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Michael A. Schmidt

Publications and source records attributed to Michael A. Schmidt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Flavour anomalies meet flavour symmetry

We construct an extension of the Standard Model with a scalar leptoquark $ϕ\sim (3,1,-\tfrac13)$ and the discrete flavour symmetry $G_f=D_{17}\times Z_{17}$ to explain anomalies observed in charged-current semi-leptonic $B$ meson decays and in the muon anomalous magnetic moment, together with the charged fermion masses and quark mixing. The symmetry $Z_{17}^{\rm diag}$, contained in $G_f$, remains preserved by the leptoquark couplings, at leading order, and efficiently suppresses couplings of the leptoquark to the first generation of quarks and/or electrons, thus avoiding many stringent experimental bounds. The strongest constraints on the parameter space are imposed by the radiative charged lepton flavour violating decays $τ\toμγ$ and $μ\to eγ$. A detailed analytical and numerical study demonstrates the feasibility to simultaneously explain the data on the lepton flavour universality ratios $R(D)$ and $R(D^\star)$ and the muon anomalous magnetic moment, while passing the experimental bounds from all other considered flavour observables.

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Probing general $U(1)'$ models with non-universal lepton charges at FASER/FASER2, COHERENT and long-baseline oscillation experiments

The general anomaly-free $U(1)'$ models allow non-universal lepton charges. We explore the sensitivities of FASER/FASER2, COHERENT and DUNE/T2HK precision experiments to the new gauge boson $Z'$ and the new CP-even scalar $ϕ$. With non-universal lepton charges, distinctive reaches at FASER/FASER2 emerge in the regime of low $m_{Z'}$ and small gauge coupling $g_{BL}$ for different $U(1)'$ charge setups. The COHERENT experiment and the future long-baseline experiments DUNE/T2HK also provide complementary probes to the available parameter space. For $m_ϕ< 2m_{Z'}$, the search for the scalar $ϕ$ at FASER/FASER2 is sensitive to the mixing angle between the scalar singlet and the SM Higgs. In the case of $m_ϕ> 2m_{Z'}$, the kinematically allowed decay $ϕ\to Z' Z'$ changes the lifetime and decay rates of the scalar $ϕ$. The sensitivity reach highly depends on the $Z'$ mass and the gauge coupling $g_{BL}$.

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Complementarity of $B\to K^{(*)} μ\bar μ$ and $B\to K^{(*)} + \mathrm{inv}$ for searches of GeV-scale Higgs-like scalars

The rare decays $B^+\to K^+ μ\bar μ$ and $B^0\to K^{*0} μ\barμ$ provide the strongest constraints on the mixing of a light scalar with the Higgs boson for GeV-scale masses. The constraints sensitively depend on the branching ratio to muons. Additional decay channels like an invisible partial width may substantially weaken the constraints. This scenario will be probed at Belle II in $B\to K^{(*)} + \mathrm{inv}$. We illustrate the complementarity of scalar decays to muons and invisible decays using the currently available results of LHCb and BaBar. We provide two simple model realisations providing a sizeable invisible scalar width, one based on a real scalar and one based on a $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge symmetry. In both examples the scalar decays into heavy neutral leptons which can be motivated by the seesaw mechanism for neutrino masses.

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Complementarity of $μ$TRISTAN and Belle II in searches for charged-lepton flavour violation

We analyse the potential of the proposed $μ^+ μ^+$ and $μ^+ e^-$ collider $μ$TRISTAN to complement the searches for charged-lepton flavour-violation (CLFV) that can be carried out by Belle II. $μ$TRISTAN offers the possibility of directly producing and studying new resonances that could mediate CLFV for a certain range of masses. In addition, we find that it can produce competitive bounds to those from Belle II for cases where the new resonance lies beyond direct reach. We illustrate these points with three $Z_3$ "lepton triality" models, where we also find an example that can only be probed by $μ$TRISTAN. These three models feature doubly-charged scalars, denoted $k_{1,2,3}$ respectively, that induce both CLFV and flavour-conserving processes. Tree-level $k_1$ exchange induces the CLFV scattering process $μ^+ e^- \to e^+ τ^-$, while $k_2$ interactions induce $μ^+ μ^+ \to τ^+ e^+$, $μ^+ e^- \to τ^+ μ^-$ and make a non-SM contribution to the flavour-conserving scattering $μ^+ μ^+ \to μ^+ μ^+$. The $k_3$ model has a non-SM contribution to the flavour-conserving process $μ^+ e^- \to μ^+ e^-$. Other scattering processes involving $k_1$, $k_2$ or $k_3$ are not relevant for $μ$TRISTAN and outside the scope of our analysis. We quantify the sensitivity of $μ$TRISTAN for each of these processes. For the $k_1$ and $k_2$ cases we compare the $μ$TRISTAN reach to the expected sensitivity of Belle II to the crossing symmetry related CLFV $τ$ decays.

