arXiv subjects

Marco Nardecchia

Publications and source records attributed to Marco Nardecchia.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A framework for missing-energy searches with anomalous light vectors

We study light spin-1 gauge bosons coupled to electroweak-anomalous currents. For generic charge assignments, anomaly cancellation requires new fermions (anomalons) that are chiral under the new abelian symmetry and carry electroweak charges. If their masses arise from the breaking of the new gauge symmetry, integrating them out generates Wess-Zumino interactions fixed by mixed-anomaly matching, providing the infrared description of the theory. We classify minimal anomalon spectra, derive the corresponding effective interactions, and combine experimental constraints with finite-naturalness considerations to bound the UV completion scale. Motivated by recent NA62 and Belle II results, we then develop a unified phenomenological framework for the missing-energy signatures of these anomalous light vectors, focusing on scenarios where the new vector decays predominantly into neutrinos so that the leading probes are rare processes with invisible final states. As applications, we survey current and projected searches across flavour and electroweak observables, including $K\toπE_{\rm miss}$, $B\to K^{(*)}E_{\rm miss}$, and $Z\toγE_{\rm miss}$, and discuss their interplay with direct searches for anomalons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Gauged $τ$-lepton chiral currents and $B \to K^{(*)} E_{\rm miss}$

We consider a class of theories with a $U(1)_X$ gauge symmetry associated with leptonic chiral currents. The low-energy effective field theory includes a light spin-$1$ boson coupled to the electroweak gauge sector via a Wess-Zumino term, which ensures anomaly cancellation in the infrared. As a concrete application, we show that a light vector boson with mass $m_X \simeq 2.1\,\text{GeV}$, coupled to a $τ$-lepton chiral current, can readily account for the recent $3σ$ excess observed in $B \to K^{(*)} E_{\rm miss}$ at Belle II, while remaining consistent with existing constraints from $Z \to γE_{\rm miss}$ and direct searches for anomalon fields responsible for anomaly cancellation in the ultraviolet. After classifying phenomenologically viable models, we explore in greater detail two concrete realizations which give rise to distinctive phenomenological signatures, potentially accessible at future experiments at the high-energy and intensity frontiers.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

On the Atomki nuclear anomaly after the MEG-II result

Recent experimental results from the Atomki collaboration have reported the observation of anomalous effects in Beryllium, Helium and Carbon nuclear transitions that could hint at physics beyond the Standard Model. However, the MEG-II experiment has recently found no significant anomalous signal in the Beryllium transition ${^8}\text{Be}^\star\to{^8}\text{Be}+e^+e^-$. In view of this result, we critically re-examine the possible theoretical interpretations of the anomalies observed by the Atomki experiment in terms of a new boson $X$ with mass around $17\;$MeV. The present work aims to study the phenomenology of a spin-2 state and revisit the possibility of a pure CP-even scalar, which was initially dismissed due to its inability to explain the Beryllium anomalous signal. Our analysis shows that a spin-2 state is highly disfavoured by the SINDRUM constraint while a scalar boson could explain the Helium and Carbon anomalies while being compatible with other experimental constraints.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Implications of $B \to K ν\barν$ under Rank-One Flavor Violation hypothesis

We study the implications of the observed excess in $B^+ \to K^+ ν\barν$ under the assumption of Rank-One Flavour Violation, i.e. that New Physics couples to a single specific direction in flavour space. By varying this direction we perform analyses at the level of the low-energy EFT, the SMEFT, and with explicit mediators such as leptoquarks and colorless vectors ($Z^\prime$ and $V^\prime$). We study correlations with other flavour, electroweak and collider observables, finding that the most interesting ones are with $K \to πν\barν$, $B_s \to μ^+ μ^-$, meson mixing and the LHC searches in $τ^+ τ^-$ high-energy tails. Among the various mediators, the scalar leptoquarks $\tilde{R}_2$ and $S_1$ offer the best fits of the Belle-II excess, while being consistent with the other bounds. On the other hand, colorless vectors are strongly constrained by meson mixing and resonance searches in $p p \to τ^+ τ^-$. In all cases we find that a flavour alignment close to the third generation is generically preferred.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Closing in on new chiral leptons at the LHC

We study the phenomenological viability of chiral extensions of the Standard Model, with new chiral fermions acquiring their mass through interactions with a single Higgs. We examine constraints from electroweak precision tests, Higgs physics and direct searches at the LHC. Our analysis indicates that purely chiral scenarios are perturbatively excluded by the combination of Higgs coupling measurements and LHC direct searches. However, allowing for a partial contribution from vector-like masses opens up the parameter space and non-decoupled exotic leptons could account for the observed 2$σ$ deviation in $h \to Zγ$. This scenario will be further tested in the high-luminosity phase of the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Perturbative unitarity constraints on generic vector interactions

