arXiv subjects

Gino Isidori

Publications and source records attributed to Gino Isidori.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Minimal flavour deconstruction

We construct two concrete examples of flavour non-universal gauge theories which, after the inclusion of all $d\leq 4$ gauge invariant operators, allow to describe the observed pattern of flavour in the charged fermion sector without any small Yukawa coupling ($y \gtrsim 0.1$). Guided by the criterium of minimality, we assume that flavour non universality is confined to the Abelian sector of the gauge group: the universal hypercharge emerges after a sequence of symmetry-breaking steps characterised by two high mass scales, $Λ_{[23]} < Λ_{[12]}$, where the second and the first fermion generations get their mass respectively. At least in one of the two models the smaller of these scales can be in the 10 TeV range, consistently with current bounds from flavour observables. Both models are extended to include as well neutrino masses and mixings.

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arXiv2023

New Physics in the Third Generation: A Comprehensive SMEFT Analysis and Future Prospects

We present a comprehensive analysis of electroweak, flavor, and collider bounds on the complete set of dimension-six SMEFT operators in the $U(2)^5$-symmetric limit. This operator basis provides a consistent framework to describe a wide class of new physics models and, in particular, the motivated class of models where the new degrees of freedom couple mostly to the third generation. By analyzing observables from all three sectors, and consistently including renormalization group evolution, we provide bounds on the effective scale of all 124 $U(2)^5$-invariant operators. The relation between flavor-conserving and flavor-violating observables is analyzed taking into account the leading $U(2)^5$ breaking in the Yukawa sector, which is responsible for heavy-light quark mixing. We show that under simple, motivated, and non-tuned hypotheses for the parametric size of the Wilson coefficients at the high scale, all present bounds are consistent with an effective scale as low as 1.5 TeV. We also show that a future circular $e^+ e^-$ collider program such as FCC-ee would push most of these bounds by an order of magnitude. This would rule out or provide clear evidence for a wide class of compelling new physics models that are fully compatible with present data.

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arXiv2023

Semi-inclusive $b\to s\bar{\ell}\ell$ transitions at high $q^2$

We present an updated Standard Model (SM) estimate of the inclusive $b\to s\bar{\ell}\ell$ rate at high dilepton invariant mass ($q^2\geq 15~{\rm GeV}^2$). We show that this estimate is in good agreement with the result obtained summing the SM predictions for the leading one-body modes ($K$ and $K^*$) and the subleading non-resonant $Kπ$ channel (for which we also present an updated estimate). On the contrary, the semi-inclusive sum based on data exhibits a deficit compared to the inclusive SM prediction in the muon modes. The statistical significance of this deficit does not exceed $2σ$, but is free from uncertainties on hadronic form factors, and fully compatible with the deficit observed at low-$q^2$ on the exclusive modes. The implications of these results in conjunction with other SM tests on $b\to s\barμμ$ modes are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2023

The Standard Model effective field theory at work

The striking success of the Standard Model in explaining precision data and, at the same time, its lack of explanations for various fundamental phenomena, such as dark matter or the baryon asymmetry of the universe, suggests new physics at an energy scale much larger than the electroweak scale. In the absence of a short-range-long-range conspiracy, the Standard Model can be viewed as the leading term of an effective "remnant" theory (referred to as the SMEFT) of a more fundamental structure. Over the last years, many aspects of the SMEFT have been investigated and it has become a standard tool to analyze experimental results in an integral way. In this article, after briefly presenting the salient features of the Standard Model, we review the construction of the SMEFT. We discuss the range of its applicability and bounds on its coefficients imposed by general theoretical considerations. Since new physics models are likely to exhibit exact or approximate accidental global symmetries, especially in the flavor sector, we also discuss their implications for the SMEFT. The main focus of our review is the phenomenological analysis of experimental results. We show explicitly how to use various effective field theories to study the phenomenology of theories beyond the Standard Model. We give a detailed description of the matching procedure and the use of the renormalization group equations, allowing to connect multiple effective theories valid at different energy scales. Explicit examples from low-energy experiments and from high-$p_T$ physics illustrate the workflow. We also comment on the non-linear realization of the electroweak symmetry breaking and its phenomenological implications.

