arXiv subjects

I. P. Ivanov

Publications and source records attributed to I. P. Ivanov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Double-slit experiment in momentum space

Young's classic double-slit experiment demonstrates the reality of interference when waves and particles travel simultaneously along two different spatial paths. Here, we propose a double-slit experiment in momentum space, realized in the free-space elastic scattering of vortex electrons. We show that this process proceeds along two paths in momentum space, which are well localized and well separated from each other. For such vortex beams, the (plane-wave) amplitudes along the two paths acquire adjustable phase shifts and produce interference fringes in the final angular distribution. We argue that this experiment can be realized with the present day technology. We show that it gives experimental access to the Coulomb phase, a quantity which plays an important role in all charged particle scattering but which usual scattering experiments are insensitive to.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Theory and applications of free-electron vortex states

Both classical and quantum waves can form vortices: with helical phase fronts and azimuthal current densities. These features determine the intrinsic orbital angular momentum carried by localized vortex states. In the past 25 years, optical vortex beams have become an inherent part of modern optics, with many remarkable achievements and applications. In the past decade, it has been realized and demonstrated that such vortex beams or wavepackets can also appear in free electron waves, in particular, in electron microscopy. Interest in free-electron vortex states quickly spread over different areas of physics: from basic aspects of quantum mechanics, via applications for fine probing of matter (including individual atoms), to high-energy particle collision and radiation processes. Here we provide a comprehensive review of theoretical and experimental studies in this emerging field of research. We describe the main properties of electron vortex states, experimental achievements and possible applications within transmission electron microscopy, as well as the possible role of vortex electrons in relativistic and high-energy processes. We aim to provide a balanced description including a pedagogical introduction, solid theoretical basis, and a wide range of practical details. Special attention is paid to translate theoretical insights into suggestions for future experiments, in electron microscopy and beyond, in any situation where free electrons occur.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

CP-symmetry of order 4 and its consequences

Extended Higgs sectors offer rich opportunities for various forms of CP-violation. Here, we describe a new form of CP-conservation and discuss its consequences. We give a concrete example of a three-Higgs-doublet model dubbed CP4-3HDM with a CP-symmetry of order 4 and no other other accidental symmetries. If the vacuum conserves this symmetry, the model is CP-conserving with pairwise mass-degenerate extra neutral Higgs bosons. These fields cannot be classified as CP-even or CP-odd but they can be combined into complex physical fields which are CP-half-odd, that is, they pick up the $i$ factor upon CP transformation. These CP-half-odd scalars can be Yukawa-coupled to the fermion bilinears in a CP-conserving way. We discuss fundamental and phenomenological features of the model, and stress a peculiar clash between the CP-symmetry and any convention for the particle-antiparticle assignment.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Elastic scattering of vortex electrons provides direct access to the Coulomb phase

Vortex electron beams are freely propagating electron waves carrying adjustable orbital angular momentum with respect to the propagation direction. Such beams were experimentally realized just a few years ago and are now used to probe various electromagnetic processes. So far, these experiments used the single vortex electron beams, either propagating in external fields or impacting a target. Here, we investigate the elastic scattering of two such aligned vortex electron beams and demonstrate that this process allows one to experimentally measure features which are impossible to detect in the usual plane-wave scattering. The scattering amplitude of this process is well approximated by two plane-wave scattering amplitudes with different momentum transfers, which interfere and give direct experimental access to the Coulomb phase. This phase (shift) affects the scattering of all charged particles and has thus received significant theoretical attention but was never probed experimentally. We show that a properly defined azimuthal asymmetry, which has no counterpart in plane-wave scattering, allows one to directly measure the Coulomb phase as function of the scattering angle.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Quantum calculation of the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation by twisted electrons

We present the detailed quantum electrodynamical description of Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation emitted by a relativistic twisted electron in the transparent medium. Simple expressions for the spectral and spectral-angular distributions as well as for the polarization properties of the emitted radiation are obtained. Unlike the plane-wave case, the twisted electron produces radiation within the annular angular region, with enhancement towards its boundaries. Additionally, the emitted photons can have linear polarization not only in the scattering plane but also in the orthogonal direction. We find that the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation emitted by an electron in a superposition of two vortex states exhibits a strong azimuthal asymmetry. Thus, the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation offers itself as a convenient diagnostic tool of such electrons and complements the traditional microscopic imaging.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

