arXiv subjects

Kimmo Tuominen

Publications and source records attributed to Kimmo Tuominen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Prospects for indirect detection of frozen-in dark matter

We study observational consequences arising from dark matter (DM) of non-thermal origin, produced by dark freeze-out from a hidden sector heat bath. We assume this heat bath was populated by feebly-coupled mediator particles, produced via a Higgs portal interaction with the Standard Model (SM). The dark sector then attained internal equilibrium with a characteristic temperature different from the SM photon temperature. We find that even if the coupling between the DM and the SM sectors is very weak, the scenario allows for indirect observational signals. We show how the expected strength of these signals depends on the temperature of the hidden sector at DM freeze-out.

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arXiv2018

The high energy fate of the minimal Goldstone Higgs

We consider a minimal model where the Higgs boson arises as an elementary pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson. The model is based on an extended scalar sector with global SO(5)/SO(4) symmetry. To achieve the correct electroweak symmetry breaking pattern, the model is augmented either with an explicit symmetry breaking term or an extra singlet scalar field. We consider separately both of these possibili- ties. We fit the model with the known particle spectrum at the electroweak scale and extrapolate to high energies using renormalization group. We find that the model can remain stable and perturbative up to the Planck scale provided that the heavy beyond Standard Model scalar states have masses in a narrow interval around 3 TeV.

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arXiv2017

Neutrino mass generation and leptogenesis via pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone Higgs portal

We consider an extension of the Standard Model with the global symmetry breaking pattern SO(5)/SO(4), where the Higgs boson arises as a pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone boson. The scalar content of the theory consists of a Standard-Model-like Higgs field and an extra real scalar field. The flavour sector of the model is extended by two right-handed neutrinos compatible with the observed light-neutrino phenomenology, and we find that the correct vacuum alignment determines the mass of the heavier neutrino eigenstate to be around 80 TeV. The new singlet-scalar state generates dynamically a Majorana mass term for the heavy neutrino states. We show how the model leads to the correct baryon asymmetry of the universe via leptogenesis in the case of two degenerate or hierarchical heavy neutrinos.

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arXiv2017

Observational Constraints on Decoupled Hidden Sectors

We consider an extension of the Standard Model with a singlet sector consisting of a real (pseudo)scalar and a Dirac fermion coupled with the Standard Model only via the scalar portal. We assume that the portal coupling is weak enough for the singlet sector not to thermalize with the Standard Model allowing the production of singlet particles via the freeze-in mechanism. If the singlet sector interacts with itself sufficiently strongly, it may thermalize within itself, resulting in dark matter abundance determined by the freeze-out mechanism operating within the singlet sector. We investigate this scenario in detail. In particular, we show that requiring the absence of inflationary isocurvature fluctuations provides lower bounds on the magnitude of the dark sector self-interactions and in parts of the parameter space favors sufficiently large self-couplings, supported also by the features observed in the small-scale structure formation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2017

Conformal window in SU(2) with fundamental fermions

We present the updated results of the infrared behavior of the SU(2) 6 and 8 fundamental representation fermions. We use the gradient flow method with the Schrödinger functional boundary conditions to measure the running of the coupling in these theories and find fixed points on both. We also measure the mass anomalous dimension from these configurations.

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arXiv2017

The Dawn of FIMP Dark Matter: A Review of Models and Constraints

We present an overview of scenarios where the observed Dark Matter (DM) abundance consists of Feebly Interacting Massive Particles (FIMPs), produced non-thermally by the so-called freeze-in mechanism. In contrast to the usual freeze-out scenario, frozen-in FIMP DM interacts very weakly with the particles in the visible sector and never attained thermal equilibrium with the baryon-photon fluid in the early Universe. Instead of being determined by its annihilation strength, the DM abundance depends on the decay and annihilation strengths of particles in equilibrium with the baryon-photon fluid, as well as couplings in the DM sector. This makes frozen-in DM very difficult but not impossible to test. In this review, we present the freeze-in mechanism and its variations considered in the literature (dark freeze-out and reannihilation), compare them to the standard DM freeze-out scenario, discuss several aspects of model building, and pay particular attention to observational properties and general testability of such feebly interacting DM.

