arXiv subjects

Masahiro Ibe

Publications and source records attributed to Masahiro Ibe.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Quintessence Axion Revisited in Light of Swampland Conjectures

We point out that the swampland conjectures, forbidding the presence of global symmetries and (meta-)stable de Sitter vacua within quantum gravity, pick up a dynamical axion for the electroweak SU(2) gauge theory as a natural candidate for the quintessence field. The potential energy of the electroweak axion provides an attractive candidate for the dark energy. We discuss constraints from the weak gravity conjecture, from the conjecture of no global symmetry, and from observations, which can be satisfied elegantly in a supersymmetric extension of the standard model.

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arXiv2019

A Dynamical Solution to the Axion Domain Wall Problem

The domain wall problem and the isocurvature problem restrict possible combinations of axion models and inflation models. In this paper, we considered a new mechanism which solves those problems by dynamics of multiple scalar fields during/after inflation. The mechanism makes axion models with a non-trivial domain wall number compatible with inflation models with a large Hubble parameter, $H_{I} \gg 10^{7\mbox{-}8}\,$GeV. The mechanism also avoids the isocurvature problem. This mechanism increases the freedom of choice of combinations of axion models and inflation models.

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arXiv2019

Fragileness of Exact I-ball/Oscillon

I-ball/oscillon is a soliton-like oscillating configuration of a real scalar field which lasts for a long time. I-ball/oscillon is a minimum energy state for a given adiabatic invariant, and its approximate conservation guarantees the longevity. In this paper, we examine the stability of a special type of I-ball/oscillon, the "exact" I-ball/oscillon, whose adiabatic invariant is exactly conserved. We show that the exact I-ball/oscillon is stable in classical field theory, but not stable against small perturbations depending on the value of its adiabatic invariant. Accordingly, the exact I-ball/oscillon breaks up in the presence of the fluctuations with corresponding instability modes. We also confirm the fragileness of the exact I-ball/oscillon by the classical lattice simulation.

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arXiv2019

Baryon-Dark Matter Coincidence in Mirrored Unification

About 80\% of the mass of the present Universe is made up of the unknown (dark matter), while the rest is made up of ordinary matter. It is a very intriguing question why the {\it mass} densities of dark matter and ordinary matter (mainly baryons) are close to each other. It may be hinting the identity of dark matter and furthermore structure of a dark sector. A mirrored world provides a natural explanation to this puzzle. On the other hand, if mirror-symmetry breaking scale is low, it tends to cause cosmological problems. In this letter, we propose a mirrored unification framework, which breaks mirror-symmetry at the grand unified scale, but still addresses the puzzle. The dark matter mass is strongly related with the dynamical scale of QCD, which explains the closeness of the dark matter and baryon masses. Intermediate-energy portal interactions share the generated asymmetry between the visible and dark sectors. Furthermore, our framework is safe from cosmological issues by providing low-energy portal interactions to release the superfluous entropy of the dark sector into the visible sector.

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arXiv2019

Decay of I-ball/Oscillon in Classical Field Theory

I-balls/oscillons are long-lived and spatially localized solutions of real scalar fields. They are produced in various contexts of the early universe in, such as, the inflaton evolution and the axion evolution. However, their decay process has long been unclear. In this paper, we derive an analytic formula of the decay rate of the I-balls/oscillons within the classical field theory. In our approach, we calculate the Poynting vector of the perturbation around the I-ball/oscillon profile by solving a relativistic field equation, with which the decay rate of the I-ball/oscillon is obtained. We also perform a classical lattice simulation and confirm the validity of our analytical formula of the decay rate numerically.

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arXiv2019

Muon $g-2$ in Split-Family SUSY in light of LHC Run II

The Split-Family supersymmetry is a model in which the sfermion masses of the first two generations are in $\mathcal{O}(100\text{-}1000)$ GeV while that of the third one is in $\mathcal{O}(10)$TeV. With such a hierarchical spectrum, the deviation of the muon $g-2$ and the observed Higgs boson mass are explained simultaneously. In this paper, we revisit the Split-Family SUSY model in light of the updated LHC constraints. We also study the flavor changing neutral current problems in the model. As we will show, the problems do not lead to stringent constraints when the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix is the only source of the flavor mixing. We also study how large flavor mixing in the supersymmetry breaking parameters is allowed.

