arXiv subjects

James M. Cline

Publications and source records attributed to James M. Cline.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

$B$ decay anomalies and dark matter from strong dynamics

Indications of lepton flavor universality violation in semileptonic $B$ decays to $K$ or $K^*$ and muons or electrons can be explained by leptoquark exchange. I present a model in which the leptoquark is a bound state of constituents charged under a new confining SU($N_{\rm HC}$) hypercolor interaction. The lightest neutral bound state in the theory is an asymmetric dark matter candidate, that might be directly detectable through its magnetic dipole moment interaction.

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arXiv2018

Axionic Landscape for Higgs Near-Criticality

The measured value of the Higgs quartic coupling $λ$ is peculiarly close to the critical value above which the Higgs potential becomes unstable, when extrapolated to high scales by renormalization group running. It is tempting to speculate that there is an anthropic reason behind this near-criticality. We show how an axionic field can provide a landscape of vacuum states in which $λ$ scans. These states are populated during inflation to create a multiverse with different quartic couplings, with a probability distribution $P$ that can be computed. If $P$ is peaked in the anthropically forbidden region of Higgs instability, then the most probable universe compatible with observers would be close to the boundary, as observed. We discuss three scenarios depending on the Higgs vacuum selection mechanism: decay by quantum tunneling; by thermal fluctuations or by inflationary fluctuations.

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arXiv2017

$B$ decay anomalies and dark matter from vectorlike confinement

Lepton flavor universality violating $B\to K\ell\ell$ and $K^*\ell\ell$ decays tentatively observed by LHCb can be explained by leptoquark exchange. We explore a simple model for the $B$ anomalies with a composite leptoquark from new strong dynamics at the TeV scale, a confining SU($N_{\rm HC}$) hypercolor interaction. The new matter fields, fundamentals under SU($N_{\rm HC}$), are heavy vectorlike fermions $Ψ,\, S,$ and an inert scalar doublet $ϕ$. $Ψ$ is colored under QCD while $S$ is neutral, and the hyperbaryon $S^N$ is a dark matter candidate. The model is tightly constrained by meson-antimeson oscillations, lepton flavor violation, and LHC searches for resonant production of the exotic bound states. The dark matter may be detectable through its magnetic dipole moment. If $m_S$ is sufficiently small, composite leptoquarks and heavy lepton partners can be pair-produced at an observable level at LHC.

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arXiv2017

$B$ decay anomalies from nonabelian local horizontal symmetry

Recent anomalies in $B\to K^{(*)}\ell\ell$ meson decays are consistent with exchange of a heavy $Z'$ vector boson. Here we try to connect such new physics to understanding the origin of flavor, by gauging generation number. Phenomenological and theoretical considerations suggest that the smallest viable flavor symmetry (not including any extra U(1) factors) is chiral ${\rm SU(3)}_L\times{\rm SU(3)}_R$, which acts only on generation indices and does not distinguish between quarks and leptons. Spontaneous breaking of the symmetry gives rise to the standard model Yukawa matrices, and masses for the 16 $Z'$-like gauge bosons, one of which is presumed to be light enough to explain the $B\to K^{(*)}\ell\ell$ anomalies. We perform a bottom-up study of this framework, showing that it is highly constrained by LHC dilepton searches, meson mixing, $Z$ decays and CKM unitarity. Similar anomalies are predicted for semileptonic decays of $B$ to lighter mesons, with excesses in the $ee,ττ$ channels and deficits in $μμ$, but no deviation in $νν$. The lightest $Z'$ mass is $\lesssim 6\,$TeV if the gauge coupling is $\lesssim 1$.

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arXiv2017

Enabling Forbidden Dark Matter

The thermal relic density of dark matter is conventionally set by two-body annihilations. We point out that in many simple models, $3 \to 2$ annihilations can play an important role in determining the relic density over a broad range of model parameters. This occurs when the two-body annihilation is kinematically forbidden, but the $3\to 2$ process is allowed; we call this scenario "Not-Forbidden Dark Matter". We illustrate this mechanism for a vector portal dark matter model, showing that for a dark matter mass of $m_χ\sim \text{MeV - 10 GeV}$, $3 \to 2$ processes not only lead to the observed relic density, but also imply a self-interaction cross section that can solve the cusp/core problem. This can be accomplished while remaining consistent with stringent CMB constraints on light dark matter, and can potentially be discovered at future direct detection experiments.