We study perturbative unitarity constraints on generic interactions between fermion and vector fields, which are allowed to have generic quantum numbers under a $\prod_i SU(N_i) \otimes U(1)$ group. We derive compact expressions for the bounds on the couplings for the cases where the fields transform under the trivial, fundamental or adjoint representation of the various, considering both the case of a complex vector arbitrary interactions with fermionic current and also the case of vectors arising as gauge fields. We apply our results to some specific NP models showing the constraints that can be derived using the tool of perturbative unitarity.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Light vectors coupled to anomalous currents with harmless Wess-Zumino terms

We reconsider the case of light vectors coupled to anomalous fermionic currents, focussing on the interplay between UV and IR dynamics. Taking as a general framework the gauging of the Standard Model accidental symmetries, we show that it is possible to devise an anomaly-free UV completion with mostly-chiral heavy fermions such that anomalous Wess-Zumino terms are suppressed in the IR, thus relaxing would-be strong bounds from the longitudinal emission of light vectors coupled to non-conserved currents. We classify such scenarios and show that they will be extensively probed at the high-luminosity phase of the LHC via the measurement of the $h \to Z γ$ rate and the direct search for non-decoupling charged leptons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Muon Collider Physics Summary

The perspective of designing muon colliders with high energy and luminosity, which is being investigated by the International Muon Collider Collaboration, has triggered a growing interest in their physics reach. We present a concise summary of the muon colliders potential to explore new physics, leveraging on the unique possibility of combining high available energy with very precise measurements.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

The physics case of a 3 TeV muon collider stage

In the path towards a muon collider with center of mass energy of 10 TeV or more, a stage at 3 TeV emerges as an appealing option. Reviewing the physics potential of such muon collider is the main purpose of this document. In order to outline the progression of the physics performances across the stages, a few sensitivity projections for higher energy are also presented. There are many opportunities for probing new physics at a 3 TeV muon collider. Some of them are in common with the extensively documented physics case of the CLIC 3 TeV energy stage, and include measuring the Higgs trilinear coupling and testing the possible composite nature of the Higgs boson and of the top quark at the 20 TeV scale. Other opportunities are unique of a 3 TeV muon collider, and stem from the fact that muons are collided rather than electrons. This is exemplified by studying the potential to explore the microscopic origin of the current $g$-2 and $B$-physics anomalies, which are both related with muons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Perturbative unitarity constraints on generic Yukawa interactions

We study perturbative unitarity constraints on generic Yukawa interactions where the involved fields have arbitrary quantum numbers under an $\prod_i SU(N_i) \otimes U(1)$ group. We derive compact expressions for the bounds on the Yukawa couplings for the cases where the fields transform under the trivial, fundamental or adjoint representation of the various $SU(N)$ factors. We apply our results to specific models formulated to explain the anomalous measurements of $(g-2)_μ$ and of the charged- and neutral-current decays of the $B$ mesons. We show that, while these models can generally still explain the observed experimental values, the required Yukawa couplings are pushed at the edge of the perturbative regime.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

What is the scale of new physics behind the muon $g-2$?

We study the constraints imposed by perturbative unitarity on the new physics interpretation of the muon $g-2$ anomaly. Within a Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) approach, we find that scattering amplitudes sourced by effective operators saturate perturbative unitarity at about 1 PeV. This corresponds to the highest energy scale that needs to be probed in order to resolve the new physics origin of the muon $g-2$ anomaly. On the other hand, simplified models (e.g.~scalar-fermion Yukawa theories) in which renormalizable couplings are pushed to the boundary of perturbativity still imply new on-shell states below 200 TeV. We finally suggest that the highest new physics scale responsible for the anomalous effect can be reached in non-renormalizable models at the PeV scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Anomalies and accidental symmetries: charging the scalar leptoquark under $L_μ$-$L_τ$

While the $S_3$ scalar leptoquark presents a possible tree-level explanation of the $b \to s \ell \ell$ flavour anomalies, it suffers from two conceptual problems which are often disregarded by model-builders. Firstly, the quantum numbers of the $S_3$ allow for a renormalisable diquark operator that would trigger rapid proton decay unless its coupling were tuned away. Secondly, one expects the leptoquark to have generic couplings to leptons, which require tuning to avoid stringent experimental bounds on lepton flavour violation. By gauging a $U(1)$ current that acts as $L_μ- L_τ$ on the Standard Model (SM) fermions, and under which the leptoquark has charge $-1$, one can remedy both these problems. The additional $U(1)$, which is spontaneously broken at some high scale, is associated with a massive $Z^\prime$ gauge boson and a scalar SM singlet $Φ$, which play no direct role in mediating the anomalous $B$ meson decays. By computing one- and two-loop mass corrections, we show that this pair of particles can be hidden away at much higher mass scales without destabilising either the Higgs or the leptoquark masses. The only low-energy relic of gauging $L_μ- L_τ$ is thus the accidental global symmetry structure of the lagrangian. On the other hand, we find quite generally that an $S_3$ leptoquark that mediates the $b \to s \ell \ell$ anomalies cannot be much heavier than a few TeV without itself inducing large Higgs mass corrections.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

