arXiv subjects

Monika Blanke

Publications and source records attributed to Monika Blanke.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Quark flavour observables in the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity after LHC Run 1

The Littlest Higgs Model with T-parity (LHT) belongs to the simplest new physics scenarios with new sources of flavour and CP violation. We present a new analysis of quark observables in the LHT model in view of the oncoming flavour precision era. We use all available information on the CKM parameters, lattice QCD input and experimental data on quark flavour observables and corresponding theoretical calculations, taking into account new lower bounds on the symmetry breaking scale and the mirror quark masses from the LHC. We investigate by how much the branching ratios for a number of rare $K$ and $B$ decays are still allowed to depart from their SM values. This includes $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$, $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$, $K_L\to μ^+μ^-$, $ε'/ε$, $B\to X_sγ$, $B_{s,d}\toμ^+μ^-$, $B\to K^{(*)}\ell^+\ell^-$, $B\to K^{(*)}ν\barν$. Taking into account the constraints from $ΔF=2$ processes, significant departures from the SM predictions for $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$ and $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$ are possible while the effects in $B$ decays are much smaller. In particular, the LHT model favours $\mathcal{B}(B_{s}\toμ^+μ^-) \ge \mathcal{B}(B_{s}\toμ^+μ^-)_{\rm SM}$, which is not supported by the data, and the present anomalies in $B\to K^{(*)}\ell^+\ell^-$ decays cannot be explained in this model. With the recent lattice and large $N$ input the imposition of the $ε'/ε$ constraint implies a significant suppression of the branching ratio for $K_L\toπ^0ν\barν$ with respect to its SM value while allowing only for small modifications for $K^+\toπ^+ν\barν$. Finally, we investigate how the LHT physics could be distinguished from other models by means of indirect measurements and discuss the consequences for quark flavour observables of not finding any LHT state in the coming years.

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arXiv2015

Phenomenological aspects of flavoured dark matter

Flavour symmetries in the dark sector are a theoretically motivated and phenomenologically appealing concept. The dark matter particle can be stabilised with the help of flavour symmetries, without the need to introduce an additional discrete symmetry by hand. Apart from the usual searches in direct and indirect detection experiments and high energy colliders, flavoured dark matter generally also gives rise to new flavour violating interactions leading to interesting signatures in rare meson decays. This proceedings article reviews a simplified model of flavoured dark matter in which the dark matter coupling to quarks constitutes a new source of flavour violation, so that the model goes beyond Minimal Flavour Violation. Particular emphasis is put on the discussion of its phenomenological implications in flavour, collider and direct detection experiments.

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arXiv2015

Flavored dark matter beyond Minimal Flavor Violation

We study the interplay of flavor and dark matter phenomenology for models of flavored dark matter interacting with quarks. We allow an arbitrary flavor structure in the coupling of dark matter with quarks. This coupling is assumed to be the only new source of violation of the Standard Model flavor symmetry extended by a $U(3)_χ$ associated with the dark matter. We call this ansatz Dark Minimal Flavor Violation (DMFV) and highlight its various implications, including an unbroken discrete symmetry that can stabilize the dark matter. As an illustration we study a Dirac fermionic dark matter $χ$ which transforms as triplet under $U(3)_χ$, and is a singlet under the Standard Model. The dark matter couples to right-handed down-type quarks via a colored scalar mediator $ϕ$ with a coupling $λ$. We identify a number of "flavor-safe" scenarios for the structure of $λ$ which are beyond Minimal Flavor Violation. For dark matter and collider phenomenology we focus on the well-motivated case of $b$-flavored dark matter. The combined flavor and dark matter constraints on the parameter space of $λ$ turn out to be interesting intersections of the individual ones. LHC constraints on simplified models of squarks and sbottoms can be adapted to our case, and monojet searches can be relevant if the spectrum is compressed.

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arXiv2015

Non-minimally flavour violating dark matter

Flavour symmetries provide an appealing mechanism to stabilize the dark matter particle. I present a simple model of quark flavoured dark matter that goes beyond the framework of minimal flavour violation. I discuss the phenomenological implications for direct and indirect dark matter detection experiments, high energy collider searches as well as flavour violating precision data.