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arXiv2017

Vacuum Stability and Perturbativity of SU(3) Scalars

We calculate the vacuum stability conditions and renormalisation group equations for the extensions of standard model with a higher colour multiplet scalar up to the representation $\mathbf{15'}$ that leaves the strong interaction asymptotically free. In order to find the vacuum stability conditions, we calculate the orbit spaces for the self-couplings of the higher multiplets, which for the representations $\mathbf{15}$ and $\mathbf{15'}$ of $SU(3)_c$ are highly complicated. However, if the scalar potential is linear in orbit space variables, it is sufficient to know the convex hull of the orbit space. In contrast to the self-couplings of other multiplets, we find that the scalar quartic couplings of the representations $\mathbf{3}$ and $\mathbf{8}$ walk rather than run, remaining nearly constant and perturbative over a vast energy range. We describe the conditions for walking couplings using a schematic model. With these technical results at hand we revise earlier results of generation of new scales with large $SU(3)_c$ scalar multiplets. Our results are easily extendable to models of new physics with additional $SU(3)$ or SU($N$) gauge symmetries.

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arXiv2017

The gradient flow running coupling in SU(2) gauge theory with $N_f=8$ fundamental flavors

We study the evolution of the coupling in SU(2) gauge field theory with $N_f=8$ fundamental fermion flavors on the lattice. This model is expected to have an infrared fixed point at high coupling. We use HEX-smeared Wilson-clover action, and measure the gradient flow running coupling with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Extrapolating our results to continuum, we find an infrared fixed point at $g^2=8.24(59)^{+0.97}_{-1.64}$, with statistical and systematic error estimates. We also measure the anomalous dimension of the quark mass operator, and find its value at the fixed point $γ\approx 0.15 \pm 0.02$.

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arXiv2017

WIMP miracle of the second kind

We study dark matter production in scenarios where a scale invariant hidden sector interacts with the Standard Model degrees of freedom via a Higgs portal $λΦ^\daggerΦs^2$. If the hidden sector is very weakly coupled to the SM but exhibits strong interactions within its own particle species, the dark matter abundance may arise as a result of a dark freeze-out occurring in the hidden sector. Because of scale invariance, the free parameters in the hidden sector are determined and the dark matter candidate exhibits a 'WIMP miracle of the second kind'. Demonstrating the predictive power of scale invariance, we carry out thorough analysis of dark matter production in several benchmark scenarios where the hidden sector contains either a scalar, fermion (sterile neutrino), or vector dark matter, and discuss the observational consequences of these scenarios.

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arXiv2017

Latest results from the EbyE NLO EKRT model

We review the results from the event-by-event next-to-leading order perturbative QCD + saturation + viscous hydrodynamics (EbyE NLO EKRT) model. With a simultaneous analysis of LHC and RHIC bulk observables we systematically constrain the QCD matter shear viscosity-to-entropy ratio eta/s(T), and test the initial state computation. In particular, we study the centrality dependences of hadronic multiplicities, pT spectra, flow coefficients, relative elliptic flow fluctuations, and various flow-correlations in 2.76 and 5.02 TeV Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC and 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Overall, our results match remarkably well with the LHC and RHIC measurements, and predictions for the 5.02 TeV LHC run are in an excellent agreement with the data. We probe the applicability of hydrodynamics via the average Knudsen numbers in the space-time evolution of the system and viscous corrections on the freeze-out surface.

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arXiv2017

Self-interacting dark matter and cosmology of a light scalar mediator

We consider a fermionic dark matter candidate interacting via a scalar mediator coupled with the Standard Model through a Higgs portal. We consider general setting including both scalar and pseudoscalar interactions between the scalar and fermion, and illustrate the relevant features for dark matter abundance, direct search limits and collider constraints. The case where dark matter has a self-interaction strength $\left\langle σ_V \right\rangle/m_ψ\sim 0.1-1 \,\mathrm{cm}^2/\mathrm{g}$ is strongly constrained, in particular by the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. We show that these constraints can be alleviated by introducing a new light sterile neutrino $N$. The allowed region for the extended model consists of a triangle at $10 (\sin θ)^{-2/5} \,{\rm MeV} \lesssim m_N \lesssim 1\,{\rm GeV}$.