The Bearable Compositeness of Leptons

Partial compositeness as a theory of flavor in the lepton sector is assessed. We begin presenting the first systematic analysis of neutrino mass generation in this context, and identifying the distinctive mass textures. We then update the bounds from charged lepton flavor and CP violating observables. We put forward a $U(1)^3\times CP$ symmetry of the composite sector, in order to allow the new physics to be not far above the TeV scale. This hypothesis effectively suppresses the new contributions to the electron EDM and $μ\to eγ$, by far the most constraining observables, and results in a novel pattern of flavor violation and neutrino masses. The CP violation in the elementary-composite mixing is shown to induce a CKM phase of the correct size, as well as order-one phases in the PMNS matrix. We compare with the alternative possibility of introducing multiple scales of compositeness for leptons, that also allow to evade flavor and CP constraints. Finally, we examine violations of lepton flavor universality in $B$-meson semi-leptonic decays. The neutral-current anomalies can be accommodated, predicting strong correlations among different lepton flavors, with a few channels close to the experimental sensitivity.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Reinterpretation of LHC Results for New Physics: Status and Recommendations after Run 2

We report on the status of efforts to improve the reinterpretation of searches and measurements at the LHC in terms of models for new physics, in the context of the LHC Reinterpretation Forum. We detail current experimental offerings in direct searches for new particles, measurements, technical implementations and Open Data, and provide a set of recommendations for further improving the presentation of LHC results in order to better enable reinterpretation in the future. We also provide a brief description of existing software reinterpretation frameworks and recent global analyses of new physics that make use of the current data.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Annual modulations from secular variations: not relaxing DAMA?

In a recent paper [arXiv:2002.00459], Buttazzo et al. show how the annually modulated rate of the DAMA experiments can be possibly interpreted as an artefact due to the interplay between a time-dependent background and the method to account for it. In this work, we compare this hypothesis against the sinusoidal dark matter signal as proposed by the DAMA collaboration. We produce in a Bayesian approach a quantitative comparison of how much the experimental observations are in support of each hypothesis. Our conclusions are that the odds against the hypothesis of a time varying background being responsible for the annual modulation are decreased by a Bayes factor larger than 10^8 after considering the public available data of the DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA experiments. In this work we also elaborate on general aspects of the analysis procedure. Indeed, in order to optimise the background subtraction procedure, the DAMA collaboration only considers data-taking cycles with a duration of roughly one year. We argue that any data-taking cycle is informative, and we propose a procedure to include this effect, as well as the possibility to include a slowly varying component for the background.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Rank-One Flavor Violation and B-meson anomalies

We assume that the quark-flavor coefficients matrix of the semileptonic operators addressing the neutral-current B-meson anomalies has rank-one, i.e. it can be described by a single vector in quark-flavor space. By correlating the observed anomalies to other flavor and high-$p_T$ observables, we constrain its possible directions and we show that a large region of the parameter space of this framework will be explored by flavor data from the NA62, KOTO, LHCb and Belle II experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Gauging the accidental symmetries of the Standard Model, and implications for the flavour anomalies

We explore the possibility that lepton family numbers and baryon number are such good symmetries of Nature because they are the global remnant of a spontaneously broken gauge symmetry. An almost arbitrary linear combination of these symmetries (together with a component of global hypercharge) can be consistently gauged, if the Standard Model (SM) fermion content is augmented by three chiral SM singlet states. Within this framework of $U(1)$ extensions of the SM one generically expects flavour non-universality to emerge in the charged leptons, in such a way that naturally prevents lepton flavour violation, by aligning the mass and weak eigenbases. For quarks, all the SM Yukawa couplings responsible for their observed masses and mixings arise at the renormalisable level. We perform fits to show that models in this class can explain $R_{K^{(\ast)}}$ and the other neutral current $B$ anomaly data if we introduce a heavy vector-like quark to mediate the required quark flavour violation, while simultaneously satisfying other constraints from direct $Z^\prime$ searches at the LHC, $B_s$ meson mixing, a number of electroweak precision observables, and neutrino trident production. Within this symmetry-motivated framework of models, we find interesting implications for the flavour anomalies; notably, any axial couplings of the $Z^\prime$ to electrons and muons must be flavour universal, with the flavour universality violation arising solely from the vector-like couplings. We also comment on the generation of neutrino masses in these models.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Implications of perturbative unitarity for scalar di-boson resonance searches at LHC

We study the constraints implied by partial wave unitarity on new physics in the form of spin-zero di-boson resonances at LHC. We derive the scale where the effective description in terms of the SM supplemented by a single resonance is expected to break down depending on the resonance mass and signal cross-section. Likewise, we use unitarity arguments in order to set perturbativity bounds on renormalizable UV completions of the effective description. We finally discuss under which conditions scalar di-boson resonance signals can be accommodated within weakly-coupled models.

hep-ph↗