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arXiv2014

Flavoured Dark Matter Beyond MFV

We review a model of quark flavoured dark matter with new flavour violating interactions. This simplified model describes Dirac fermionic dark matter that is charged under a new U(3) flavour symmetry and couples to right-handed down quarks via a scalar mediator. The corresponding coupling matrix is assumed to be the only new source of flavour violation, which we refer to as the Dark Minimal Flavour Violation (DMFV) hypothesis. This ansatz ensures the stability of dark matter. We discuss the phenomenology of the simplest DMFV model in flavour violating observables, LHC searches, and direct dark matter detection experiments. Especially interesting is the non-trivial interplay between the constraints from the different sectors.

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arXiv2014

Flavour Physics Beyond the Standard Model: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives

Flavour physics plays a crucial role in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). While $B$ physics offers many observables to look for deviations from the SM, the highest new physics sensitivity can be obtained in the rare kaon decays $K\toπν\barν$. Of particular interest are correlations between various flavour violating observables that allow to test the symmetries and the operator structure of the new physics flavour sector. New physics searches in rare meson decays are complemented by searches for new flavour violating interactions in the production and decay of new particles at the LHC and in dark matter phenomenology.

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arXiv2013

Squark flavour violation and naturalness at the LHC

While rare meson decays place stringent constraints on much of the flavour violating parameter space of supersymmetric models, the mixing between right-handed top and charm squarks is so far unconstrained by the available data. Such mixing has in fact a very appealing phenomenology: it significantly weakens the current experimental bounds from direct squark searches and leads to a modest reduction of fine-tuning. The scenario can be tested already with the present 8 TeV data set by looking for the flavour violating final state t anti-t + missing E_T, thanks to the large squark pair production cross section.

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arXiv2013

Flavoured Naturalness

We show that a large mixing between the right-handed charm and top squarks (i) is allowed by low-energy flavour constraints; (ii) reduces the experimental bound on the stop mass; (iii) has a mild, but beneficial, effect on fine-tuning; (iv) leads to interesting signatures at the LHC not presently investigated by experiments. We estimate the current bound on the stop mass, in presence of flavour mixing, and discuss the new collider signatures. The signal in the t anti-c (c anti-t) + missing E_T channel is large enough that it can be immediately searched for experimentally, while the signature with same-sign tops and missing E_T requires a luminosity upgrade of the LHC.

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arXiv2013

New Physics Signatures in Kaon Decays

Kaon physics provides a unique opportunity to identify new flavour and CP violating interactions beyond the Standard Model (SM). In the SM, implied by the hierarchical structure of the CKM matrix and the GIM mechanism, flavour changing neutral current processes are most strongly suppressed in the kaon sector while the suppression is much less effective in the B meson systems. Thus their theoretical cleanness makes rare K decays, in particular the K -> pi nu anti-nu system, extremely well suited to look for deviations from their tiny SM values. Despite the increasingly stringent constraints on new physics from direct search experiments as well as indirect searches in B meson decays, large enhancements of both K^+ -> pi^+ nu anti-nu and K_L -> pi^0 nu anti-nu are still possible, and deviations from the SM could be observed even for a multi-TeV new physics scale. In addition the correlation betweeen the charged and neutral K -> pi nu anti-nu modes provides insight on the new physics operator structure in K^0 - anti-K^0 mixing and its interplay with rare K decays. Useful model-discriminating correlations exist also in the K_L -> pi^0 l^+ l^- system. Finally the K -> l nu decays provide a clean test of lepton universality and place constraints on new physics complementary to the ones obtained from the searches for charged lepton flavour violating decays.

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arXiv2012

Momentum asymmetries as CP violating observables

Three body decays can exhibit CP violation that arises from interfering diagrams with different orderings of the final state particles. We construct several momentum asymmetry observables that are accessible in a hadron collider environment where some of the final state particles are not reconstructed and not all the kinematic information can be extracted. We discuss the complications that arise from the different possible production mechanisms of the decaying particle. Examples involving heavy neutralino decays in supersymmetric theories and heavy Majorana neutrino decays in Type-I seesaw models are examined.

