arXiv subjects

Gabriele Levati

Publications and source records attributed to Gabriele Levati.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Four-fermion operators, $Z$-boson exchange, and $\tau$ lepton dipole moments

Asymmetry measurements in $e^+e^-\to\tau^+\tau^-$ constitute a promising avenue to obtain competitive constraints on the $\tau$ dipole moments, the anomalous magnetic moment $a_\tau$ and the electric dipole moment $d_\tau$, especially, once a polarized electron beam becomes available, as possible at a future polarization upgrade of the SuperKEKB collider. While the main challenges concern the measurement of these asymmetries and the calculation of radiative corrections at the relevant level of precision, at subleading orders also electroweak effects and the potential impact of four-fermion operators parameterizing other beyond-the-Standard-Model scenarios besides those described by dipole operators need to be taken into consideration. Here, we show that $Z$-boson contributions arise at the level of $\simeq 3\times 10^{-6}$, while we estimate the largest possible effect from four-fermion operators as $\simeq 10^{-5} C \, v^2/\Lambda^2$. In addition, we observe that four-fermion-operator insertions at the loop level can probe Wilson coefficients that are otherwise not constrained directly, and that the imaginary part generated by insertions of the dipole operator at loop level opens another potential avenue towards a determination of $a_\tau$ without the need for a polarized electron beam. Despite the inherent loop suppression, a measurement of the required normal asymmetry $A_N^\pm$ with a precision of $\lesssim 10^{-5}$ would allow one to probe the Schwinger term, which could define an intermediate goal to be realized in the current setting at Belle II.

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arXiv2026

Probing $\tau$ lepton dipole moments at future Lepton Colliders

The electric and magnetic dipole moments of the electron and of the muon provide stringent tests of the Standard Model and sensitive probes of new physics. By contrast, the corresponding dipole moments of the $\tau$ lepton remain weakly constrained. This study explores the potential of future lepton colliders, focusing on the $e^+e^-$ Future Circular Collider and a multi-TeV muon collider, to probe $\tau$ dipole moments. We consider multiple channels, including $\ell^+\ell^- \to \tau^+\tau^-$ ($\ell=e,\mu$), associated Higgs production $\mu^+\mu^- \to \tau^+\tau^- H$, radiative Higgs decays $H \to \tau^+\tau^-\gamma$, and vector-boson scattering $\ell^+\ell^- \to \ell^+\ell^-\tau^+\tau^-$ and $\mu^+\mu^- \to \bar\nu\nu\tau^+\tau^-$. Our results show that these facilities are highly complementary and can extend existing bounds by several orders of magnitude.

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arXiv2025

On the decay of a light spinless particle into two photons

We analyze the effective couplings of a light, spinless, gauge-singlet particle $\phi$ to on-shell photons. Starting from the most general theory at the electroweak scale, which allows for CP-violating interactions suppressed by inverse powers of an ultraviolet scale $\Lambda$, we derive the corresponding low-energy effective theory valid below the GeV scale. Within this framework, we systematically expand the effective couplings of $\phi$ to on-shell photons in powers of small parameters. Working at the one-loop level, we retain terms at first order in $1/\Lambda$. We incorporate both isospin-breaking effects and $\eta$-$\eta'$ mixing, and provide explicit expressions for the couplings up to first order in $m_\phi^2/m_\eta^2$ and $m_\pi^2/m_\eta^2$. As applications, we compute the decay rate of $\phi$ into two photons and illustrate our results in several physically motivated scenarios.

