arXiv subjects

Mauro Valli

Publications and source records attributed to Mauro Valli.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

$B$ anomalies under the lens of electroweak precision

The measurements carried out at LEP and SLC projected us into the precision era of electroweak physics. This has also been relevant in the theoretical interpretation of LHCb and Belle measurements of rare $B$ semileptonic decays, paving the road for new physics with the inference of lepton universality violation in $R_{K^{(*)}}$ ratios. The simplest explanation of these flavour anomalies -- sizeable one-loop contributions respecting Minimal Flavour Violation -- is currently disfavoured by electroweak precision data. In this work, we discuss how to completely relieve the present tension between electroweak constraints and one-loop minimal flavour violating solutions to $R_{K^{(*)}}$. We determine the correlations in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory that highlight the existence of such a possibility. Then, we consider minimal extensions of the Standard Model where our effective-field-theory picture can be realized. We discuss how these solutions to $b \to s \ell \ell$ anomalies, respecting electroweak precision and without any new source of flavour violation, may point to the existence of a $Z^{\prime}$ boson at around the TeV scale, within the discovery potential of LHC, or to leptoquark scenarios.

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arXiv2020

Lessons from the $B^{0,+}\to K^{*0,+}μ^+μ^-$ angular analyses

We perform an analysis within the Standard Model of $B^{0,+} \to K^{*0,+} μ^+ μ^-$ decays in light of the recent measurements from the LHCb experiment, showing that new data strengthen the need for sizable hadronic contributions and correlations among them. We then extend our analysis to New Physics via the Standard Model Effective Theory, and carry out a state-of-the-art fit of available $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ data, including possible hadronic contributions. We find the case of a fully left-handed operator standing out as the simplest scenario with a significance of almost $6σ$.

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arXiv2020

Entering the Era of Dark Matter Astronomy? Near to Long-Term Forecasts in X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Bands

We assess Galactic Dark Matter (DM) sensitivities to photons from annihilation and decay using the spatial and kinematic information determined by state-of-the-art simulations in the Latte suite of Feedback In Realistic Environments (FIRE-2). For kinematic information, we study the energy shift pattern of DM narrow emission lines predicted in FIRE-2 and discuss its potential as DM-signal diagnosis, showing for the first time the power of symmetric observations around $l=0^{\circ}$. We find that the exposures needed to resolve the line separation of DM to gas by XRISM at $5σ$ to be large, $\gtrsim 4$ Ms, while exposures are smaller for Athena ($\lesssim 50$ ks) and Lynx ($\lesssim 100$ ks). We find that large field-of-view exposures remain the most sensitive methods for detection of DM annihilation or decay by the luminosity of signals in the field of view dominating velocity information. The $\sim$4 sr view of the Galactic Center region by the Wide Field Monitor (WFM) aboard the eXTP mission will be highly sensitive to DM signals, with a prospect of $\sim 10^5$ to $10^6$ events from the 3.5 keV line in a 100 ks exposure, with the range dependent on photon acceptance in WFM's field of view. We also investigate detailed all-sky luminosity maps for both DM annihilation and decay signals - evaluating the signal-to-noise for a DM detection with realistic X-ray and gamma-ray backgrounds - as a guideline for what could be a forthcoming era of DM astronomy.

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arXiv2019

Model-independent Bounds on the Standard Model Effective Theory from Flavour Physics

Meson-antimeson mixing provides the most stringent constraints on baryon- and lepton-number conserving New Physics, probing scales higher than $10^5$ TeV. In the context of the effective theory of weak interactions, these constraints translate into severe bounds on the coefficients of $ΔF=2$ operators. Generalizing to the effective theory invariant under the Standard Model gauge group, valid above the electroweak scale, the bounds from $ΔF=2$ processes also affect $ΔF=1$ and even $ΔF=0$ operators, due to log-enhanced radiative corrections induced by Yukawa couplings. We systematically analyze the effect of the renormalization group evolution above the electroweak scale and provide for the first time the full set of constraints on all relevant dimension-six operators.

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arXiv2019

Too Big To Fail in Light of Gaia

We point out an anti-correlation between the central dark matter (DM) densities of the bright Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) and their orbital pericenter distances inferred from Gaia data. The dSphs that have not come close to the Milky Way center (like Fornax, Carina and Sextans) are less dense in DM than those that have come closer (like Draco and Ursa Minor). The same anti-correlation cannot be inferred for the ultra-faint dSphs due to large scatter. Including ultra-faints, a trend that dSphs with more extended stellar distributions tend to have lower DM densities emerges. A fresh look at solutions to the too-big-to-fail problem is warranted in light of these observations.

