressed by leptophilic Standard Model extensions that generate new contributions to the Fermi constant and affect the determination of the CKM element $V_{ud}$. We focus on simplified models with this property, including the Standard Model extended by vectorlike leptons, by the singly charged scalar singlet, or by a leptophilic $Z'$ boson.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Explaining the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly and Lepton Flavour Universality Violation in Tau Decays With a Singly-Charged Scalar Singlet

The singly charged $SU(2)_L$ singlet scalar, with its necessarily flavour violating couplings to leptons, lends itself particularly well for an explanation of the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly and of hints for lepton flavour universality violation in $τ\to μ\bar νν$. In a setup addressing both anomalies, we predict loop-induced effects in $τ\to eγ$ and in $τ\to eμμ$. A recast of ATLAS selectron and smuon searches allows us to derive a coupling-independent lower limit of $\approx 200$ GeV on the mass of the singly charged singlet scalar. At a future $e^+e^-$ collider, dark matter mono-photon searches could provide a complementary set of bounds.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Implications of $\textit{SU}(2)_L$ gauge invariance for constraints on Lorentz violation

Lorentz invariance is one of the basic ingredients of quantum field theories and violations of it are stringently constrained experimentally. Therefore, the possibility of Lorentz violation (LV) is usually realized at very high energy scales, resulting in a strong suppression of it (by the new scale) in experiments. The Standard-Model Extension (SME) parameterizes LV in a model-independent way, respecting $SU(2)_L$ gauge invariance. This means, e.g., that the neutrino and charged-lepton sectors are linked to each other. Hence, on the one hand, any modification of neutrino properties simultaneously gives rise to effects for charged leptons, which is why the tight limits on flavour-off-diagonal LV for neutrinos imply new bounds on modifications of charged leptons. On the other hand, LV for left-handed charged leptons implies LV for neutrinos. Since LV modifications of the charged-lepton sector are, in general, even more constraining than effects in the flavour-diagonal neutrino sector, we obtain novel tight bounds on LV in the latter. Subsequently, we apply the same approach to an analysis of time-of-flight data for neutrinos (detected by IceCube) and photons from gamma ray bursts where discrepancies have been observed. Our finding is that an explanation of the arrival time difference between neutrino and photon events by dim-5 operators in the neutrino sector would lead to unacceptably large LV effects in the charged-lepton sector.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Searching for Lepton Flavour (Universality) Violation and Collider Signals from a Singly-Charged Scalar Singlet

In recent years, evidence for lepton flavour universality violation beyond the Standard Model has been accumulated. In this context, a singly charged $SU(2)_L$ singlet scalar ($ϕ^\pm$) is very interesting, as it can only have flavour off-diagonal couplings to neutrinos and charged leptons, therefore necessarily violating lepton flavour (universality). In fact, it gives a (necessarily constructive) tree-level effect in $\ell\to\ell^\primeνν$ processes, while contributing to charged lepton flavour violating only at the loop-level. Therefore, it can provide a common explanation of the hints for new physics in $τ\toμνν/τ(μ)\to eνν$ and of the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly. Such an explanation predicts ${\rm Br }[τ\to eγ]$ to be of the order of a few times $10^{-11}$ while ${ \rm Br}[τ\to eμμ]$ can be of the order of $10^{-9}$ for order one couplings and therefore in the reach of forthcoming experiments. Furthermore, we derive a {novel} coupling-independent lower limit on the scalar mass of $\approx 200\,$GeV by recasting LHC slepton searches. In the scenario preferred by low energy precision data, the lower limit is even strengthened to $\approx300\,$GeV, showing the complementary between LHC searches and flavour observables. Furthermore, we point out that this model can be tested by reinterpreting DM mono-photon searches at future $e^+e^-$ colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Global Analysis of Leptophilic Z' Bosons