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arXiv2018

Ultraviolet Completion of a Composite Asymmetric Dark Matter Model with a Dark Photon Portal

Composite asymmetric dark matter scenarios naturally explain why the dark matter mass density is comparable with the visible matter mass density. Such scenarios generically require some entropy transfer mechanism below the composite scale; otherwise, their late-time cosmology is incompatible with observations. A tiny kinetic mixing between a dark photon and the visible photon is a promising example of the low-energy portal. In this paper, we demonstrate that grand unifications in the dark and the visible sectors explain the origin of the tiny kinetic mixing. We particularly consider an ultraviolet completion of a simple composite asymmetric dark matter model, where asymmetric dark matter carries a $B-L$ charge. In this setup, the longevity of asymmetric dark matter is explained by the $B-L$ symmetry, while the dark matter asymmetry originates from the $B-L$ asymmetry generated by thermal leptogenesis. In our minimal setup, the Standard Model sector and the dark sector are unified into $SU(5)_\mathrm{GUT} \times SU(4)_\mathrm{DGUT}$ gauge theories, respectively. This model generates required $B-L$ portal operators while suppressing unwanted higher-dimensional operators that could wash out the generated $B-L$ asymmetry.

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arXiv2018

Composite Asymmetric Dark Matter with a Dark Photon Portal

Asymmetric dark matter (ADM) is an attractive framework relating the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe to the dark matter density. A composite particle in a new strong dynamics is a promising candidate for ADM as the strong dynamics naturally explains the ADM mass in the GeV range. Its large annihilation cross section due to the strong dynamics leaves the asymmetric component to be dominant over the symmetric component. In such composite ADM scenarios, the dark sector has a relatively large entropy density in the early Universe. The large dark sector entropy results in the overclosure of the Universe or at best contradicts with the observations of the cosmic microwave background and the successful Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis. Thus, composite ADM models generically require some portal to transfer the entropy of the dark sector into the Standard Model sector. In this paper, we consider a dark photon portal with a mass in the sub-GeV range and kinetic mixing with the Standard Model photon. We investigate the viable parameter space of the dark photon in detail, which can find broad applications to dark photon portal models. We also provide a simple working example of composite ADM with a dark photon portal. Our model is compatible with thermal leptogenesis and $B - L$ symmetry. By taking into account the derived constraints, we show that the parameter space is largely tested by direct detection experiments.

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arXiv2018

The swampland conjecture and the Higgs expectation value

The recently proposed de Sitter swampland conjecture excludes local extrema of a scalar potential with a positive energy density in a low energy effective theory. Under the conjecture, the observed dark energy cannot be explained by the cosmological constant. The local maximum of the Higgs potential at the symmetric point also contradicts with the conjecture. In order to make the Standard Model consistent with the conjecture, it has been proposed to introduce a quintessence field, $Q$, which couples to the cosmological constant and the local maximum of the Higgs potential. In this paper, we show that such a modified Higgs potential generically results in a $Q$-dependent Higgs vacuum expectation value (VEV). The $Q$-dependence of the Higgs VEV induces a long-range force, which is severely excluded by the tests of the equivalence principle. Besides, as the quintessence field is in motion, the Higgs VEV shows a time-dependence, which is also severely constrained by the measurements of the time-dependence of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. Those constraints require an additional fine-tuning which is justified neither by the swampland conjecture nor the anthropic principle. We further show that, even if such an unjustified fine-tuning condition is imposed at the tree level, radiative corrections upset it. Consequently, we argue that most of the habitable vacua in the string landscape are in tension with the phenomenological constraints.