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arXiv2017

Vector resonances at LHC Run II in composite 2HDM

We consider a model where the electroweak symmetry breaking is driven by strong dynamics, resulting in an electroweak doublet scalar condensate, and transmitted to the standard model matter fields via another electroweak doublet scalar. At low energies the effective theory therefore shares features with a type-I two Higgs doublet model. However, important differences arise due to the rich composite spectrum expected to contain new vector resonances accessible at the LHC. We carry out a systematic analysis of the vector resonance signals at LHC and find that the model remains viable, but will be tightly constrained by direct searches as the projected integrated luminosity, around 200 fb$^{-1}$, of the current run becomes available.

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arXiv2017

Inflation and pseudo-Goldstone Higgs boson

We consider inflation within a model framework where the Higgs boson arises as a pseudo-Goldstone boson associated with the breaking of a global symmetry at a scale significantly larger than the electroweak one. We show that in such a model the scalar self-couplings can be parametrically suppressed and, consequently, the non-minimal couplings to gravity can be of order one or less, while the inflationary predictions of the model remain compatible with the precision cosmological observations. Furthermore, in the model we study, the existence of the electroweak scale is entirely due to the inflaton field. Our model therefore suggests that inflation and low energy particle phenomenology may be more entwined than assumed so far.

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arXiv2016

Observational Properties of Feebly Coupled Dark Matter

We show that decoupled hidden sectors can have observational consequences. As a representative model example, we study dark matter production in the Higgs portal model with one real singlet scalar $s$ coupled to the Standard Model Higgs via $λ_{\rm hs}Φ^\daggerΦs^2$ and demonstrate how the combination of non-observation of cosmological isocurvature perturbations and astrophysical limits on dark matter self-interactions imply stringent bounds on the magnitude of the scalar self-coupling $λ_{\rm s}s^4$. For example, for dark matter mass $m_{\rm s}=10$ MeV and Hubble scale during cosmic inflation $H_*=10^{12}$ GeV, we find $10^{-4}\lesssim λ_{\rm s}\lesssim 0.2$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

Mass anomalous dimension of SU(2) using the spectral density method

SU(2) with N_f = 6 and N_f = 8 are believed to have an infrared conformal fixed point. We use the spectral density method cross referenced with the mass step scaling method to evaluate the coupling constant dependence of the mass anomalous dimension for massless HEX smeared, clover improved Wilson fermions with Schrödinger functional boundary conditions.

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arXiv2016

Gradient flow running coupling in SU(2) Nf=6 flavors

We present preliminary results of the running of the coupling in SU(2) gauge theory with 6 massless fundamental representation fermion flavors. We measure the coupling using the gradient flow method with Schrödinger functional boundary conditions. The results are consistent with the perturbation theory in the weak coupling and we see an indication of an infrared fixed point at strong coupling.

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arXiv2016

A Strong Electroweak Phase Transition from the Inflaton Field

We study a singlet scalar extension of the Standard Model. The singlet scalar is coupled non-minimally to gravity and assumed to drive inflation, and also couple sufficiently strongly with the SM Higgs field in order to provide for a strong first order electroweak phase transition. Requiring the model to describe inflation successfully, be compatible with the LHC data, and yield a strong first order electroweak phase transition, we identify the regions of the parameter space where the model is viable. We also include a singlet fermion with scalar coupling to the singlet scalar to probe the sensitivity of the constraints on additional degrees of freedom and their couplings in the singlet sector. We also comment on the general feasibility of these fields to act as dark matter.

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arXiv2016

Baryogenesis in the two doublet and inert singlet extension of the Standard Model

We investigate an extension of the Standard Model containing two Higgs doublets and a singlet scalar field (2HDSM). We show that the model can have a strongly first-order phase transition and give rise to the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe, consistent with all experimental constraints. In particular, the constraints from the electron and neutron electric dipole moments are less constraining here than in pure two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM). The two-step, first-order transition in 2HDSM, induced by the singlet field, may lead to strong supercooling and low nucleation temperatures in comparison with the critical temperature, $T_n \ll T_c$, which can significantly alter the usual phase-transition pattern in 2HD models with $T_n \approx T_c$. Furthermore, the singlet field can be the dark matter particle. However, in models with a strong first-order transition its abundance is typically but a thousandth of the observed dark matter abundance.

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