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arXiv2023

Flavor physics beyond the Standard Model and the Kobayashi-Maskawa legacy

The Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) hypothesis about the existence of a third generation of quarks represents a cornerstone of the Standard Model (SM). Fifty years after this seminal paper, flavor physics continues to represent a privileged observatory on physics occurring at high energy scales. In this paper I first review this statement using general effective-theory arguments, highlighting some interesting modern lessons from the KM paper. I then discuss some novel extensions of the SM based on the concept of flavor deconstruction: the hypothesis that gauge interactions are manifestly flavor non universal in the ultraviolet. The phenomenological consequences of this class of models are also briefly illustrated.

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arXiv2023

Confronting the vector leptoquark hypothesis with new low- and high-energy data

In light of new data we present an updated phenomenological analysis of the simplified $U_1$-leptoquark model addressing charged-current $B$-meson anomalies. The analysis shows a good compatibility of low-energy data (dominated by the lepton flavor universality ratios $R_D$ and $R_{D^*}$) with the high-energy constraints posed by $pp\to τ\barτ$ Drell-Yan data. We also show that present data are well compatible with a framework where the leptoquark couples with similar strength to both left- and right-handed third-generation fermions, a scenario that is well-motivated from a model building perspective. We find that the high-energy implications of this setup will be probed at the 95% confidence level in the high-luminosity phase of the LHC.

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arXiv2023

Non-universal gauge interactions addressing the inescapable link between Higgs and Flavour

We systematically explore ultraviolet complete models where flavour hierarchies emerge, via approximate accidental symmetries, from an underlying flavour non-universal gauge structure. In order to avoid large quantum corrections to the Higgs mass, the first layer of non-universality, separating the third generation from the light ones, should appear at the TeV scale. A handful of models survive the combined criteria of naturalness in the Higgs sector, having a semi-simple embedding in the UV, and compatibility with experiments. They all feature quark-lepton unification in the third family and a non-universal electroweak sector. We study in more detail the interesting option of having colour and hypercharge non-universal at the TeV scale, while $\mathrm{SU}(2)_L$ remains universal up to high scales: this gauge structure turns to be very efficient in secluding the Higgs from large quantum corrections and predicting flavour mixing consistent with data. In all cases, these models imply a rich TeV-scale phenomenology within the reach of near-future direct and indirect experimental searches.

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arXiv2023

Electroweak-flavour and quark-lepton unification: a family non-universal path

We present a family-non-universal extension of the Standard Model where the the first two families feature both quark-lepton and electroweak-flavour unification, via the $SU(4) \times Sp(4)_L \times Sp(4)_R$ gauge group, whereas quark-lepton unification for the third family is realised à la Pati-Salam. Via staggered symmetry breaking steps, this construction offers a natural explanation for the observed hierarchical pattern of fermion masses and mixings, while providing a natural suppression for flavour-changing processes involving the first two generations. The last-but-one step in the symmetry-breaking chain is a non-universal 4321 model, characterised by a vector leptoquark naturally coupled mainly to the third generation. The stability of the Higgs sector points to a 4321$\to$SM symmetry-breaking scale around the TeV, with interesting phenomenological consequences in $B$ physics and collider processes that differ from those of other known 4321 completions.

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arXiv2022

Flavor Non-universal Vector Leptoquark Imprints in $K\to πν\bar ν$ and $ΔF = 2$ Transitions

We analyze $K\to πν\bar ν$ rates in a model with a TeV-scale leptoquark addressing $B$-meson anomalies, based on the flavor non-universal 4321 gauge group featuring third-generation quark-lepton unification. We show that, together with the tight bounds imposed by $ΔF = 2$ amplitudes, the present measurement of $\mathcal{B}(K^+ \to π^+ ν\barν)$ already provides a non-trivial constraint on the model parameter space. In the minimal version of the model, the deviations from the Standard Model in $\mathcal{B}(K^+ \to π^+ ν\barν)$ are predicted to be in close correlation with non-standard effects in the Lepton Flavor Universality ratios $R_D$ and $R_{D^*}$. With the help of future data, these correlations can provide a decisive test of the model.

