arXiv subjects

Mikhail Shaposhnikov

Publications and source records attributed to Mikhail Shaposhnikov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Freeze-in and freeze-out generation of lepton asymmetries after baryogenesis in the $ν$MSM

The $ν$MSM -- an extension of the Standard Model by three relatively light singlet Majorana fermions $N_{1,2,3}$ -- allows for the generation of lepton asymmetry which is several orders of magnitude larger than the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe. The lepton asymmetry is produced in interactions of $N_{2,3}$ (with masses in the GeV region) at temperatures below the sphaleron freeze out $ T \lesssim 130$ GeV and can enhance the cosmological production of dark matter (DM) sterile neutrinos $N_1$ (with the mass of the keV scale) happening at $T \sim 200$ MeV due to active-sterile neutrino mixing. This asymmetry can be generated in freeze-in, freeze-out, or later in decays of heavy neutral leptons. In this work, we address the question of the magnitude of the late-time asymmetry (LTA) generated by the heavy neutral leptons $N_{2,3}$ during their freeze-in and freeze-out, leaving the decays for later work. We study how much of this asymmetry can survive down to the lower temperatures relevant for the sterile neutrino DM creation. We find that this LTA could result in the production of a sizeable fraction of dark matter. We also examine a role played by magnetic fields and the Abelian chiral anomaly in the generation of LTA, not accounted for in the previous studies. We argue that the production of LTA can be increased significantly and make an estimate of the influence of this effect.

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arXiv2022

The Present and Future Status of Heavy Neutral Leptons

The existence of non-zero neutrino masses points to the likely existence of multiple SM neutral fermions. When such states are heavy enough that they cannot be produced in oscillations, they are referred to as Heavy Neutral Leptons (HNLs). In this white paper we discuss the present experimental status of HNLs including colliders, beta decay, accelerators, as well as astrophysical and cosmological impacts. We discuss the importance of continuing to search for HNLs, and its potential impact on our understanding on key fundamental questions, and additionally we outline the future prospects for next-generation future experiments or upcoming accelerator run scenarios.

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arXiv2022

Feebly-Interacting Particles:FIPs 2020 Workshop Report

With the establishment and maturation of the experimental programs searching for new physics with sizeable couplings at the LHC, there is an increasing interest in the broader particle and astrophysics community for exploring the physics of light and feebly-interacting particles as a paradigm complementary to a New Physics sector at the TeV scale and beyond. FIPs 2020 has been the first workshop fully dedicated to the physics of feebly-interacting particles and was held virtually from 31 August to 4 September 2020. The workshop has gathered together experts from collider, beam dump, fixed target experiments, as well as from astrophysics, axions/ALPs searches, current/future neutrino experiments, and dark matter direct detection communities to discuss progress in experimental searches and underlying theory models for FIPs physics, and to enhance the cross-fertilisation across different fields. FIPs 2020 has been complemented by the topical workshop "Physics Beyond Colliders meets theory", held at CERN from 7 June to 9 June 2020. This document presents the summary of the talks presented at the workshops and the outcome of the subsequent discussions held immediately after. It aims to provide a clear picture of this blooming field and proposes a few recommendations for the next round of experimental results.

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arXiv2021

Scale and Weyl Invariance in Einstein-Cartan Gravity

We show how Einstein-Cartan gravity can accommodate both global scale and local scale (Weyl) invariance. To this end, we construct a wide class of models with nonpropagaing torsion and a nonminimally coupled scalar field. In phenomenological applications the scalar field is associated with the Higgs boson. For global scale invariance, an additional field -- dilaton -- is needed to make the theory phenomenologically viable. In the case of the Weyl symmetry, the dilaton is spurious and the theory reduces to a sub-class of one-field models. In both scenarios of scale invariance, we derive an equivalent metric theory and discuss possible implications for phenomenology.