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arXiv2019

New Physics in $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^-$ confronts new data on Lepton Universality

In light of the very recent updates on the $R_K$ and $R_{K^*}$ measurements from the LHCb and Belle collaborations, we systematically explore here imprints of New Physics in $b \to s \ell^+ \ell^- $ transitions using the language of effective field theories. We focus on effects that violate Lepton Flavour Universality both in the Weak Effective Theory and in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory. In the Weak Effective Theory we find a preference for scenarios with the simultaneous presence of two operators, a left-handed quark current with vector muon coupling and a right-handed quark current with axial muon coupling, irrespective of the treatment of hadronic uncertainties. In the Standard Model Effective Field Theory we select different scenarios according to the treatment of hadronic effects: while an aggressive estimate of hadronic uncertainties points to the simultaneous presence of two operators, one with left-handed quark and muon couplings and one with left-handed quark and right-handed muon couplings, a more conservative treatment of hadronic matrix elements leaves room for a broader set of scenarios, including the one involving only the purely left-handed operator with muon coupling.

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arXiv2018

On velocity-dependent dark matter annihilations in dwarf satellites

Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellites are a prime target for Dark Matter (DM) indirect searches. There have been recent reassessments of the expected DM gamma-ray signals in case of long-range interactions, commonly known as Sommerfeld enhancement. Since details of the underlying DM phase-space distribution function become critical, there are potentially large uncertainties in the final result. We provide here a first attempt towards a comprehensive investigation of these systematics, addressing the impact on the expected DM flux from Milky Way dwarfs via Bayesian inference on the available stellar kinematic datasets. After reconsidering the study case of ergodic systems, we investigate for the first time scenarios where DM particle orbits may have a radial or tangential bias. We consider both cuspy and cored parametric DM density profiles, together with the case of a non-parametric halo modelling directly connected to line-of-sight observable quantities. The main findings of our work highlight the relevance of the assumed phase-space distribution: Referring to a generalized J-factor, namely the line-of-sight convolution of the spatial part in case of velocity-dependent annihilation rate, an enhancement (suppression) with respect to the limit of isotropic phase-space distributions is obtained for the case of tangentially (radially) biased DM particle orbits. We provide new estimates for J-factors for the eight brightest Milky Way dwarfs also in the limit of velocity-independent DM annihilation, in good agreement with previous results in literature, and derive data-driven lower-bounds based on the non-parametric modelling of the halo density. The outcome of our broad study stands out as a representative of the state-of-the-art in the field, and falls within the interest of current and future experimental collaborations involved in DM indirect detection programs.

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arXiv2018

Hadronic uncertainties in the $B\to K^*μ^+μ^-$ decay

Motivated by the persisting 'anomaly' in the measurement of $P_5^\prime$, we review hadronic uncertainties entering the angular observables of the decay $\bar B\to {\bar K}^*μ^+μ^-$. We argue that hadronic uncertainties could account for the present measurements. We discuss how to extract information on the non-factorizable hadronic contribution from experimental data exploiting its $q^2$ dependence and propose a parametrization optimized for this purpose. While no clear conclusion can be drawn with present experimental uncertainties, we show that future measurements should be able to pin down many hadronic parameters that we define in our parametrization.

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arXiv2018

Dark matter self-interactions from the internal dynamics of dwarf spheroidals

Dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide well-known challenges to the standard cold and collisionless dark matter scenario: The too-big-to-fail problem, namely the mismatch between the observed mass enclosed within the half-light radius of dwarf spheroidals and cold dark matter N-body predictions; The hints for inner constant-density cores. While these controversies may be alleviated by baryonic physics and environmental effects, revisiting the standard lore of cold and collisionless dark matter remains an intriguing possibility. Self-interacting dark matter may be the successful proposal to such a small-scale crisis. Self-interactions correlate dark matter and baryon distributions, allowing for constant-density cores in low surface brightness galaxies. Here we report the first data-driven study of the too-big-to-fail of Milky Way dwarf spheroidals within the self-interacting dark matter paradigm. We find good description of stellar kinematics and compatibility with the concentration-mass relation from recent pure cold dark matter simulations. Within this concentration-mass relation, a subset of Milky Way dwarfs are well fitted by cross sections of 0.5-3 cm$^2$/g, while others point to values greater than 10 cm$^2$/g.