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arXiv2025

Light new physics and the $\tau$ lepton dipole moments

Testing New-Physics (NP) scenarios that couple predominantly to the third generation is notoriously difficult experimentally, as exemplified by comparing limits for the $\tau$ lepton dipole moments to those of electrons and muons. In this case, extracting limits from processes such as $e^+e^-\to\tau^+\tau^-$ often relies on effective-field-theory (EFT) arguments, which allow for model-independent statements, but only apply if the NP scale is sufficiently large compared to the center-of-mass energy. In this work we offer a comprehensive analysis of light NP contributions to the $\tau$ dipole moments, providing a detailed account of the interpretation of asymmetry measurements in $e^+e^-\to\tau^+\tau^-$ that are tailored towards the extraction of dipole moments, for the test cases of new light spin-$0$ and spin-$1$ bosons. Moreover, we study the decoupling to the EFT limit in these scenarios and discuss the complementarity to constraints from other related processes, such as production in $e^+e^-$ reactions. While covering a wide range of light NP scenarios, as specific case study we present a detailed discussion of a tauphilic gauge vector boson at Belle II.

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arXiv2025

Positivity and partial wave unitarity bounds on ALP theories via amplitude methods

We derive the complete set of partial wave unitarity bounds on the most general Axion-Like Particle (ALP) effective interactions up to dimension 8 in the limit of large center-of-mass energy. Exploiting a recently developed formalism based on spinor-helicity techniques, we discuss the unitarity bounds for $N \to M$ (with $N, M \geq 2$) scattering amplitudes that can be relevant for ALP searches at colliders or in a variety of rare processes. Moreover, we compute positivity bounds on ALP interactions, emphasizing their complementarity with partial wave unitarity bounds. As a byproduct, we show that our results can be used to infer new positivity constraints in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory.

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arXiv2025

Light new physics and the $\tau$ lepton dipole moments: prospects at Belle II

While electron and muon dipole moments are well-established precision probes of physics beyond the standard model, it is notoriously challenging to test realistic new-physics (NP) scenarios for the $\tau$ lepton. Constructing suitable asymmetries in $e^+e^-\to\tau^+\tau^-$ has emerged as a promising such avenue, providing access to the electric and magnetic dipole moment once a polarized electron beam is available, e.g., with the proposed polarization upgrade of the SuperKEKB $e^+e^-$ collider. However, this interpretation relies on an effective-field-theory (EFT) argument that only applies if the NP scale is large compared to the center-of-mass energy. In this Letter we address the consequences of the asymmetry measurements in the case of light NP, using light spin-0 and spin-1 bosons as test cases, to show how results can again be interpreted as constraints on dipole moments, albeit in a model-dependent manner, and how the decoupling to the EFT limit proceeds in these cases. In particular, we observe that the imaginary parts generated by light new particles can yield nonvanishing asymmetries even without electron polarization, which can again be interpreted as constraints on the $\tau$ anomalous magnetic moment. This proposed measurement, thus, presents a novel opportunity for NP searches that can be realized already with present data at Belle II.

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arXiv2025

Amplitudes and partial wave unitarity bounds

We develop a formalism, based on spinor-helicity techniques, to generalize the formulation of partial wave unitarity bounds. We discuss unitarity bounds for $N \to M$ (with $N,M \geq 2$) scattering processes -- relevant for high-energy future colliders -- and spin-2 or higher-spin theories -- relevant for effective field theories of gravity -- that are not approachable by standard methods. Moreover, we emphasize the power and complementarity of positivity and partial wave unitarity bounds to constrain the parameter space of effective field theories.

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arXiv2024

Renormalization of effective field theories via on-shell methods: the case of axion-like particles

We consider the most general axion-like particle effective field theory, including both CP-odd and CP-even types of interactions, and evaluate the corresponding renormalization group equations, improving and extending previous results in the literature. Our calculations exploit on-shell and unitarity-based methods. The relevant phase-space cut-integrals are carried out using different integration methods, among which the double-cut integration via Stokes' theorem proves to be technically simpler. A close comparison between the standard Feynman diagrammatic approach and the unitarity-based method enables us to explicitly verify the reduction of complexity in the latter case, along with a more direct and elegant way to establish a connection among anomalous dimensions of operators that are dual under the CP symmetry.