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arXiv2021

Einstein-Cartan Portal to Dark Matter

It is well-known since the works of Utiyama and Kibble that the gravitational force can be obtained by gauging the Poincaré group, which puts gravity on the same footing as the Standard Model fields. The resulting theory -- Einstein-Cartan gravity -- inevitably contains four-fermion and scalar-fermion interactions that originate from torsion associated with spin degrees of freedom. We show that these interactions lead to a novel mechanism for producing singlet fermions in the Early Universe. These fermions can play the role of dark matter particles. The mechanism is operative in a large range of dark matter particle masses: from a few keV up to $\sim 10^8~$GeV. We discuss potential observational consequences of keV-scale dark matter produced this way, in particular for right-handed neutrinos. We conclude that a determination of the primordial dark matter momentum distribution might be able to shed light on the gravity-induced fermionic interactions.

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arXiv2021

Higgs inflation in Einstein-Cartan gravity

We study inflation driven by the Higgs field in the Einstein-Cartan formulation of gravity. In this theory, the presence of the Holst and Nieh-Yan terms with the Higgs field non-minimally coupled to them leads to three additional coupling constants. For a broad range of parameters, we find that inflation is both possible and consistent with observations. In most cases, the spectral index is given by $n_s=1-2/N_\star$ (with $N_\star$ the number of e-foldings) whereas the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ can vary between about $10^{-10}$ and $1$. Thus, there are scenarios of Higgs inflation in the Einstein-Cartan framework for which the detection of gravitational waves from inflation is possible in the near future. In certain limits, the known models of Higgs inflation in the metric and Palatini formulations of gravity are reproduced. Finally, we discuss the robustness of inflationary dynamics against quantum corrections due to the scalar and fermion fields.

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arXiv2021

Matter matters in Einstein-Cartan gravity

We study scalar, fermionic and gauge fields coupled nonminimally to gravity in the Einstein-Cartan formulation. We construct a wide class of models with nondynamical torsion whose gravitational spectra comprise only the massless graviton. Eliminating non-propagating degrees of freedom, we derive an equivalent theory in the metric formulation of gravity. It features contact interactions of a certain form between and among the matter and gauge currents. We also discuss briefly the inclusion of curvature-squared terms.

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arXiv2021

Einstein-Cartan gravity, matter, and scale-invariant generalization

We study gravity coupled to scalar and fermion fields in the Einstein-Cartan framework. We discuss the most general form of the action that contains terms of mass dimension not bigger than four, leaving out only contributions quadratic in curvature. By resolving the theory explicitly for torsion, we arrive at an equivalent metric theory containing additional six-dimensional operators. This lays the groundwork for cosmological studies of the theory. We also perform the same analysis for a no-scale scenario in which the Planck mass is eliminated at the cost of adding an extra scalar degree of freedom. Finally, we outline phenomenological implications of the resulting theories, in particular to inflation and dark matter production.

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arXiv2021

Standard Model Meets Gravity: Electroweak Symmetry Breaking and Inflation

We propose a model for combining the Standard Model (SM) with gravity. It relies on a non-minimal coupling of the Higgs field to the Ricci scalar and on the Palatini formulation of gravity. Without introducing any new degrees of freedom in addition to those of the SM and the graviton, this scenario achieves two goals. First, it generates the electroweak symmetry breaking by a non-perturbative gravitational effect. In this way, it does not only address the hierarchy problem but opens up the possibility to calculate the Higgs mass. Second, the model incorporates inflation at energies below the onset of strong-coupling of the theory. Provided that corrections due to new physics above the scale of inflation are not unnaturally large, we can relate inflationary parameters to data from collider experiments.