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arXiv2018

Impact of cosmic-ray physics on dark matter indirect searches

The quest for the elusive dark matter (DM) that permeates the Universe (and in general the search for signatures of Physics beyond the Standard Model at astronomical scales) provides a unique opportunity and a tough challenge to the high-energy astrophysics community. In particular, the so-called DM indirect searches - mostly focused on a class of theoretically well-motivated DM candidates such as the weakly-interacting massive particles - are affected by a complex astrophysical background of cosmic radiation. The understanding and modeling of such background requires a deep comprehension of an intricate classical plasma physics problem, i.e. the interaction between high-energy charged particles, accelerated in peculiar astrophysical environments, and magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence in the interstellar medium of our Galaxy. In this review we highlight several aspects of this exciting interplay between the most recent claims of DM annihilation/decay signatures from the sky and the Galactic cosmic-ray research field. Our purpose is to further stimulate the debate about viable astrophysical explanations, discussing possible directions that would help breaking degeneracy patterns in the interpretation of current data. We eventually aim to emphasize how a deep knowledge on the physics of CR transport is therefore required to tackle the DM indirect search program at present and in the forthcoming years.

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arXiv2017

On Flavourful Easter eggs for New Physics hunger and Lepton Flavour Universality violation

Within the standard approach of effective field theory of weak interactions for $ΔB = 1$ transitions, we look for possibly unexpected subtle New Physics effects, here dubbed "flavourful Easter eggs". We perform a Bayesian global fit using the publicly available HEPfit package, taking into account state-of-the-art experimental information concerning these processes, including the suggestive measurements from LHCb of $R_{K}$ and $R_{K^{*}}$, the latter available only very recently. We parametrize New Physics contributions to $b \to s$ transitions in terms of shifts of Wilson coefficients of the electromagnetic dipole and semi-leptonic operators, assuming CP-conserving effects, but allowing in general for violation of lepton flavour universality. We show how optimistic/conservative hadronic estimates can impact quantitatively the size of New Physics extracted from the fit. With a conservative approach to hadronic uncertainties we find nonzero New Physics contributions to Wilson coefficients at the level of $\sim 3σ$, depending on the model chosen. Furthermore, given the interplay between hadronic contributions and New Physics effects in the leptonic vector current, a scenario with nonstandard leptonic axial currents is comparable to the more widely advocated one with New Physics in the leptonic vector current.

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arXiv2016

$B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$ in the Standard Model: Elaborations and Interpretations

Disentangling New Physics effects from the Standard Model requires a good understanding of all pieces that stem from the latter, especially the uncertainties that might plague the theoretical estimations within the Standard Model. In the light of recent measurements made in the decay of $B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$, and accompanying possibilities of New Physics effects, we re-examine the hadronic uncertainties that come about in this exclusive $b \to s$ transition. We show that it is not trivial to distinguish New Physics effects from these hadronic uncertainties and we attempt to quantify the latter in its magnitude and kinematic shape from the recent LHCb measurements of the angular observables in this decay mode. We also update our fit with the more recent calculations of the form factors combined with the ones computed with Lattice QCD.

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arXiv2016

A critical reassessment of particle Dark Matter limits from dwarf satellites

Dwarf satellite galaxies are ideal laboratories for identifying particle Dark Matter signals. When setting limits on particle Dark Matter properties from null searches, it becomes however crucial the level at which the Dark Matter density profile within these systems is constrained by observations. In the limit in which the spherical Jeans equation is assumed to be valid for a given tracer stellar population, we study the solution of this equation having the Dark Matter mass profile as an output rather than as a trial parametric input. Within our new formulation, we address to what level dwarf spheroidal galaxies feature a reliable mass estimator. We assess then possible extrapolation of the density profiles in the inner regions and -- keeping explicit the dependence on the orbital anisotropy profile of the tracer population -- we derive general trends on the line-of-sight integral of the density profile squared, a quantity commonly dubbed $J$-factor and crucial to estimate fluxes from prompt Dark Matter pair annihilations. Taking Ursa Minor as a study case among Milky Way satellites, we perform Bayesian inference using the available kinematical data for this galaxy. Contrary to all previous studies, we avoid marginalization over quantities poorly constrained by observations or by theoretical arguments. We find minimal $J$-factors to be about 2 to 4 times smaller than commonly quoted estimates, approximately relaxing by the same amount the limit on Dark Matter pair annihilation cross section from gamma-ray surveys of Ursa Minor. At the same time, if one goes back to a fixed trial parametric form for the density, e.g. using a NFW or Burkert profile, we show that the minimal $J$ can hardly be reduced by more than a factor of 1.5.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

$B\to K^* \ell^+ \ell^-$ decays at large recoil in the Standard Model: a theoretical reappraisal

We critically reassess the theoretical uncertainties in the Standard Model calculation of the $B \to K^* \ell^+ \ell^-$ observables, focusing on the low $q^2$ region. We point out that even optimized observables are affected by sizable uncertainties, since hadronic contributions generated by current-current operators with charm are difficult to estimate, especially for $q^2 \sim 4 m_c^2\simeq 6.8$ GeV$^2$. We perform a detailed numerical analysis and present both predictions and results from the fit obtained using most recent data. We find that non-factorizable power corrections of the expected order of magnitude are sufficient to give a good description of current experimental data within the Standard Model. We discuss in detail the $q^2$ dependence of the corrections and their possible interpretation as shifts of the Standard Model Wilson coefficients.