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Riding the Seesaw: What Higgsstrahlung May Reveal about Massive Neutrinos

We investigate if the projected high-precision measurements of the cross section of the Higgsstrahlung process $e^+ e^- \to Zh$ at a future electron-positron collider can be utilised to indirectly probe the fermionic Seesaw models. We consider the two centre-of-mass energies $\sqrt{s}=240$ GeV and $365$ GeV, and compare the collider reaches to constraints from electroweak observables, probes of lepton flavour universality and the existing and prospective bounds from searches for lepton flavour violation. For the analysis we assume the limit of an exactly conserved lepton-number symmetry. We find that while any appreciable correction to the Higgsstrahlung cross section is already strictly constrained in the Type-I Seesaw model, effects of up to $\mathcal{O}(10\%)$ are possible within Type-III Seesaw.

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Freeze-in and freeze-out of sterile neutrino dark matter

A sterile neutrino with a keV-scale mass is a compelling dark matter candidate. We propose a new production mechanism involving the decay and annihilation of a complex scalar singlet with a Higgs portal coupling which develops a vacuum expectation value. The interactions of the resulting pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson may thermalise the dark sector. We determine the region of parameter space where dark sector thermalisation is reached and discuss the most relevant cosmological observables. The scenario can be considered as the combination of a freeze-in of the dark sector followed by relativistic freeze-out.

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Lepton-flavour-violating tau decays from triality

Motivated by flavour symmetry models, we construct theories based on a low-energy limit featuring lepton flavour triality that have the flavour-violating decays $τ^\pm \to μ^\pm μ^\pm e^\mp$ and $τ^\pm \to e^\pm e^\pm μ^\mp$ as the main phenomenological signatures of physics beyond the standard model. These decay modes are expected to be probed in the near future with increased sensitivity by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider. The simple standard model extensions featured have doubly-charged scalars as the mediators of the above decay processes. The phenomenology of these extensions is studied here in detail.

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Indirect constraints on lepton-flavour-violating quarkonium decays

Within an effective-field-theory framework, we present a model-independent analysis of the potential of discovering new physics by searching for lepton flavour violation in heavy quarkonium decays and, more in general, we study the phenomenology of lepton-flavour-violating (LFV) 2 quark - 2 lepton ($2q2\ell$) operators with two charm or bottom fields. We compute the constraints from LFV muon and tau decays on the new-physics operators that can induce LFV processes involving $c\bar c$ and $b\bar b$ systems, thus providing a comprehensive list of indirect upper limits on processes such as $J/ψ\to \ell\ell^\prime$, $Υ(nS) \to \ell\ell^\prime$, $Υ(nS) \to \ell\ell^\prime γ$ etc., which can be sought at BESIII, Belle II, and the proposed super tau-charm factory. We show that such indirect constraints are so stringent that they prevent the detection of quarkonium decays into $eμ$. In the case of decays of quarkonia into $\ellτ$ ($\ell=e,μ$), we find that an improvement by 2-3 orders of magnitude on the current sensitivities is in general required in order to discover or further constrain new physics. However, we show that cancellations among different contributions to the LFV tau decay rates are possible, such that $Υ(nS)\to \ellτ$ can saturate the present experimental bounds. We also find that, interestingly, searches for LFV $Z$ decays, $Z\to\ellτ$, at future $e^+e^-$ colliders are complementary probes of $2q2\ell$ operators with third generation quarks.

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Dark matter direct detection of a fermionic singlet at one loop

The strong direct detection limits could be pointing to dark matter -- nucleus scattering at loop level. We study in detail the prototype example of an electroweak singlet (Dirac or Majorana) dark matter fermion coupled to an extended dark sector, which is composed of a new fermion and a new scalar. Given the strong limits on colored particles from direct and indirect searches we assume that the fields of the new dark sector are color singlets. We outline the possible simplified models, including the well-motivated cases in which the extra scalar or fermion is a Standard Model particle, as well as the possible connection to neutrino masses. We compute the contributions to direct detection from the photon, the $Z$ and the Higgs penguins for arbitrary quantum numbers of the dark sector. Furthermore, we derive compact expressions in certain limits, i.e., when all new particles are heavier than the dark matter mass and when the fermion running in the loop is light, like a Standard Model lepton. We study in detail the predicted direct detection rate and how current and future direct detection limits constrain the model parameters. In case dark matter couples directly to Standard Model leptons we find an interesting interplay between lepton flavor violation, direct detection and the observed relic abundance.