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arXiv2022

QED in $\bar B \to \bar K \ell^+\ell^-$ LFU ratios: Theory versus Experiment, a Monte Carlo Study

Using analytic results obtained in a meson effective theory, that includes all infrared sensitive logs, we build a dedicated Monte Carlo framework to describe QED corrections in $\bar B \to \bar K \ell^+\ell^-$ for a generic form factor. For the neutral mode $\bar B^0 \to \bar K^0 \ell^+\ell^-$, we perform a detailed numerical comparison versus those obtained with the general-purpose photon-shower tool PHOTOS. The comparison indicates a good agreement, at the few per-mil level, when focusing on the rare mode only. In addition, our framework allows us to investigate the impact of the charmonium resonances. Interference effects, not described by PHOTOS in the experimental analysis, are found to be small in the dilepton invariant mass region $q^2 < 6 \textrm{GeV}^2$, which is used to determine $R_{K^{(*)}}$. Using a semi-analytic framework we assess the full, rare and resonant, mode. Based thereupon, we discuss strategies to check the subtraction of the resonant mode, which has a sizeable impact at $q^2 \approx 6 \textrm{GeV}^2$ in the electron mode.

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arXiv2022

Simplified models of vector $SU(4)$ leptoquarks at the TeV

Assuming confirmation of the anomalies in semi-leptonic $B$-decays, their explanation in terms of the exchange of a massive vector leptoquark field, $U_μ^a$, of charge 2/3, appears to require the inclusion of $U_μ^a$ in the vector multiplet of the adjoint of Pati-Salam $SU(4)$, $\mathcal{G}_μ^A$, as well as the introduction of vector-like fermions, $F_j$, in the fundamental of $SU(4)$. We consider simplified models characterised by the nature of the $SU(4)$ symmetry (global or local), by the number of vector-like fermions, and by the couplings of the Higgs boson to SM fermions (direct or induced by mixing with the vector-like fermions). In all cases, we implement a minimal breaking of a $U(2)^n_f$ flavour symmetry, with a single motivated exception. We then perform a global fit including the main observables sensitive to exchanges of the $\mathcal{G}_μ^A$ at tree level and in loops dominated by logs insensitive to the UV completion.

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arXiv2022

Semi-inclusive Lepton Flavor Universality ratio in $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ transitions

We construct a semi-inclusive Lepton Flavour Universality (LFU) ratio, $R_Σ$, to test $μ/e$ universality in $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ transitions at $e^+e^-$ $B$-meson factories. Combining different decay channels, this observable maximises the sensitivity to possible LFU violations of short distance origin, yet preserving a clean theoretical interpretation in case of a deviation from its Standard Model prediction, $R_Σ^{\rm SM}=1$.

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arXiv2022

Flavor hierarchies, flavor anomalies, and Higgs mass from a warped extra dimension

The recent B-meson anomalies are coherently explained at the TeV scale by 4321 gauge models with hierarchical couplings reminiscent of the Standard Model Yukawas. We show that such models arise as the low-energy limit of a complete theory of flavor, based on a warped fifth dimension where each Standard Model family is quasi-localized in a different brane. The Higgs is identified as a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson emerging from the same dynamics responsible for 4321 symmetry breaking. This novel construction unifies quarks and leptons in a flavor non-universal manner, provides a natural description of flavor hierarchies, and addresses the electroweak hierarchy problem.

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arXiv2022

Flavour alignment of New Physics in light of the $(g-2)_μ$ anomaly

We investigate the flavour alignment conditions that New Physics (NP) models need to satisfy in order to address the $(g-2)_μ$ anomaly and, at the same time, be consistent with the tight bounds from $μ\to e γ$ and $τ\to μγ$. We analyse the problem in general terms within the SMEFT, considering the renormalisation group evolution of all the operators involved. We show that semileptonic four-fermion operators, which are likely to generate a sizeable contribution to the $(g-2)_μ$ anomaly, need to be tightly aligned to the lepton Yukawa couplings and the dipole operators in flavour space. While this tuning can be achieved in specific NP constructions, employing particular dynamical assumptions and/or flavour symmetry hypotheses, it is problematic in a wide class of models with broken flavour symmetries, such as those proposed to address both charged- and neutral-current $B$ anomalies. We quantify this tension both in general terms, and in the context of explicit NP constructions.