A CP-conserving multi-Higgs model without real basis

Models beyond the Standard Model (bSM) often involve elaborate Higgs sectors, which can be a source of CP-violation. It brings up the question of recognizing in an efficient way whether a model is CP-violating. There is a diffuse belief that the issue of explicit CP invariance can be linked to the existence of a basis in which all coefficients are real; with even a theorem proposed a decade ago claiming that the scalar sector of any multi-Higgs doublet model is explicitly CP-conserving if and only if all of its coefficients can be made real by a basis change. This is compounded by the fact that in all specific multi Higgs models considered so far, the calculations complied with this claim. Here, we present the first counterexample to this statement: a CP-conserving three-Higgs-doublet model for which no real basis exists. We outline the phenomenological consequences of this model, and notice that the extra neutral Higgs bosons are neither CP-even nor CP-odd but are "half-odd" under the generalized CP-symmetry of the model.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Group-theoretic restrictions on generation of CP-violation in multi-Higgs-doublet models

It has been known since decades that imposing a symmetry group G on the scalar sector of multi-Higgs-doublet models has consequences for CP-violation. In all examples of two- and three-Higgs-doublet models equipped with symmetries, one observes the following intriguing property: if G prevents explicit CP-violation (CPV), at least in the neutral Higgs sector, then it also prevents spontaneous CPV, and if G allows explicit CPV, then it allows for spontaneous CPV. One is led to conjecture that this is a general phenomenon. In this paper, we prove this conjecture for any rephasing symmetry group G and any number of doublets.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

SO(10) models with flavour symmetries: Classification and examples

We establish the full list of flavour symmetry groups which may be enforced, without producing any further accidental symmetry, on the Yukawa-coupling matrices of an SO(10) Grand Unified Theory with arbitrary numbers of scalar multiplets in the 10, $\overline{126}$, and 120 representations of SO(10). For each of the possible discrete non-Abelian symmetry groups, we present examples of minimal models which do not run into obvious contradiction with the phenomenological fermion masses and mixings.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Tree-level metastability bounds for the most general two Higgs doublet model

Within two Higgs doublet models, it is possible that the current vacuum is not the global minimum, in which case it could possibly decay at a later stage. We discuss the tree-level conditions which must be obeyed by the most general scalar potential in order to preclude that possibility. We propose a new procedure which is not only more general but also easier to implement than the previously published one, including CP conserving as well as CP violating scalar sectors. We illustrate these conditions within the context of the Z2 model, softly broken by a complex, CP violating parameter.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Scattering of twisted relativistic electrons by atoms

The Mott scattering of high-energetic twisted electrons by atoms is investigated within the framework of the first Born approximation and Dirac's relativistic equation. Special emphasis is placed on the angular distribution and longitudinal polarization of the scattered electrons. In order to evaluate these angular and polarization properties we consider two experimental setups in which the twisted electron beam collides with either a single well-localized atom or macroscopic atomic target. Detailed relativistic calculations have been performed for both setups and for the electrons with kinetic energy from 10 keV to 1000 keV. The results of these calculations indicate that the emission pattern and polarization of outgoing electrons differ significantly from the scattering of plane-wave electrons and can be very sensitive to the parameters of the incident twisted beam. In particular, it is shown that the angular- and polarization-sensitive Mott measurements may reveal valuable information about, both the transverse and longitudinal components of the linear momentum and the projection of the total angular momentum of twisted electron states. Thus, the Mott scattering emerges as a diagnostic tool for the relativistic vortex beams.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Towards systematic exploration of multi-Higgs-doublet models

Conservative bSM models with rich scalar sector, such as multi-Higgs-doublet models, can easily accommodate the SM-like properties of the 125 GeV scalar observed at the LHC. Possessing a variety of bSM signals, they are worth investigating in fuller detail. Systematic study of these models is hampered by the highly multi-dimensional parameter space and by mathematical challenges. I outline some directions along which multi-Higgs-doublet models in the vicinity of a large discrete symmetry can be systematically explored.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

