arXiv subjects

J. T. Penedo

Publications and source records attributed to J. T. Penedo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Supernova $ν$ flavour conversions in DUNE: the slow, the fast and the standard

The flavour composition of a future supernova neutrino signal is expected to carry measurable imprints of flavour conversion processes in the dense stellar medium. In this work, we analyse the sensitivity of the upcoming Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to three phenomenologically distinct effects: slow energy-dependent collective oscillations, fast energy-independent collective oscillations, and standard MSW conversions. By integrating GLoBES and MultiNest and using benchmark neutrino fluxes at emission, we assess the potential of DUNE to extract the underlying flux parameters and discriminate among conversion scenarios.

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arXiv2026

Fermion mass relations in one-parameter modular models

Modular flavour symmetries provide a possible organizing principle for the Standard Model Yukawa sector, by replacing generic couplings with a potentially small number of modular forms controlled by a single complex modulus. We study the extreme limit of this idea: \acp{OPM}, in which each charged-fermion mass matrix is fixed by a single modular invariant contraction. We develop a systematic method to construct such models, showing that the \ac{OPM} requirement is already highly constraining at the level of possible fermion hierarchies. In a concrete realization, the charged-lepton and down-quark sectors are controlled by the common modulus, leading to exact mass relations at the flavour scale, \[ m_s^5 = 2\sqrt{2}\,m_d^3m_b^2, \qquad m_μ^3 = \sqrt{2}\,m_e m_τ^2, \qquad m_s^2m_τ= \sqrt{2}\,m_e m_b^2. \] We show that, once renormalization-group evolution and selective supersymmetric threshold effects are included, these high-scale relations can be made compatible with low-energy charged-fermion data. Our results provide a working proof of principle for \acp{OPM} and point towards a possible route to the flavour puzzle through highly

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arXiv2026

Quark hierarchies and CP violation from the Siegel modular group

We investigate theories of flavour based on genus $g=2$ modular invariance and analyze how fermion mass hierarchies can be generated in this context, in the vicinity of invariant points or regions in moduli space where a residual symmetry is preserved. We apply this mechanism of modular proximity-induced hierarchies to the quark sector, with the vacuum expectation values of the moduli being the only sources of spontaneous breaking of the flavour and CP symmetries. We present a benchmark model where quark mass hierarchies and CP violation are explained, with mass ratios vanishing in the symmetric limit, and quark mixing is reproduced. In this model, the values of the moduli turn out to be close to special values such as $τ_1 \simeq ω$ and $τ_2 \simeq ω, i$.

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arXiv2026

The meV frontier of neutrinoless double beta decay in the JUNO era

Observing neutrinoless double beta decay would establish lepton number violation and the Majorana nature of neutrinos. Within the standard 3-flavour paradigm, the rate of this process is controlled by the effective Majorana mass $|\langle m \rangle|$, which may be severely suppressed if the neutrino mass spectrum presents normal ordering. Taking into account the first JUNO results, which significantly reduce the uncertainties on solar neutrino oscillation parameters, we provide updated conditions under which $|\langle m \rangle|_\text{NO}$ is guaranteed to exceed the $10^{-3}$ eV ($5\times 10^{-3}$ eV) threshold. We analyse both the generic case, as well as scenarios where the two Majorana phases either take CP conserving values, or at least one of them takes a CP-violating value, that are in line with predictive schemes combining flavour and generalised CP symmetries.

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arXiv2025

Modular-symmetry-protected seesaw

In the presence of a finite modular flavour symmetry, fermion mass hierarchies may be generated by a slight deviation of the modulus from a symmetric point. We point out that this small parameter governing charged-lepton mass hierarchies may also be responsible for the breaking of lepton number in a symmetry-protected low-scale seesaw, sourcing active neutrino masses and the mass splitting of a pseudo-Dirac pair of heavy neutrinos. We discuss the phenomenological implications of this mechanism, including the possibility to test the considered models at future planned and proposed heavy neutral lepton searches.

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arXiv2025

Vector-like quark doublets, weak-basis invariants and CP violation

We study Standard Model extensions with isodoublet vector-like quarks with standard charges. Their presence induces right-handed charged and neutral currents. We identify minimal sets of independent parameters characterizing these extensions, describe useful weak bases, and provide parameterizations for all quark mixing. We analyze the intricacies of CP violation in such scenarios, finding a complete set of CP-odd invariants for the single doublet case. Crucially, we uncover a connection between weak-basis invariants and effective rephasing invariants involving only standard quarks. These results allow us to explore the phenomenology of doublet vector-like quarks through a rephasing-invariant analysis, with an emphasis on CP violation, including the potential role of these fields in explaining the Cabibbo angle anomalies.

