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H. Lew

Publications and source records attributed to H. Lew.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2000

Unbroken versus broken mirror world: a tale of two vacua

If the Lagrangian of nature respects parity invariance then there are two distinct possibilities: either parity is unbroken by the vacuum or it is spontaneously broken. We examine the two simplest phenomenologically consistent gauge models which have unbroken and spontaneously broken parity symmetries, respectively. These two models have a Lagrangian of the same form, but a different parameter range is chosen in the Higgs potential. They both predict the existence of dark matter and can explain the MACHO events. However, the models predict quite different neutrino physics. Although both have light mirror (effectively sterile) neutrinos, the ordinary-mirror neutrino mixing angles are unobservably tiny in the broken parity case. The minimal broken parity model therefore cannot simultaneously explain the solar, atmospheric and LSND data. By contrast, the unbroken parity version can explain all of the neutrino anomalies. Furthermore, we argue that the unbroken case provides the most natural explanation of the neutrino physics anomalies (irrespective of whether evidence from the LSND experiment is included) because of its characteristic maximal mixing prediction.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1994

A novel left-right symmetric model

A novel gauge model which has a spontaneously broken parity symmetry is constructed. The model has only 2 parameters beyond those of the standard model. Some of the unusual implications of the model are discussed.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1994

Model for a Light Z' Boson

A model of a light $Z'$ boson is constructed and phenomenological bounds are derived. This $Z'$ boson arises from a very simple extension to the Standard Model, and it is constrained to be light because the vacuum expectation values which generate its mass also break the electroweak gauge group. It is difficult to detect experimentally because it couples exclusively or primarily (depending on symmetry breaking details) to second and third generation leptons. However, if the $Z'$ boson is sufficiently light, then there exists the possibility of the two-body decay $τ\rightarrow μZ'$ occuring. This will provide a striking signature to test the model.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1993

Mini-charged tau neutrinos?

Theoretically, the electric charge of the tau neutrino may be non-zero. The experimental bound on the electric charge of the tau neutrino is many orders of magnitude weaker than that for any other known neutrino. If the tau neutrino does have a small electric charge, and its mass is greater than 1 MeV, then it can annihilate sufficiently in the early Universe by electromagnetic interactions to avoid conflict with the standard cosmology model. A novel feature of this scenario is that there can be effectively less than three neutrino species present during nucleosynthesis.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1993

Baryogenesis through Collapsing String Loops in Gauged Baryon and Lepton Models

A scenario for the generation of the baryon asymmetry in the early Universe is proposed in which cosmic string loops, predicted by theories where the baryon and/or lepton numbers are gauged symmetries, collapse during the friction dominated period of string evolution. This provides a mechanism for the departure from thermal equilibrium necessary to have a nonvanishing baryon asymmetry. Examples of models are given where this idea can be implemented. In particular, the model with the gauge symmetry $SU(3)_{c}\otimes SU(2)_{L}\otimes U(1)_{Y}\otimes U(1)_{B} \otimes U(1)_{L}$ has the interesting feature where sphaleron processes do not violate the baryon and lepton numbers so that no wash out of any initial baryon asymmetry occurs at the electroweak scale.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1993

Baryogenesis, Domain Walls and the Role of Gravity

It has been recently speculated that global symmetries are broken by gravity. We propose a scenario for the generation of the baryon asymmetry in the early Universe in which the domain walls predicted by theories with discrete symmetries become unstable due to these Planck scale effects. The relative motion of the decaying walls can provide a mechanism for the departure from thermal equilibrium necessary to have a nonvanishing baryon asymmetry. In particular, we implement this idea within the frameworks of the Left-Right and Quark-Lepton symmetric models.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1993

A Shadow Matter Universe

The cosmological and astrophysical implications of a shadow matter model which could also have interesting experimental consequences are examined. The model has identical microphysics for both the ordinary and shadow worlds but requires a macroscopic asymmetry from nucleosynthesis constraints. It is proposed that this macroscopic asymmetry can be generated at the quark-hadron phase transition.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1992

Quark-Lepton Symmetry

Quark-lepton symmetric models are a class of gauge theories motivated by the similarities between the quarks and leptons. In these models the gauge group of the standard model is extended to include a ``color'' group for the leptons. Consequently, the quarks and leptons can then be related by a $Z_2$ discrete quark-lepton symmetry which is spontaneously broken by the vacuum. Models utilizing quark-lepton symmetry with acceptable and interesting collider phenomenology have been constructed. The cosmological consequences of these models are also discussed.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1992

Discrete quark-lepton symmetry need not pose a cosmological domain wall problem

Quarks and leptons may be related to each other through a spontaneously broken discrete symmetry. Models with acceptable and interesting collider phenomenology have been constructed which incorporate this idea. However, the standard Hot Big Bang model of cosmology is generally considered to eschew spontaneously broken discrete symmetries because they often lead to the formation of unacceptably massive domain walls. We point out that there are a number of plausible quark-lepton symmetric models which do not produce cosmologically troublesome domain walls. We also raise what we think are some interesting questions concerning anomalous discrete symmetries.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1992

Electric Charge Quantization

Experimentally it has been known for a long time that the electric charges of the observed particles appear to be quantized. An approach to understanding electric charge quantization that can be used for gauge theories with explicit $U(1)$ factors -- such as the standard model and its variants -- is pedagogically reviewed and discussed in this article. This approach uses the allowed invariances of the Lagrangian and their associated anomaly cancellation equations. We demonstrate that charge may be de-quantized in the three-generation standard model with massless neutrinos, because differences in family-lepton--numbers are anomaly-free. We also review the relevant experimental limits. Our approach to charge quantization suggests that the minimal standard model should be extended so that family-lepton--number differences are explicitly broken. We briefly discuss some candidate extensions (e.g. the minimal standard model augmented by Majorana right-handed neutrinos).

hep-ph↗