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arXiv2018

$B-L$ as a Gauged Peccei-Quinn Symmetry

The gauged Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism provides a simple prescription to embed the global PQ symmetry into a gauged $U(1)$ symmetry. As it originates from the gauged PQ symmetry, the global PQ symmetry can be protected from explicit breaking by quantum gravitational effects once appropriate charge assignment is given. In this paper, we identify the gauged PQ symmetry with the ${B-L}$ symmetry, which is obviously attractive as the ${B-L}$ gauge symmetry is the most authentic extension of the Standard Model. As we will show, a natural $B-L$ charge assignment can be found in a model motivated by the seesaw mechanism in the $SU(5)$ Grand Unified Theory. As a notable feature of this model, it does not require extra $SU(5)$ singlet matter fields other than the right-handed neutrinos to cancel the self and the gravitational anomalies.

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arXiv2018

Foreground effect on the $J$-factor estimation of ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxies

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are promising targets for the gamma-ray dark matter (DM) search. In particular, DM annihilation signal is expected to be strong in some of the recently discovered nearby ultra-faint dSphs, which potentially give stringent constraints on the $\mathcal{O}(1)$ TeV WIMP DM. However, various non-negligible systematic uncertainties complicate the estimation of the astrophysical factors relevant for the DM search in these objects. Among them, the effects of foreground stars particularly attract attention because the contamination is unavoidable even for the future kinematical survey. In this article, we assess the effects of the foreground contamination on the astrophysical $J$-factor estimation by generating mock samples of stars in the four ultra-faint dSphs and using a model of future spectrographs. We investigate various data cuts to optimize the quality of the data and apply a likelihood analysis which takes member and foreground stellar distributions into account. We show that the foreground star contaminations in the signal region (the region of interest) and their statistical uncertainty can be estimated by interpolating the foreground star distribution in the control region where the foreground stars dominate the member stars. Such regions can be secured at future spectroscopic observations utilizing a multiple object spectrograph with a large field of view; e.g. the Prime Focus Spectrograph mounted on Subaru Telescope. The above estimation has several advantages: The data-driven estimation of the contamination makes the analysis of the astrophysical factor stable against the complicated foreground distribution. Besides, foreground contamination effect is considered in the likelihood analysis.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Gauged Peccei-Quinn Symmetry - A Case of Simultaneous Breaking of SUSY and PQ Symmetry

Recently, a simple prescription to embed the global Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry into a gauged $U(1)$ symmetry has been proposed. There, explicit breaking of the global PQ symmetry expected in quantum gravity are highly suppressed due to the gauged PQ symmetry. In this paper, we apply the gauged PQ mechanism to models where the global PQ symmetry and supersymmetry (SUSY) are simultaneously broken at around $\mathcal{O}(10^{11-12})$\,GeV. Such scenario is motivated by an intriguing coincidence between the supersymmetry breaking scale which explains the observed Higgs boson mass by the gravity mediated sfermion masses, and the PQ breaking scale which evades all the astrophysical and the cosmological constraints. As a concrete example, we construct a model which consists of a simultaneous supersymmetry/PQ symmetry breaking sector based on $SU(2)$ dynamics and an additional PQ symmetry breaking sector based on $SU(N)$ dynamics. We also show that new vector-like particles are predicted in the TeV range in the minimum model, which can be tested by the LHC experiments.

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arXiv2017

A "Gauged" $U(1)$ Peccei-Quinn Symmetry

The Peccei-Quinn (PQ) solution to the strong $CP$ problem requires an anomalous global $U(1)$ symmetry, the PQ symmetry. The origin of such a convenient global symmetry is quite puzzling from the theoretical point of view in many aspects. In this paper, we propose a simple prescription which provides an origin of the PQ symmetry. There, the global $U(1)$ PQ symmetry is virtually embedded in a gauged $U(1)$ PQ symmetry. Due to its simplicity, this mechanism can be implemented in many conventional models with the PQ symmetry.