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arXiv2021

Reconciling resonant leptogenesis and baryogenesis via neutrino oscillations

Right-handed neutrinos offer an elegant solution to two well established phenomena beyond the Standard Model (SM) - masses and oscillations of neutrinos, as well as the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. It is also a minimalistic solution since it requires only singlet Majorana fermions to be added to the SM particle content. If these fermions are nearly degenerate, the mass scale of right-handed neutrinos can be very low and accessible by the present and planned experiments. There are at least two well studied mechanisms of the low-scale leptogenesis: baryogenesis via oscillations and resonant leptogenesis. These two mechanisms were often considered separate, but they can in fact be understood as two different regimes of one and the same mechanism, described by a unique set of quantum kinetic equations. In this work we show, using a unified description based on quantum kinetic equations, that the parameter space of these two regimes of low-scale leptogenesis significantly overlap. We present a comprehensive study of the parameter space of the low-scale leptogenesis with the mass scale ranging from $0.1$ GeV to $\sim 10^6$ GeV. The unified perspective of this work reveals the synergy between intensity and energy frontiers in the quest for heavy Majorana neutrinos.

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arXiv2020

Spontaneous Conformal Symmetry Breaking in Fishnet CFT

Quantum field theories with exact but spontaneously broken conformal invariance have an intriguing feature: their vacuum energy (cosmological constant) is equal to zero. Up to now, the only known ultraviolet complete theories where conformal symmetry can be spontaneously broken were associated with supersymmetry (SUSY), with the most prominent example being the $\mathcal N$=4 SUSY Yang-Mills. In this Letter we show that the recently proposed conformal "fishnet" theory supports at the classical level a rich set of flat directions (moduli) along which conformal symmetry is spontaneously broken. We demonstrate that, at least perturbatively, some of these vacua survive in the full quantum theory (in the planar limit, at the leading order of $1/N_c$ expansion) without any fine tuning. The vacuum energy is equal to zero along these flat directions, providing the first non-SUSY example of a four-dimensional quantum field theory with "natural" breaking of conformal symmetry.

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arXiv2020

Uniting low-scale leptogeneses

In this work we demonstrate that what was previously considered as different mechanisms of baryon asymmetry generation involving two right-handed Majorana neutrinos with masses far below the GUT scale -- leptogenesis via neutrino oscillations and resonant leptogenesis -- are actually united. We show that the observed baryon asymmetry can be generated for all experimentally allowed values of the right-handed neutrino masses above $M_N \gtrsim 100$ MeV. Leptogenesis is effective in a broad range of the parameters, including mass splitting between two right-handed neutrinos as big as $ΔM_N/M_N \sim 0.1$, as well as mixing angles between the heavy and light neutrinos large enough to be accessible to planned intensity experiments or future colliders.

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arXiv2020

Quantum Effects in Palatini Higgs Inflation

We study quantum effects in Higgs inflation in the Palatini formulation of gravity, in which the metric and connection are treated as independent variables. We exploit the fact that the cutoff, above which perturbation theory breaks down, is higher than the scale of inflation. Unless new physics above the cutoff leads to unnaturally large corrections, we can directly connect low-energy physics and inflation. On the one hand, the lower bound on the top Yukawa coupling due to collider experiments leads to an upper bound on the non-minimal coupling of the Higgs field to gravity: $ξ\lesssim 10^8$. On the other hand, the Higgs potential can only support successful inflation if $ξ\gtrsim 10^6$. This leads to a fairly strict upper bound on the top Yukawa coupling of $0.925$ (defined in the $\overline{\text{MS}}$-scheme at the energy scale $173.2\,\text{GeV}$) and constrains the inflationary prediction for the tensor-to-scalar ratio. Additionally, we compare our findings to metric Higgs inflation.

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arXiv2020

Anomalous non-conservation of fermion/chiral number in Abelian gauge theories at finite temperature

We discuss the non-conservation of fermion number (or chirality breaking, depending on the fermionic charge assignment) in Abelian gauge theories at finite temperature. We study different mechanisms of fermionic charge disappearance in the high temperature plasma, using both analytical estimates and real-time classical lattice numerical simulations. We investigate the random walk of the Chern-Simons number $Q \propto \int d^4x F_{μν}{\tilde F}^{μν}$, and show that it has a diffusive behaviour in the presence of an external magnetic field $B$. This indicates that the mechanism for fermionic number non-conservation for $B \neq 0$, is due to fluctuations of the gauge fields, similarly as in the case of non-Abelian gauge theories. We determine numerically, with lattice simulations, the rate $Γ$ of chirality non-conservation associated with this diffusion. We find the rate to be a factor $\mathcal{O}(10)$ larger compared to previous theoretical estimates, what calls for a revision of the implications of Abelian fermion number and chirality non-conservation for baryogenesis, magnetogenesis and chiral symmetry evolution. An erratum can be found at the end of the manuscript, following the results obtained in JHEP 10 (2019) 142 (1904.11892 [hep-th]), which reduce our original claim in the discrepancy between theory and numerics by a factor $\sim 5-6$.