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arXiv2024

Finite modular symmetries and the strong CP problem

Recently, it was shown that modular symmetry may solve the strong CP problem without axions, by producing a vanishing QCD angle while generating a large quark CP violation phase. We extend this framework to finite modular groups, systematically identifying the allowed mass textures. We find quark fields must furnish 1D representations and scan the minimal model landscape.

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arXiv2024

Fermion Mass Hierarchies, Large Lepton Mixing and Residual Modular Symmetries

In modular-invariant models of flavour, hierarchical fermion mass matrices may arise solely due to the proximity of the modulus $τ$ to a point of residual symmetry. This mechanism does not require flavon fields, and modular weights are not analogous to Froggatt-Nielsen charges. Instead, we show that hierarchies depend on the decomposition of field representations under the residual symmetry group. We systematically go through the possible fermion field representation choices which may yield hierarchical structures in the vicinity of symmetric points, for the four smallest finite modular groups, isomorphic to $S_3$, $A_4$, $S_4$, and $A_5$, as well as for their double covers. We find a restricted set of pairs of representations for which the discussed mechanism may produce viable fermion (charged-lepton and quark) mass hierarchies. We present two lepton flavour models in which the charged-lepton mass hierarchies are naturally obtained, while lepton mixing is somewhat fine-tuned. After formulating the conditions for obtaining a viable lepton mixing matrix in the symmetric limit, we construct a model in which both the charged-lepton and neutrino sectors are free from fine-tuning.

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arXiv2024

Vector-like Singlet Quarks: a Roadmap

We review the theory and phenomenology of isosinglet vector-like quarks (VLQs). In recent years, interest in VLQs has been increasing, due to their contributions to new physics effects that can be tested in experiments at LHC and High-Luminosity LHC. The similarities of models with isosinglet VLQs and the seesaw framework in the leptonic sector are pointed out. The existence of VLQs leads to flavour-changing neutral currents at tree level and deviations from unitarity of the CKM matrix, introducing rich phenomenological implications. These new effects are naturally suppressed by the masses of the new quarks, that are constrained to be above the electroweak scale. In addition, striking new effects can be achieved with the inclusion of an extra complex scalar singlet. Such a minimal extension of the SM can give rise to new sources of CP violation with profound theoretical implications, allowing for a solution to the strong CP problem and a possible explanation for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We list and explain strong motivations to consider this class of models. We also briefly review how models with VLQs can be matched to the SM effective field theory (SMEFT). A detailed analysis of flavour observables that can be affected by the presence of VLQs is presented. Current bounds from collider searches of VLQs are summarized. We point out that the discovery of VLQs can be within the reach of present or future colliders being planned.

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arXiv2023

Quarks at the modular $S_4$ cusp

We analyse the possibility of describing quark masses, mixing and CP violation in $S'_4$ modular flavour models without flavons. We focus on the case where the closeness of the modulus to the point of residual $\mathbb{Z}^{ST}_3$ symmetry (the cusp) plays a role in generating quark mass hierarchies and discuss the role modular form normalisations play in such constructions. We find that fitting quark data requires explicit CP breaking, unless a second modulus is introduced.

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arXiv2023

Baseline and other effects for a sterile neutrino at DUNE

We analyze the sensitivity of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to a sterile neutrino, combining information from both near and far detectors. We quantify often-neglected effects which may impact the event rate estimation in a 3+1 oscillation scenario. In particular, we find that taking into account the information on the neutrino production point, in contrast to assuming a pointlike neutrino source, affects DUNE's sterile exclusion reach. Visible differences remain after the inclusion of energy bin-to-bin uncorrelated systematics. Instead, implementing exact oscillation formulae for near detector events, including a two slab density profile, does not result in any visible change in the sensitivity.

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arXiv2022

Axionic Dirac seesaw and electroweak vacuum stability

We explore the connection between tree-level Dirac neutrino masses and axion physics in a scenario where the PQ symmetry enforces lepton number conservation perturbatively. Requiring that the PQ scale $f_a$ is the only heavy scale to play a role in neutrino mass generation, we are led to the construction of a KSVZ-type model where Dirac neutrino masses are inversely proportional to $f_a$, provided a real scalar triplet (zero hypercharge) is added to the SM scalar sector. We analyse this extended scalar sector, focusing on the stabilisation of the electroweak vacuum. The contribution of the triplet VEV to the $W$ mass may also be responsible for the recent hint of beyond-the-SM physics by the CDF collaboration.