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arXiv2017

Dynamical Clockwork Axions

The clockwork mechanism is a novel method for generating a large separation between the dynamical scale and interaction scale of a theory. We demonstrate how the mechanism can arise from a sequence of strongly-coupled sectors. This framework avoids elementary scalar fields as well as ad hoc continuous global symmetries, both of which are subject to serious stability issues. The clockwork factor, $q$, is determined by the consistency of the strong dynamics. The preserved global $U(1)$ of the clockwork appears as an accidental symmetry, resulting from discrete or $U(1)$ gauge symmetries, and it is spontaneously broken by the chiral condensates. We apply such a dynamical clockwork to construct models with an effectively invisible QCD axion from TeV-scale strong dynamics. The axion couplings are determined by the localisation of the Standard Model interactions along the clockwork sequence. The TeV spectrum includes either coloured hadrons or vector-like quarks. Dark matter can be accounted for by the axion or the lightest neutral baryons, which are accidentally stable.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Revisiting gravitino dark matter in thermal leptogenesis

In this paper, we revisit the gravitino dark matter scenario in the presence of the bilinear $R$-parity violating interaction. In particular, we discuss a consistency with the thermal leptogenesis. For a high reheating temperature required for the thermal leptogenesis, the gravitino dark matter tends to be overproduced, which puts a severe upper limit on the gluino mass. As we will show, a large portion of parameter space of the gravitino dark matter scenario has been excluded by combining the constraints from the gravitino abundance and the null results of the searches for the superparticles at the LHC experiments. In particular, the models with the stau (and other charged slepton) NLSP has been almost excluded by the searches for the long-lived charged particles at the LHC unless the required reheating temperature is somewhat lowered by assuming, for example, a degenerated right-handed neutrino mass spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Foreground effect on the $J$-factor estimation of classical dwarf spheroidal galaxies

The gamma-ray observation of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) is a promising approach to search for the dark matter annihilation (or decay) signal. The dSphs are the nearby satellite galaxies with a clean environment and dense dark matter halo so that they give stringent constraints on the 1 TeV dark matter. However, recent studies have revealed that current estimation of astrophysical factors relevant for the dark matter searches are not conservative, where the various non-negligible systematic uncertainties are not taken into account. Among them, the effect of foreground stars on the astrophysical factors has not been paid much attention, which becomes more important for deeper and wider stellar surveys in the future. In this article, we assess the effects of the foreground contamination by generating the mock samples of stars and using a model of future spectrographs. We investigate various data cuts to optimize the quality of the data and find that the cuts on the velocity and surface gravity can efficiently eliminate the contamination. We also propose a new likelihood function which includes the foreground distribution function. We apply this likelihood function to the fit of the three types of the mock data (Ursa Minor, Draco with large dark matter halo, and Draco with small halo) and three cases of the observation. The likelihood successfully reproduces the input $J$-factor value while the fit without considering the foreground distribution gives large deviation from the input value by a factor of three.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Constraints on $L_μ-L_τ$ Gauge Interactions from Rare Kaon Decay

A model with $L_μ -L_τ$ gauge symmetry is the least constrained model as a resolution to the disagreement of the muon anomalous magnetic moment between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results. In this paper, we discuss how well the $L_μ - L_τ$ model can be constrained by looking for decays of the charged kaon associated with a $L_μ-L_τ$ gauge boson. More concretely, we consider searches for single muon tracks from the decays of stopped charged kaon as in the E949 experiment. In our conservative estimation, we find that the favored parameter region for the muon anomalous magnetic moment can be tested by using a $10$ times larger number of the stopped charged kaons and about a $100$ times better photon rejection rate than the E949 experiment.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Dark Matter Candidates in a Visible Heavy QCD Axion Model

In this paper, we discuss dark matter candidates in a visible heavy QCD axion model. There, a mirror copied sector of the Standard Model with mass scales larger than the Standard Model is introduced. By larger mass scales of the mirrored sector, the QCD axion is made heavy via the axial anomaly in the mirrored sector without spoiling the Peccei-Quinn mechanism to solve the strong $CP$-problem. Since the mirror copied sector possesses the same symmetry structure with the Standard Model sector, the model predicts multiple stable particles. As we will show, the mirrored charged pion and the mirrored electron can be viable candidates for dark matter. They serve as self-interacting dark matter with a long range force. We also show that the mirrored neutron can be lighter than the mirrored proton in a certain parameter region. There, the mirrored neutron can also be a viable dark matter candidate when its mass is around $100$ TeV. It is also shown that the mirrored neutrino can also be a viable candidate for dark matter.

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