arXiv subjects

Michael L. Graesser

Publications and source records attributed to Michael L. Graesser.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Higgsinoless Supersymmetry and Hidden Gravity

We present a simple formulation of non-linear supersymmetry where superfields and partnerless fields can coexist. Using this formalism, we propose a supersymmetric Standard Model without the Higgsino as an effective model for the TeV-scale supersymmetry breaking scenario. We also consider an application of the Hidden Local Symmetry in non-linear supersymmetry, where we can naturally incorporate a spin-two resonance into the theory in a manifestly supersymmetric way. Possible signatures at the LHC experiments are discussed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

The scale of gravity and the cosmological constant within a landscape

It is possible that the scale of gravity, parameterized by the apparent Planck mass, may obtain different values within different universes in an encompassing multiverse. We investigate the range over which the Planck mass may scan while still satisfying anthropic constraints. The window for anthropically allowed values of the Planck mass may have important consequences for landscape predictions. For example, if the likelihood to observe some value of the Planck mass is weighted by the inflationary expansion factors of the universes that contain that value, then it appears extremely unlikely to observe the value of the Planck mass that is measured within our universe. This is another example of the runaway inflation problem discussed in recent literature. We also show that the window for the Planck mass significantly weakens the anthropic constraint upon the cosmological constant when both are allowed to vary over a landscape.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Broadening the Higgs Boson with Right-Handed Neutrinos and a Higher Dimension Operator at the Electroweak Scale

The existence of certain TeV suppressed higher-dimension operators may open up new decay channels for the Higgs boson to decay into lighter right-handed neutrinos. These channels may dominate over all other channels if the Higgs boson is light. For a Higgs boson mass larger than $2 m_W$ the new decays are subdominant yet still of interest. The right-handed neutrinos have macroscopic decay lengths and decay mostly into final states containing leptons and quarks. A distinguishing collider signature of this scenario is a pair of displaced vertices violating lepton number. A general operator analysis is performed using the minimal flavor violation hypothesis to illustrate that these novel decay processes can occur while remaining consistent with experimental constraints on lepton number violating processes. In this context the question of whether these new decay modes dominate is found to depend crucially on the approximate flavor symmetries of the right-handed neutrinos.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

Experimental Constraints on Higgs Boson Decays to TeV-scale Right-Handed Neutrinos

The existence of neutrino masses strongly suggests that right-handed neutrinos exist, but the data do not favor any particular scale for the Majorana mass parameters. Here I explore the possibility that these particles exist at the electroweak scale along with additional new physics at the TeV scale . Higher dimension operators involving right-handed neutrinos and the Higgs boson can introduce new decay modes of the Higgs boson, significantly modifying its phenomenology if it is light. With minimal flavor violation the Higgs boson cascade decays to 6 particles containing two highly displaced vertices. Each displaced vertex produces an odd number of leptons, leading to a dramatic signature of overall lepton violation at each vertex. I discuss the limits from the Tevatron, and find that they are close to exploring interesting regions of parameters, while limiting others. Moving beyond minimal flavor violation, cascade decays of the Higgs boson into as many as 14 particles can occur.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2005

Towards a High Energy Theory for the Higgs Phase of Gravity

Spontaneous Lorentz violation due to a time-dependent expectation value for a massless scalar has been suggested as a method for dynamically generating dark energy. A natural candidate for the scalar is a Goldstone boson arising from the spontaneous breaking of a U(1) symmetry. We investigate the low-energy effective action for such a Goldstone boson in a general class of models involving only scalars, proving that if the scalars have standard kinetic terms then at the {\em classical} level the effective action does not have the required features for spontaneous Lorentz violation to occur asymptotically $(t \to \infty)$ in an expanding FRW universe. Then we study the large $N$ limit of a renormalizable field theory with a complex scalar coupled to massive fermions. In this model an effective action for the Goldstone boson with the properties required for spontaneous Lorentz violation can be generated. Although the model has shortcomings, we feel it represents progress towards finding a high energy completion for the Higgs phase of gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Fluctuating annihilation cross sections and the generation of density perturbations

Fluctuations in the mass and decay rate of a heavy particle which for some period dominates the energy density of the universe are known to lead to adiabatic density perturbations. We show that generically the annihilation cross section of the same particle also receives fluctuations, which leads to entropy perturbations at freeze-out. If the particle comes to dominate the energy density of the universe and subsequently decays, this leads to an additional source of adiabatic density perturbations. On the other hand, non-adiabatic density perturbations result when the particle does not decay but contributes to the observed dark matter.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

Spontaneous Lorentz Violation and the Long-Range Gravitational Preferred-Frame Effect

Lorentz-violating operators involving Standard Model fields are tightly constrained by experimental data. However, bounds are more model-independent for Lorentz violation appearing in purely gravitational couplings. The spontaneous breaking of Lorentz invariance by the vacuum expectation value of a vector field selects a universal rest frame. This affects the propagation of the graviton, leading to a modification of Newton's law of gravity. We compute the size of the long-range preferred-frame effect in terms of the coefficients of the two-derivative operators in the low-energy effective theory that involves only the graviton and the Goldstone bosons.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

Light Scalars and the Generation of Density Perturbations During Preheating or Inflaton Decay

Reheating after inflation can occur through inflaton decay or efficient parametric resonant production of particles from the oscillation of the inflaton. If the particles produced interact with scalars that were light during inflation, then significant super-horizon density perturbations are generated during this era. These perturbations can be highly non-Gaussian.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2004

Anthropic Distribution for Cosmological Constant and Primordial Density Perturbations

The anthropic principle has been proposed as an explanation for the observed value of the cosmological constant. Here we revisit this proposal by allowing for variation between universes in the amplitude of the scale-invariant primordial cosmological density perturbations. We derive a priori probability distributions for this amplitude from toy inflationary models in which the parameter of the inflaton potential is smoothly distributed over possible universes. We find that for such probability distributions, the likelihood that we live in a typical, anthropically-allowed universe is generally quite small.

hep-th↗

arXiv2000

Radion Dynamics and Electroweak Physics

The dynamics of a stabilized radion in the Randall-Sundrum model (RS) with two branes is investigated, and the effects of the radion on electroweak precision observables are evaluated. The radius is assumed to be stabilized using a bulk scalar field as suggested by Goldberger and Wise. First the mass and the wavefunction of the radion is determined including the backreaction of the bulk stabilization field on the metric, giving a typical radion mass of order the weak scale. This is demonstrated by a perturbative computation of the radion wavefunction. A consequence of the background configuration for the scalar field is that after including the backreaction the Kaluza-Klein (KK) states of the bulk scalars couple directly to the Standard Model fields on the TeV brane. Some cosmological implications are discussed, and in particular it is found that the shift in the radion at late times is in agreement with the four-dimensional effective theory result. The effect of the radion on the oblique parameters is evaluated using an effective theory approach. In the absence of a curvature-scalar Higgs mixing operator, these corrections are small and give a negative contribution to S. In the presence of such a mixing operator, however, the corrections can be sizable due to the modified Higgs and radion couplings.

hep-th↗