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arXiv2024

Collider and astrophysical signatures of light scalars with enhanced $\tau$ couplings

Beyond Standard Model scenarios addressing the flavor puzzle and the hierarchy problem generally predict dominant new physics couplings with fermions of the third generation. In this Letter, we explore the collider and astrophysical signatures of new light scalar and pseudoscalar particles dominantly coupled to the $\tau$-lepton. The best experimental prospects are expected at Belle II through the $e^+e^-\to\tau^+\tau^-\gamma\gamma$, $\tau^+\tau^-\gamma$, $3\gamma$, mono-$\gamma$ processes, and the $\tau$ anomalous magnetic moment. The correlated effects in these searches can unambiguously point toward the underlying new physics dynamics. Moreover, we study astrophysics bounds - especially from core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers - finding them particularly effective and complementary to collider bounds. We carry out this program in the well-motivated context of axion-like particles as well as generic CP-even and CP-odd particles, highlighting possible ways to discriminate among them.

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arXiv2023

CP-Violating Axions: A Theory Review

We review the physics case for CP-violating axions. In the first part, we focus on the Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) axion and argue that new sources of CP violation beyond QCD misalign the axion solution to the strong CP problem and can manifest themselves via a tiny scalar axion-nucleon component. We hence highlight recent advancements in calculating this scalar axion-nucleon coupling, a parameter that could be probed via axion-mediated force experiments. In the second part, we focus on axion-like particle (ALP) interactions entailing the most general sources of CP violation. After classifying the full set of CP-violating Jarlskog invariants, we report on recent calculations of ALP contributions to permanent electric dipole moments. We finally speculate on possible ultraviolet completions of the CP-violating ALP.

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arXiv2023

The Chiral Lagrangian of CP-Violating Axion-Like Particles

We discuss the construction of the most general CP-violating chiral Lagrangian for an axion-like particle (ALP). Starting with an effective Lagrangian containing light quarks and gluons, we provide its matching onto a chiral effective Lagrangian at $\mathcal{O}(p^2)$ described in terms of mesons and baryons, identifying the correspondence between the Jarlskog invariants of the two theories. After deriving the ALP interactions with mesons and baryons, we analyse a few relevant phenomenological implications such as the permanent electric dipole moments of nucleons and the CP-violating ALP and kaon decays.This work provides the necessary tools for further phenomenological analyses connecting low-energy observables with the couplings of the underlying ultraviolet complete theory.

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arXiv2023

Low-energy flavour probes of light vector bosons

In this work, we construct the chiral Lagrangian for a light spin-1 boson $X$ possessing both vectorial and axial couplings to the light Standard Model quarks $u, d, s$. We then use it in order to describe the tree-level, model-independent contributions to the $ΔS = 1$ transition $K^\pm \rightarrow π^\pm X$, which is induced by Standard Model charged currents and is possibly enhanced by the emission of a longitudinally polarized $X$ boson. Such a flavour observable is then shown to set the best model-independent bounds on the diagonal axial couplings of $X$ to light quarks in the mass range allowed by the decay kinematics, improving the currently available constraints from beam-dump experiments and collider searches.

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arXiv2023

Flavour constraints on light spin-1 bosons within a chiral Lagrangian approach

We discuss the construction of the chiral Lagrangian for a light spin-1 boson, here denoted as $X$, featuring both vector and axial-vector couplings to light $u,d,s$ quarks. Focusing on $ΔS = 1$ transitions, we show that there are model-independent tree-level contributions to $K^\pm \to π^\pm X$, sourced by Standard Model charged currents, which receive an $m^2_K / m_X^2$ enhancement from the emission of a longitudinally polarized $X$. This flavour observable sets the strongest to date model-independent bound on the diagonal axial-vector couplings of $X$ to $u,d,s$ quarks for $m_X < m_K - m_π$, superseding the bounds arising from beam-dump and collider searches.

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