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arXiv2022

Modular Flavour Symmetries and Modulus Stabilisation

We study the problem of modulus stabilisation in the framework of the modular symmetry approach to the flavour problem. By analysing simple UV-motivated CP-invariant potentials for the modulus $τ$ we find that a class of these potentials has (non-fine-tuned) CP-breaking minima in the vicinity of the point of $\mathbb{Z}_3^{ST}$ residual symmetry, $τ\simeq e^{2πi/3}$. Stabilising the modulus at these novel minima breaks spontaneously the CP symmetry and can naturally explain the mass hierarchies of charged leptons and possibly of quarks.

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arXiv2021

Addressing the CKM Unitarity Problem with a Vector-like Up Quark

We point out that hints of deviations from unitarity in the first row of the CKM matrix may be explained by the presence of a single vector-like top. We study how the stringent experimental constraints arising from CP Violation in the kaon sector and from meson mixing such as $D^0$-$\overline{D}^0$, $K^0$-$\overline{K}^0$ and $B^0_{d,s}$-$\overline{B}^0_{d,s}$ can be satisfied in the proposed framework. In order for the deviations from unitarity to be of the required size while keeping the theory perturbative, the new top quark should have a mass $m_T \lesssim 7$ TeV which could be probed in upcoming experiments at the energy frontier.

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arXiv2021

Double Cover of Modular $S_4$ for Flavour Model Building

We develop the formalism of the finite modular group $Γ'_4 \equiv S'_4$, a double cover of the modular permutation group $Γ_4 \simeq S_4$, for theories of flavour. The integer weight $k>0$ of the level 4 modular forms indispensable for the formalism can be even or odd. We explicitly construct the lowest-weight ($k=1$) modular forms in terms of two Jacobi theta constants, denoted as $\varepsilon(τ)$ and $θ(τ)$, $τ$ being the modulus. We show that these forms furnish a 3D representation of $S'_4$ not present for $S_4$. Having derived the $S'_4$ multiplication rules and Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, we construct multiplets of modular forms of weights up to $k=10$. These are expressed as polynomials in $\varepsilon$ and $θ$, bypassing the need to search for non-linear constraints. We further show that within $S'_4$ there are two options to define the (generalised) CP transformation and we discuss the possible residual symmetries in theories based on modular and CP invariance. Finally, we provide two examples of application of our results, constructing phenomenologically viable lepton flavour models.

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arXiv2020

Type-I Seesaw with eV-Scale Neutrinos

We consider seesaw type-I models including at least one (mostly-)sterile neutrino with mass at the eV scale. Three distinct situations are found, where the presence of light extra neutrinos is naturally justified by an approximately conserved lepton number symmetry. To analyse these scenarios consistently, it is crucial to employ an exact parametrisation of the full mixing matrix. We provide additional exact results, including generalised versions of the seesaw relation and of the Casas-Ibarra parametrisation, valid for every scale of seesaw. We find that the existence of a light sterile neutrino imposes an upper bound on the lightest neutrino mass. We further assess the impact of light sterile states on short- and long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, emphasise future detection prospects, and address CP Violation in this framework via the analysis of CP asymmetries and construction of weak basis invariants. The proposed models can accommodate enough active-sterile mixing to play a role in the explanation of short-baseline anomalies.

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arXiv2019

Generalised CP Symmetry in Modular-Invariant Models of Flavour

The formalism of combined finite modular and generalised CP (gCP) symmetries for theories of flavour is developed. The corresponding consistency conditions for the two symmetry transformations acting on the modulus $τ$ and on the matter fields are derived. The implications of gCP symmetry in theories of flavour based on modular invariance described by finite modular groups are illustrated with the example of a modular $S_4$ model of lepton flavour. Due to the addition of the gCP symmetry, viable modular models turn out to be more constrained, with the modulus $τ$ being the only source of CP violation.

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arXiv2019

Modular $A_5$ Symmetry for Flavour Model Building

In the framework of the modular symmetry approach to lepton flavour, we consider a class of theories where matter superfields transform in representations of the finite modular group $Γ_5 \simeq A_5$. We explicitly construct a basis for the 11 modular forms of weight 2 and level 5. We show how these forms arrange themselves into two triplets and a quintet of $A_5$. We also present multiplets of modular forms of higher weight. Finally, we provide an example of application of our results, constructing two models of neutrino masses and mixing based on the supersymmetric Weinberg operator.

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