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arXiv2020

Chiral charge dynamics in Abelian gauge theories at finite temperature

We study fermion number non-conservation (or chirality breaking) in Abelian gauge theories at finite temperature. We consider the presence of a chemical potential $μ$ for the fermionic charge, and monitor its evolution with real-time classical lattice simulations. This method accounts for short-scale fluctuations not included in the usual effective magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) treatment. We observe a self-similar decay of the chemical potential, accompanied by an inverse cascade process in the gauge field that leads to a production of long-range helical magnetic fields. We also study the chiral charge dynamics in the presence of an external magnetic field $B$, and extract its decay rate $Γ_5 \equiv -{d\log μ\over dt}$. We provide in this way a new determination of the gauge coupling and magnetic field dependence of the chiral rate, which exhibits a best fit scaling as $Γ_5 \propto e^{11/2}B^2$. We confirm numerically the fluctuation-dissipation relation between $Γ_5$ and $Γ_{\rm diff}$, the Chern-Simons diffusion rate, which was obtained in a previous study. Remarkably, even though we are outside the MHD range of validity, the dynamics observed are in qualitative agreement with MHD predictions. The magnitude of the chiral/diffusion rate is however a factor $\sim 10$ times larger than expected in MHD, signaling that we are in reality exploring a different regime accounting for short scale fluctuations. This discrepancy calls for a revision of the implications of fermion number and chirality non-conservation in finite temperature Abelian gauge theories, though not definite conclusion can be made at this point until hard-thermal-loops (HTL) are included in the lattice simulations.

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arXiv2019

Parameter space of baryogenesis in the $ν$MSM

The Standard Model accompanied with two right-handed neutrinos with the masses below the weak scale can explain the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe. Moreover, this model is at least partially testable in the forthcoming experiments such as NA62, SHiP, and MATHUSLA. The remarkable progress in understanding of various rates entering the kinetic equations describing the asymmetry generation along with considerable improvements of the numerical procedures allow us to perform a comprehensive analysis of the parameter space of the model. We find that the region of parameters leading to the successful baryogenesis is notably larger than it was previously obtained. Our results are presented in a way that they can be readily used for studies of sensitivity of various experiments searching for the right-handed neutrinos responsible for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. We also present a detailed comparison with the studies by other groups.

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arXiv2019

Asymptotic Scale Invariance and its Consequences

Scale invariance supplemented by the requirement of the absence of new heavy particles may play an important role in addressing the hierarchy problem. We discuss how the Standard Model may become scale invariant at the quantum level above a certain value of the Higgs field value without addition of new degrees of freedom and analyze phenomenological and cosmological consequences of this setup, in particular, possible metastability of the electroweak vacuum and Higgs inflation.

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arXiv2019

Hidden and explicit quantum scale invariance

There exist renormalisation schemes that explicitly preserve the scale invariance of a theory at the quantum level. Imposing a scale invariant renormalisation breaks renormalisability and induces new non-trivial operators in the theory. In this work, we study the effects of such scale invariant renormalisation procedures. On the one hand, an explicitly quantum scale invariant theory can emerge from the scale invariant renormalisation of a scale invariant Lagrangian. On the other hand, we show how a quantum scale invariant theory can equally emerge from a Lagrangian visibly breaking scale invariance renormalised with scale dependent renormalisation (such as the traditional MS-bar scheme). In this last case, scale invariance is hidden in the theory, in the sense that it only appears explicitly after renormalisation.

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