New neutral heavy gauge bosons ($Z^\prime$) are predicted within many extensions of the Standard Model. While in case they couple to quarks the LHC bounds are very stringent, leptophilic $Z^\prime$ bosons (even with sizable couplings) can be much lighter and therefore lead to interesting quantum effects in precision observables (like $(g-2)_μ$) and generate flavour violating decays of charged leptons. In particular, $\ell\to\ell^\primeν\barν$ decays, anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons, $\ell\to\ell^\primeγ$ and $\ell\to3\ell^\prime$ decays place stringent limits on leptophilic $Z^\prime$ bosons. Furthermore, in case of mixing $Z^\prime$ with the SM $Z$, $Z$ pole observables are affected. In light of these many observables we perform a global fit to leptophilic $Z^\prime$ models with the main goal of finding the bounds for the $Z^\prime$ couplings to leptons. To this end we consider a number of scenarios for these couplings. While in generic scenarios correlations are weak, this changes once additional constraints on the couplings are imposed. In particular, if one considers an $L_μ-L_τ$ symmetry broken only by left-handed rotations, or considers the case of $τ-μ$ couplings only. In the latter setup, on can explain the $(g-2)_μ$ anomaly and the hint for lepton flavour universality violation in $τ\toμν\barν/τ\to eν\barν$ without violating bounds from electroweak precision observables.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Global Electroweak Fit and Vector-Like Leptons in Light of the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly

The "Cabibbo Angle Anomaly" (CAA) originates from the disagreement between the CKM elements $V_{ud}$ and $V_{us}$ extracted from superallowed beta and kaon decays, respectively, once compared via CKM unitarity. It points towards new physics with a significance of up to $4\,σ$, depending on the theoretical input used, and can be explained through modified $W$ couplings to leptons. In this context, vector-like leptons (VLLs) are prime candidates for a corresponding UV completion since they can affect $W\ellν$ couplings at tree-level, such that this modification can have the dominant phenomenological impact. In order to consistently asses the agreement with the data, a global fit is necessary which we perform for gauge-invariant dimension-6 operators and all patterns obtained for the six possible representations (under the SM gauge group) of VLLs. We find that even in the lepton flavour universal case, including the measurements of the CKM elements $V_{us}$ and $V_{ud}$ into the electroweak fit has a relevant impact, shifting the best fit point significantly. Concerning the VLLs we discuss the bounds from charged lepton flavour violating processes and observe that a single representation cannot describe experimental data significantly better than the SM hypothesis. However, allowing for several representations of VLLs at the same time, we find that the simple scenario in which $N$ couples to electrons via the Higgs and $Σ_1$ couples to muons not only explains the CAA but also improves the rest of the electroweak fit in such a way that its best fit point is preferred by more than $4\,σ$ with respect to the SM.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

$Z^\prime$ models with less-minimal flavour violation

We study the phenomenology of simplified $Z^\prime$ models with a global $U(2)^3$ flavour symmetry in the quark sector, broken solely by the Standard Model Yukawa couplings. This flavour symmetry, known as less-minimal flavour violation, protects $ΔF=2$ processes from dangerously large new physics (NP) effects, and at the same time provides a free complex phase in $b\to s$ transitions, allowing for an explanation of the hints for additional direct CP violation in kaon decays ($ε^\prime/ε$) and in hadronic $B$-decays ($B\to Kπ$ puzzle). Furthermore, once the couplings of the $Z^\prime$ boson to the leptons are included, it is possible to address the intriguing hints for NP (above the 5$\,σ$ level) in $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ transitions. Taking into account all flavour observables in a global fit, we find that $ε^\prime/ε$, the $B\to Kπ$ puzzle and $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ data can be explained simultaneously. Sizeable CP violation in $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ observables, in particular $A_8$, is predicted, which can be tested in the near future, and an explanation of the $B\to Kπ$ and $ε^\prime/ε$ puzzles leads to effects in di-jet tails at the LHC, that are not far below the current limits. Once $b\to s \ell^+\ell^-$ is included, cancellations in di-muon tails, possibly by a second $Z^\prime$, are required by LHC data.

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