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arXiv2017

Is electroweak baryogenesis dead?

Electroweak baryogenesis is severely challenged in its traditional settings: the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, and in more general two Higgs doublet models. Fine tuning of parameters is required, or large couplings leading to a Landau pole at scales just above the new physics introduced. The situation is somewhat better in models with a singlet scalar coupling to the Higgs so as to give a strongly first order phase transition due to a tree-level barrier, but even in this case no UV complete models had been demonstrated to give successful baryogenesis. Here we point out some directions that overcome this limitation, by introducing a new source of CP violation in the couplings of the singlet field. A model of electroweak baryogenesis requiring no fine tuning and consistent to scales far above 1 TeV is demonstrated, in which dark matter plays the leading role in creating a CP asymmetry that is the source of the baryon asymmetry.

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arXiv2017

Hidden sector explanation of $B$-decay and cosmic ray anomalies

There are presently several discrepancies in $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ decays of $B$ mesons suggesting new physics coupling to $b$ quarks and leptons. We show that a $Z'$, with couplings to quarks and muons that can explain the $B$-decay anomalies, can also couple to dark matter in a way that is consistent with its relic abundance, direct detection limits, and hints of indirect detection. The latter include possible excess events in antiproton spectra recently observed by the AMS-02 experiment. We present two models, having a heavy (light) $Z'$ with $m_{Z'}\sim 600\,(12)\,$GeV and fermionic dark matter with mass $m_χ\sim 50\,(2000)\,$GeV, producing excess antiprotons with energies of $\sim 10\, (300)\,$GeV. The first model is also compatible with fits for the galactic center GeV gamma-ray excess.

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arXiv2017

Electroweak baryogenesis from a dark sector

Adding an extra singlet scalar $S$ to the Higgs sector can provide a barrier at tree level between a false vacuum with restored electroweak symmetry and the true one. This has been demonstrated to readily give a strong phase transition as required for electroweak baryogenesis. We show that with the addition of a fermionic dark matter particle $χ$ coupling to $S$, a simple UV-complete model can realize successful electroweak baryogenesis. The dark matter gets a CP asymmetry that is transferred to the standard model through a $CP\ portal\ interaction$, which we take to be a coupling of $χ$ to $τ$ leptons and an inert Higgs doublet. The CP asymmetry induced in left-handed $τ$ leptons biases sphalerons to produce the baryon asymmetry. The model has promising discovery potential at the LHC, while robustly providing a large enough baryon asymmetry and correct dark matter relic density with reasonable values of the couplings.

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arXiv2016

Multimediator models for the galactic center gamma ray excess

Tentative evidence for excess GeV-scale gamma rays from the galactic center has been corroborated by several groups, including the Fermi collaboration, on whose data the observation is based. Dark matter annihilation into standard model particles has been shown to give a good fit to the signal for a variety of final state particles, but generic models are inconsistent with constraints from direct detection. Models where the dark matter annihilates to mediators that subsequently decay are less constrained. We perform global fits of such models to recent data, allowing branching fractions to all possible fermionic final states to vary. The best fit models, including constraints from the AMS-02 experiment (and also antiproton ratio), require branching primarily to muons, with a $\sim 10-20\%$ admixture of $b$ quarks, and no other species. This suggests models in which there are two scalar mediators that mix with the Higgs, and have masses consistent with such a decay pattern. The scalar that decays to $μ^+μ^-$ must therefore be lighter than $2m_τ\cong 3.6$ GeV. Such a small mass can cause Sommerfeld enhancement, which is useful to explain why the best-fit annihilation cross section is larger than the value needed for a thermal relic density. For light mediator masses $\sim (0.2-2)$ GeV, it can also naturally lead to elastic DM self-interactions at the right level for addressing discrepancies in small structure formation as predicted by collisionless cold dark matter.