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A Tale of Invisibility: Constraints on New Physics in $b\to sνν$

The Belle II experiment will measure the rare decays $B\to Kνν$ and $B\to K^* νν$ with increased sensitivity which can hence be expected to serve as a very efficient probe of new physics. We calculate the relevant branching ratios in low-energy effective field theory (LEFT) including an arbitrary number of massive sterile neutrinos and discuss the expected sensitivity to the different operators. We also take into account the longitudinal polarisation fraction $F_L$ and the inclusive decay rate $B\to X_sνν$. In our investigation we consider new physics dominantly contributing to one and two operators both for massless and massive (sterile) neutrinos. Our results show a powerful interplay of the exclusive decay rates $B\to Kνν$ and $B\to K^*νν$, and a surprisingly large sensitivity of the inclusive decay mode to vector operators even under conservative assumptions about its uncertainty. Furthermore, the sensitivity of $F_L$ is competitive with the branching ratio of $B\to K^* νν$ in the search for new physics contributing to scalar operators and thus also complementary to $B\to Kνν$ and $B\to X_sνν$.

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The implication of $J/ψ\to (γ+ ){\rm invisible}$ for the effective field theories of neutrino and dark matter

We study the implication of $J/ψ$ decay into invisible particles for light sterile neutrino and sub-GeV dark matter (DM). The low-energy effective field theories (EFTs) are used for the description of general neutrino interactions and the Dirac fermion DM coupled to charm quark. For $J/ψ\to γ+{\rm invisible}$, we perform the likelihood fits for the individual neutrino and DM operators with distinct Lorentz structures and photon spectra. The limits on the decay branching fractions are obtained for different neutrino or DM scenarios and then converted to the lower bounds on the new energy scales. The most stringent bounds on the energy scale in neutrino and DM EFTs are 12.8 GeV and 11.6 GeV, respectively. The purely invisible decay $J/ψ\to {\rm invisible}$ provides complementary constraints on the effective operators. The relevant bound on the energy scale is above 100 GeV for the dipole operators. We also evaluate the limit on the DM-nucleon scattering cross section converted from $J/ψ$ data. The data of $J/ψ$ invisible decays are sensitive to the light DM mass range where the DM direct detection experiments cannot probe yet. The future Super Tau Charm Factory after one year run can push the limits down by two orders of magnitude.

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Charged lepton flavor violation in light of the muon magnetic moment anomaly and colliders

Any observation of charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) implies the existence of new physics beyond the SM in charged lepton sector. CLFV interactions may also contribute to the muon magnetic moment and explain the discrepancy between the SM prediction and the recent muon $g-2$ precision measurement at Fermilab. We consider the most general SM gauge invariant Lagrangian of $ΔL=0$ bileptons with CLFV couplings and investigate the interplay of low-energy precision experiments and colliders in light of the muon magnetic moment anomaly. We go beyond previous work by demonstrating the sensitivity of the LHC, the MACE experiment, a proposed muonium-antimuonium conversion experiment, and a muon collider. Currently-available LHC data is already able to probe unexplored parameter space via the CLFV process $pp\toγ^*/Z^*\to \ell_1^\pm \ell_1^\pm \ell_2^\mp \ell_2^\mp$.

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The Singly-Charged Scalar Singlet as the Origin of Neutrino Masses

We consider the generation of neutrino masses via a singly-charged scalar singlet. Under general assumptions we identify two distinct structures for the neutrino mass matrix. This yields a constraint for the antisymmetric Yukawa coupling of the singly-charged scalar singlet to two left-handed lepton doublets, irrespective of how the breaking of lepton-number conservation is achieved. The constraint disfavours large hierarchies among the Yukawa couplings. We study the implications for the phenomenology of lepton-flavour universality, measurements of the $W$-boson mass, flavour violation in the charged-lepton sector and decays of the singly-charged scalar singlet. We also discuss the parameter space that can address the Cabibbo Angle Anomaly.

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Constraints on the charged currents in general neutrino interactions with sterile neutrinos

In this work we investigate the implication of low-energy precision measurements on the quark-lepton charged currents in general neutrino interactions with sterile neutrinos in effective field theories. The physics in low-energy measurements is described by the low-energy effective field theory extended with sterile neutrinos (LNEFT) defined below the electroweak scale. We also take into account renormalization group running and match the LNEFT onto the Standard Model (SM) effective field theory with sterile neutrinos (SMNEFT) to constrain new physics (NP) above the electroweak scale. The most sensitive low-energy probes are from leptonic decays of pseudoscalar mesons and hadronic tau lepton decays in terms of precise decay branching fractions, the lepton flavor universality and the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) unitarity. We also consider other constraints including nuclear beta decay. The constraints on charged current operators are generally stronger than the ones for quark-neutrino neutral current operators. We find that the most stringent bounds on the NP scale of lepton-number-conserving and lepton-number-violating operators in SMNEFT are 74 (110) TeV and 9.8 (13) TeV, respectively, for the operators with down (strange) quark.