Symmetry breaking patterns in 3HDM

An attractive feature of New Physics models with multiple Higgs fields is that they are equipped with discrete symmetry groups in the Higgs and flavour sectors. These symmetry groups are often broken at the global minimum of the Higgs potential, either completely or to a proper subgroup, with certain phenomenological consequences. Here, we systematically explore these symmetry breaking patterns in the scalar sector of the three-Higgs-doublet model (3HDM). We use the full list of discrete symmetry groups allowed in 3HDM, and for each group we find all possible ways it can break by the Higgs vacuum expectation value alignment. We also discuss the interplay between these symmetry groups and various forms of CP-violation in the scalar sector of 3HDM. Not only do our results solve the problem for 3HDM, but they also hint at several general features in multi-scalar sectors.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Constraining multi-Higgs flavour models

To study a flavour model with a non-minimal Higgs sector one must first define the symmetries of the fields; then identify what types of vacua exist and how they may break the symmetries; and finally determine whether the remnant symmetries are compatible with the experimental data. Here we address all these issues in the context of flavour models with any number of Higgs doublets. We stress the importance of analysing the Higgs vacuum expectation values that are pseudo-invariant under the generators of all subgroups. It is shown that the only way of obtaining a physical CKM mixing matrix and, simultaneously, non-degenerate and non-zero quark masses is requiring the vacuum expectation values of the Higgs fields to break completely the full flavour group, except possibly for some symmetry belonging to baryon number. The application of this technique to some illustrative examples, such as the flavour groups Delta(27), A4 and S3, is also presented.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Abelian symmetries of the N-Higgs-doublet model with Yukawa interactions

We investigate finite abelian groups which can represent symmetries of the N-Higgs-doublet models with quarks. We build a general formalism based on the powerful method of the Smith normal form and obtain an analytic upper bound on the order of abelian symmetry groups for any N. We investigate in detail the case N=2 and rederive known results in a more compact and intuitive fashion. We also study the NHDM with the maximal finite abelian symmetry for all small N cases up to N=5, and show that in each case all Yukawa textures compatible with such symmetry originate from a unique basic structure. This work opens the way to a systematic exploration of phenomenology of the NHDM with a desired symmetry, and illustrates the power of the Smith normal form technique.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Geometrical CP violation in the N-Higgs-doublet model

Geometrical CP violation is a particular type of spontaneous CP violation in which the vacuum expectation values have phases which are calculable, i.e. stable against the variation of the free parameters of the scalar potential. Although originally suggested within a specific version of the three-Higgs-doublet model, it is a generic phenomenon. We investigate its viability and characteristic features in models with several Higgs doublets. Our work contains both general results and illustrative examples.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Metastability bounds on the two Higgs doublet model

In the two Higgs doublet model, there is the possibility that the vacuum where the universe resides in is metastable. We present the tree-level bounds on the scalar potential parameters which have to be obeyed to prevent that situation. Analytical expressions for those bounds are shown for the most used potential, that with a softly broken $Z_2$ symmetry. The impact of those bounds on the model's phenomenology is discussed in detail, as well as the importance of the current Large Hadron Collider results in determining whether the vacuum we live in is or is not stable. We demonstrate how the vacuum stability bounds can be obtained for the most generic CP-conserving potential, and provide a simple method to implement them.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Evading death by vacuum

In the Standard Model, the Higgs potential allows only one minimum at tree-level. But the open possibility that there might be two scalar doublets enriches the vacuum structure, allowing for the risk that we might now be in a metastable state, which we dub the panic vacuum. Current experiments at the LHC are probing the Higgs particle predicted as a result of the spontaneous symmetry breaking. Remarkably, in the two Higgs model with a softly broken U(1) symmetry, the LHC experiments already preclude panic vacuum solutions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2013

Classification of finite reparametrization symmetry groups in the three-Higgs-doublet model

Symmetries play a crucial role in electroweak symmetry breaking models with non-minimal Higgs content. Within each class of these models, it is desirable to know which symmetry groups can be implemented via the scalar sector. In N-Higgs-doublet models, this classification problem was solved only for N=2 doublets. Very recently, we suggested a method to classify all realizable finite symmetry groups of Higgs-family transformations in the three-Higgs-doublet model (3HDM). Here, we present this classification in all detail together with an introduction to the theory of solvable groups, which play the key role in our derivation. We also consider generalized-CP symmetries, and discuss the interplay between Higgs-family symmetries and CP-conservation. In particular, we prove that presence of the Z_4 symmetry guarantees the explicit CP-conservation of the potential. This work completes classification of finite reparametrization symmetry groups in 3HDM.

hep-ph↗