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arXiv2016

String Cosmology

A pedagogical introduction to aspects of string cosmology, including the landscape (BPBT) solution to the cosmological constant problem, brane-antibrane inflation, warped compactification, the KKLMMT model, the eta problem of SUGRA models, DBI inflation, Kahler modulus and racetrack inflation, the D3-D7 model, cosmic superstrings, and the problem of reheating. Also includes basic methods for phenomenology of multifield models with nonstandard kinetic terms.

hep-th↗

arXiv2016

Challenges for models with composite states

Composite states of electrically charged and QCD-colored hyperquarks (HQs) in a confining SU(N_HC) hypercolor gauge sector are a plausible extension of the standard model at the TeV scale, and have been widely considered as an explanation for the tentative LHC diphoton excess. Additional new physics is required to avoid a stable charged hyperbaryon in such theories. We classify renormalizable models allowing the decay of this unwanted relic directly into standard model states, showing that they are significantly restricted if the new scalar states needed for UV completion are at the TeV scale. Alternatively, if hyperbaryon number is conserved, the charged relic can decay into a neutral hyperbaryon. Such theories are strongly constrained by direct detection, if the neutral constituent hyperquark carries color or weak isospin, and by LHC searches for leptoquarks if it is a color singlet. We show that the neutral hyperbaryon can have the observed relic abundance if the confinement scale and the hyperquark mass are above TeV scale, even in the absence of any hyperbaryon asymmetry.

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arXiv2016

p-wave Annihilating Dark Matter from a Decaying Predecessor and the Galactic Center Excess

Dark matter (DM) annihilations have been widely studied as a possible explanation of excess gamma rays from the galactic center seen by Fermi/LAT. However most such models are in conflict with constraints from dwarf spheroidals. Motivated by this tension, we show that p-wave annihilating dark matter can easily accommodate both sets of observations due to the lower DM velocity dispersion in dwarf galaxies. Explaining the DM relic abundance is then challenging. We outline a scenario in which the usual thermal abundance is obtained through s-wave annihilations of a metastable particle, that eventually decays into the p-wave annihilating DM of the present epoch. The couplings and lifetime of the decaying particle are constrained by big bang nucleosynthesis, the cosmic microwave background and direct detection, but significant regions of parameter space are viable. A sufficiently large p-wave cross section can be found by annihilation into light mediators, that also give rise to Sommerfeld enhancement. A prediction of the scenario is enhanced annihilations in galaxy clusters.

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arXiv2016

Completing constrained flavor violation: lepton masses, neutrinos and leptogenesis

Constrained flavor violation is a recent proposal for predicting the down-quark Yukawa matrix in terms of those for up quarks and charged leptons. We study the viability of CFV with respect to its predictions for the lepton mass ratios, showing that this remains a challenge, and suggest some possible means for improving this shortcoming. We then extend CFV to include neutrinos, and show that it leads to interesting predictions for hierachical heavy neutrinos, and leptogenesis dominated by decays of the second heaviest one ("N2 leptogenesis"), as well as the possibility of low-scale leptoquark-mediated exotic decays.

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arXiv2016

Scalar doublet models confront $τ$ and $b$ anomalies

There are indications of a possible breakdown of the standard model, suggesting that $τ$ lepton interactions violate flavor universality. BABAR, Belle and LHCb report high ratios of $B\to D^{(*)}τν$. There are long-standing excesses in $B\toτν$ and $W\toτν$ decays, and a deficit in inclusive $τ$ to strange decays. We investigate whether two Higgs doublet models with the most general allowed couplings to quarks, and a large coupling to $τ$ leptons, can explain these anomalies while respecting other flavor constraints and technical naturalness. Fits to $B\to D^{(*)}τν$ data require couplings of the new Higgs doublet to down-type quarks, opening the door to many highly constrained flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) processes. We confront these challenges by introducing a novel ansatz that relates the new up- and down-type Yukawa couplings, and demonstrate viable values of the couplings that are free from fine tuning. LEP and LHC searches for new Higgs bosons decaying via $H^0\to τ^+τ^-$ and $H^\pm\toτ^\pmν$ allow a window of masses $m_H = [100$-$125]\,$GeV and $m_\pm\sim 100\,$GeV that is consistent with the predictions of our model. Contamination of the $W^+\toτ^+ν$ signal by $H^+\toτ^+ν$ decays at LEP could explain the apparent $W\toτν$ excess. We predict that the branching ratio for $B_s\to τ^+τ^-$ is not far below its current limit of several percent. An alternative model with decays of $B\to D^{(*)}τν_s$ to a sterile neutrino is also argued to be viable.