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General neutrino interactions with sterile neutrinos in light of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering and meson invisible decays

In this work we study the current bounds from the CEνNS process and meson invisible decays on generic neutrino interactions with sterile neutrinos in effective field theories. The interactions between quarks and left-handed SM neutrinos and/or right-handed neutrinos are first described by the low-energy effective field theory (LNEFT) between the electroweak scale and the chiral symmetry breaking scale. We complete the independent operator basis for the LNEFT up to dimension-6 by including both the lepton-number-conserving (LNC) and lepton-number-violating (LNV) operators involving right-handed neutrinos. We translate the bounds on the LNEFT Wilson coefficients from the COHERENT observation and calculate the branching fractions of light meson invisible decays. The bounds on LNEFT are then mapped onto the SM effective field theory with sterile neutrinos (SMNEFT) to constrain new physics above the electroweak scale. We find that the meson invisible decays can provide the only sensitive probe for τ neutrino flavor component and s quark component in the quark-neutrino interactions involving two (one) active neutrinos and for the effective operators without any active neutrino fields. The CEνNS process places the most stringent bound on all other Wilson coefficients. By assuming one dominant Wilson coefficient at a time in SMNEFT and negligible sterile neutrino mass, the most stringent limits on the new physics scale are 2.7 - 10 TeV from corresponding dipole operator in LNEFT and 0.5 - 1.5 TeV from neutrino-quark operator in LNEFT.

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Implication of $K\to πν\barν$ for generic neutrino interactions in effective field theories

In this work we investigate the implication of $K\to πν\barν$ from the recent KOTO and NA62 measurements for generic neutrino interactions and the new physics scale in effective field theories. The interactions between quarks and left-handed Standard Model (SM) neutrinos are first described by the low energy effective field theory (LEFT) below the electroweak scale. We match them to the chiral perturbation theory ($χ$PT) at the chiral symmetry breaking scale to calculate the branching fractions of Kaon semi-invisible decays and match them up to the SM effective field theory (SMEFT) to constrain new physics above the electroweak scale. In the framework of effective field theories, we prove that the Grossman-Nir bound is valid for both dim-6 and dim-7 LEFT operators, and the dim-6 vector and scalar operators dominantly contribute to Kaon semi-invisible decays based on LEFT and chiral power counting rules. They are induced by multiple dim-6 lepton-number-conserving operators and one dim-7 lepton-number-violating operator in the SMEFT, respectively. In the lepton-number-conserving $s\to d$ transition, the $K\to πν\barν$ decays provide the most sensitive probe for the operators with $ττ$ component and point to a corresponding new physics scale of $Λ_{\rm NP} \in[47~\text{TeV},~72~\text{TeV}]$ associated with a single effective coefficient. The lepton-number-violating operator can also explain the observed $K\toπν\barν$ discrepancy with the SM prediction within a narrow range $Λ_{\rm NP}\in [19.4~\text{TeV},~21.5~\text{TeV}]$, which is consistent with constraints from Kaon invisible decays.

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Thermal dark matter abundance under non-standard macroscopic conditions in the early universe

The standard theoretical estimation of the thermal dark matter abundance may be significantly altered if properties of dark matter particles in the early universe and at the present cosmological epoch differ. This may happen if, e.g., a cosmological phase existed in the early universe during which dark matter particles were temporarily unstable and their abundance was reduced through their decays. We argue that a large class of microscopic theories which are rejected due to the dark matter overproduction, may actually be viable theories if certain macroscopic conditions were satisfied in the early universe. We explicitly demonstrate our mechanism within the minimal supersymmetric standard model with the bino-like lightest supersymmetric particle being a phenomenologically viable dark matter candidate under the condition that the early universe carried a global R-charge which induced the instability phase.

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Sensitivity of future lepton colliders and low-energy experiments to charged lepton flavor violation from bileptons

The observation of charged lepton flavor violation is a clear sign of physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). In this work, we investigate the sensitivity of future lepton colliders to charged lepton flavor violation via on-shell production of bileptons, and compare their sensitivity with current constraints and future sensitivities of low-energy experiments. Bileptons couple to two charged leptons with possibly different flavors and are obtained by expanding the general SM gauge invariant Lagrangians with or without lepton number conservation. We find that future lepton colliders will provide complementary sensitivity to the charged-lepton-flavor-violating couplings of bileptons compared with low-energy experiments. The future improvements of muonium-antimuonium conversion, lepton flavor non-universality in leptonic τ decays, electroweak precision observables and the anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons will also be able to probe similar parameter space.

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