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arXiv2022

LFU violations in leptonic $τ$ decays and B-physics anomalies

We present a complete analysis of Lepton Flavor Universality (LFU) violations in leptonic $τ$ decays in motivated models addressing the $B$-physics anomalies, based on the $SU(4)\times SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$ gauge group. We show that the inclusion of vector-like fermions, required by $B$-physics data, leads to sizable modifications of the leading-log results derived within an Effective Field Theory approach. In the motivated parameter-space region relevant to the $B$-physics anomalies, the models predict a few per-mil decrease of the effective $W$-boson coupling to $τ$, within the reach of future experiments.

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arXiv2021

A general effective field theory description of $b \to s l^+ l^-$ lepton universality ratios

We construct an expression for a general lepton flavour universality (LFU) ratio, $R_{X}$, in $b\to s l^+ l^-$ decays in terms of a series of hadronic quantities which can be treated as nuisance parameters. This expression allows to include any LFU ratio in global fits of $b\to s l^+ l^-$ short-distance parameters, even in the absence of a precise knowledge of the corresponding hadronic structure. The absence of sizeable LFU violation and the approximate left-handed structure of the Standard Model amplitude imply that only a very limited set of hadronic parameters hamper the sensitivity of $R_X$ to a possible LFU violation of short-distance origin. A global $b\to s l^+ l^-$ combination is performed including the measurement of $R_{pK}$ for the first time, resulting in a significance of new physics of $4.2\,σ$. In light of this, we evaluate the impact on the global significance of new physics using a set of experimentally promising non-exclusive $R_X$ measurements that LHCb can perform, and find that they can significantly increase the discovery potential of the experiment.

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arXiv2021

On the significance of new physics in $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ decays

Motivated by deviations with respect to Standard Model predictions in $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ decays, we evaluate the global significance of the new physics hypothesis in this system by including the {\it look-elsewhere effect} for the first time. We estimate the trial-factor with pseudo-experiments and find that it can be as large as seven. We calculate the global significance for the new physics hypothesis by considering the most general description of a non-standard $b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$ amplitude of short-distance origin. Theoretical uncertainties are treated in a highly conservative way by absorbing the corresponding effects into a redefinition of the Standard Model amplitude. Using the most recent measurements of LHCb, ATLAS and CMS, we obtain the global significance to be $4.3$ standard deviations.

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arXiv2021

Reading the footprints of the B-meson flavor anomalies

Motivated by the recent LHCb announcement of a $3.1σ$ violation of lepton-flavor universality in the ratio $R_K=Γ(B\to Kμ^+μ^-)/Γ(B\to K e^+ e^-)$, we present an updated, comprehensive analysis of the flavor anomalies seen in both neutral-current ($b\to s\ell^+\ell^-$) and charged-current ($b\to cτ\barν$) decays of $B$ mesons. Our study starts from a model-independent effective field-theory approach and then considers both a simplified model and a UV-complete extension of the Standard Model featuring a vector leptoquark $U_1$ as the main mediator of the anomalies. We show that the new LHCb data corroborate the emerging pattern of a new, predominantly left-handed, semileptonic current-current interaction with a flavor structure respecting a (minimally) broken $U(2)^5$ flavor symmetry. New aspects of our analysis include a combined analysis of the semileptonic operators involving tau leptons, including in particular the important constraint from $B_s$--$\bar B_s$ mixing, a systematic study of the effects of right-handed leptoquark couplings and of deviations from minimal flavor-symmetry breaking, a detailed analysis of various rare $B$-decay modes which would provide smoking-gun signatures of this non-standard framework (LFV decays, di-tau modes, and $B\to K^{(*)}ν\barν$), and finally an updated analysis of collider bounds on the leptoquark mass and couplings.

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