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arXiv2016

LHC diphotons from electroweakly pair-produced composite pseudoscalars

Motivated by excess diphoton events reported by ATLAS and CMS, we show that composite pseudoscalars, bound states of heavy fermions under a new confining gauge theory, can be pair-produced by Drell-Yan production if the constituent particles are electrically charged. The decays of these pion-like bound states into two photons can explain the observed events near 750 GeV. The model predicts that there should be significant numbers of 4-photon events from decays of the pseudoscalar pairs, as well as same-sign dilepton pairs at a somewhat lower invariant mass, or multijet signals, coming from decays of charge-2 pseudoscalars. These states and their decays are necessary for avoiding stable charged baryon-like relics in the new confining sector. A neutral baryon-like dark matter candidate of mass $\sim N_c\times 375$ GeV is a further prediction of the model, for SU($N_c$) confining gauge group.

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arXiv2016

Effective interpretations of a diphoton excess

We discuss some consistency tests that must be passed for a successful explanation of a diphoton excess at larger mass scales, generated by a scalar or pseudoscalar state, possibly of a composite nature, decaying to two photons. Scalar states at mass scales above the electroweak scale decaying significantly into photon final states generically lead to modifications of Standard Model Higgs phenomenology. We characterise this effect using the formalism of Effective Field Theory (EFT) and study the modification of the effective couplings to photons and gluons of the Higgs. The modification of Higgs phenomenology comes about in a variety of ways. For scalar $0^+$states, the Higgs and the heavy boson can mix. Lower energy phenomenology gives a limit on the mixing angle, which gets generated at one loop in any such theory explaining the diphoton excess. Even if the mixing angle is set to zero, we demonstrate that a relation exists between lower energy Higgs data and a massive scaler decaying to diphoton final states. If the new boson is a pseudoscalar, we note that if it is composite, it is generic to have an excited scalar partner that can mix with the Higgs, which has a stronger coupling to photons. In the case of a pseudoscalar, we also characterize how lower energy Higgs phenomenology is directly modified using EFT, even without assuming a scalar partner of the pseudoscalar state. We find that naturalness concerns can be accommodated, and that pseudoscalar models are more protected from lower energy constraints.

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arXiv2015

Quark-flavored scalar dark matter

It is an intriguing possibility that dark matter (DM) could have flavor quantum numbers like the quarks. We propose and investigate a class of UV-complete models of this kind, in which the dark matter is in a scalar triplet of an SU(3) flavor symmetry, and interacts with quarks via a colored flavor-singlet fermionic mediator. Such mediators could be discovered at the LHC if their masses are $\sim 1$ TeV. We constrain the DM-mediator couplings using relic abundance, direct detection, and flavor-changing neutral-current considerations. We find that, for reasonable values of its couplings, scalar flavored DM can contribute significantly to the real and imaginary parts of the $B_s$-$\bar B_s$ mixing amplitude. We further assess the potential for such models to explain the galactic center GeV gamma-ray excess.

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arXiv2015

Minimal nonabelian model of atomic dark matter

A dark sector resembling the standard model, where the abundance of matter is explained by baryon and lepton asymmetries, and stable constituents bind to form atoms, is a theoretically appealing possibility. We show that a minimal model with a hidden SU(2) gauge symmetry broken to U(1), with a Dirac fermion doublet, suffices to realize this scenario. Supplemented with a dark Higgs doublet that gets no VEV, we readily achieve the dark matter asymmetry through leptogenesis. The model can simultaneously have three portals to the standard model, through the Higgs, nonabelian kinetic mixing, and the heavy neutrino, with interesting phenomenology for direct and collider searches, as well as cosmologically relevant DM self-interactions. Exotic bound states consisting of two fermions and a doubly-charged vector boson can exist in one phase of the theory.

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