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arXiv2016

Interpretation of astrophysical neutrinos observed by IceCube experiment by setting Galactic and extra-Galactic spectral components

The last IceCube catalog of High Energy Starting Events (HESE) obtained with a livetime of 1347 days comprises 54 neutrino events equally-distributed between the three families with energies between 25 TeV and few PeVs. Considering the homogeneous flavors distribution (1:1:1) and the spectral features of these neutrinos the IceCube collaboration claims the astrophysical origin of these events with more than $5σ$. The spatial distribution of cited events does not show a clear correlation with known astrophysical accelerators leaving opened both the Galactic and the extra-Galactic origin interpretations. Here, we compute the neutrino diffuse emission of our Galaxy on the basis of a recently proposed phenomenological model characterized by radially-dependent cosmic-ray (CR) transport properties. We show that the astrophysical spectrum measured by IceCube experiment can be well explained adding to the diffuse Galactic neutrino flux (obtained with this new model) a extra-Galactic component derived from the astrophysical muonic neutrinos reconstructed in the Northern hemisphere. A good agreement between the expected astrophysical neutrino flux and the IceCube data is found for the full sky as well as for the Galactic plane region.

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arXiv2015

Towards a realistic astrophysical interpretation of the gamma-ray Galactic center excess

A spherical-symmetric gamma-ray emission from the central region of the Galaxy has been recently identified in Fermi-LAT data, and initially associated to dark matter particle annihilations. Guided by the evidence for a high gas density in the inner kpc of the Galaxy correlated with a very large Supernova rate, and hence with ongoing cosmic-ray acceleration, we investigate instead the possibility of addressing this excess in terms of ordinary cosmic-ray sources and standard steady-state diffusion. We alter the source term, and consistently the correlated gamma-ray emissions, in the context of a template-fitting analysis. We focus on a region of interest (ROI) defined as: $|l|<20^{\circ}; \hspace{5mm} 2^{\circ}<|b|<20^{\circ},$ with $l$ and $b$ the Galactic longitude and latitude coordinates. We analyze in detail the overall goodness of the fit of our framework, and perform a detailed direct comparison against data examining profiles in different directions. Remarkably, the test statistic of the fit related to our scenario turns out to be as good as the Dark Matter one in the ROI here considered.

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arXiv2015

The gamma-ray and neutrino sky: A consistent picture of Fermi-LAT, Milagro, and IceCube results

We compute the gamma-ray and neutrino diffuse emission of the Galaxy on the basis of a recently proposed phenomenological model characterized by radially dependent cosmic-ray (CR) transport properties. We show how this model, designed to reproduce both Fermi-LAT gamma-ray data and local CR observables, naturally reproduces the anomalous TeV diffuse emission observed by Milagro in the inner Galactic plane. Above 100 TeV our picture predicts a neutrino flux that is about five (two) times larger than the neutrino flux computed with conventional models in the Galactic Center region (full-sky). Explaining in that way up to $\sim 25 \%$ of the flux measured by IceCube, we reproduce the full-sky IceCube spectrum adding an extra-Galactic component derived from the muonic neutrino flux in the northern hemisphere. We also present precise predictions for the Galactic plane region where the flux is dominated by the Galactic emission.

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arXiv2015

A Hadronic Scenario for the Galactic Ridge

Several observations from Fermi-LAT, up to few hundred GeV, and from H.E.S.S., up to $\sim$ 10 TeV, reported an intense $γ$-ray emission from the inner part of the Galactic plane. After the subtraction of point-like contributions, the remaining $γ$-ray spectrum can provide important hints about the cosmic-ray (CR) population in that region. In particular, the diffuse spectrum measured by both Fermi-LAT and H.E.S.S. in the Galactic Ridge is significantly harder with respect to the rest of the Galaxy. These results were recently interpreted in terms of a comprehensive CR transport model which, adopting a spatial dependent diffusion coefficient and convective velocity, reproduces Fermi-LAT results on the whole sky as well as local CR spectra. We showed as that model predicts a significantly harder neutrino diffuse emission compared to conventional scenarios: The predicted signal is able to account for a significant fraction of the astrophysical flux measured by IceCube. In this contribution, we use the same setup to calculate the expected neutrino flux from several windows in the inner Galactic plane and compare the results with IceCube observations and the sensitivities of Mediterranean neutrino telescopes. In particular, for the ANTARES experiment, we compare the model expectations with the upper limits obtained from a recent unblinded data-analysis focused on the galactic ridge region. Moreover, we also show the expectations from the galactic ridge for the future KM3NeT observatory, whose position is optimal to observe this portion of the sky.

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