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arXiv2012

Testing BSM physics through correlations between flavor observables

I provide an overview of the connections between flavor violating observables in the K and B meson systems beyond the Standard Model (BSM). Model independent correlations, both in and beyond the MFV framework, as well as results obtained in specific models are discussed.

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arXiv2012

The birds and the Bs in RS: the b to s gamma penguin in a warped extra dimension

We calculate contributions to the photon and gluon magnetic dipole operators that mediate b -> s gamma and b -> d gamma transitions in the Randall-Sundrum model of a warped extra dimension with anarchic bulk fermions and a brane localized Higgs. Unlike the Standard Model, there are large contributions to the left-handed b quark decays, parameterized by the Wilson coefficient C'_7, due to the pattern of bulk fermion localization, and sizable contributions from the gluonic penguins, C(')_8, through renormalization group mixing. Further, unlike the Randall-Sundrum result for mu -> e gamma, the unprimed Wilson coefficients receive non-negligible contributions from the misalignment of the bulk fermion spectrum with the Standard Model flavor sector. We compare the size of effects and the constraints imposed by the branching ratios Br(B -> X_s gamma) and X_d gamma)> within the minimal and the custodial model. Within the custodial framework, we study the effect on a number of benchmark observables and find that Br(B -> X_s mu^+ mu^-) and the forward-backward asymmetry in B -> K^* mu^+ mu^- remain close to their Standard Model predictions. On the other hand, there can be large enhancements of the time-dependent CP asymmetry in B -> K^* gamma and the transverse asymmetry A_T^(2).

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arXiv2012

Delta F = 2 observables and B -> X_q gamma decays in the Left-Right Model: Higgs particles striking back

We present a complete study of Delta S = 2 and Delta B = 2 processes in the left-right model (LRM) based on the weak gauge group SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x U(1)_{B-L}. This includes epsilon_K, Delta M_K, Delta M_q, A_{SL}^q, Delta Gamma_q with q=d,s and the CP asymmetries S_{psi K_S} and S_{psi phi}. Compared to the Standard Model (SM) these observables are affected by tree level contributions from heavy neutral Higgs particles (H^0) as well as new box diagrams with W_R gauge boson and charged Higgs (H^\pm) exchanges. We also analyse the B -> X_{s,d} gamma decays that receive important new contributions from the W_L-W_R mixing and H^\pm exchanges. Compared to the existing literature the novel feature of our analysis is the search for correlations between various observables that could help us to distinguish this model from other extensions of the SM and to obtain an insight into the structure of the mixing matrix V^R that governs right-handed currents. We find that even for M_{H^0} ~ M_{H^\pm} ~ O(20)TeV, the tree level H^0 contributions to Delta F = 2 observables are by far dominant and the H^\pm contributions to B -> X_q gamma can be very important, even dominant for certain parameters of the model. While in a large fraction of the parameter space this model has to struggle with the experimental constraint from epsilon_K, we demonstrate that there exist regions in parameter space which satisfy all existing Delta F = 2, B -> X_{s,d} gamma, tree level decays and electroweak precision constraints for scales M_{W_R}\simeq2-3TeV in the reach of the LHC. We also show that the S_{psi K_S} - epsilon_K tension present in the SM can be removed in the LRM. However, we point out that the LRM cannot help in explaining the difference between the inclusive and exclusive determinations of |V_{ub}|, when all constraints are taken into account. Finally we present a rather complete list of Feynman rules.

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arXiv2011

A new CP violating observable for the LHC

We study a new type of CP violating observable that arises in three body decays that are dominated by an intermediate resonance. If two interfering diagrams exist with different orderings of final state particles, the required CP-even phase arises due to the different virtualities of the resonance in each of the two diagrams. This method can be an important tool for accessing new CP phases at the LHC and future colliders.

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arXiv2010

SUSY-Yukawa Sum Rule at the LHC

We propose the "supersymmetric (SUSY) Yukawa sum rule", a relationship between physical masses and mixing angles of the third-generation quarks and squarks. The sum rule follows directly from a relation between quark and squark couplings to the Higgs, enforced by SUSY. It is exactly this relation that ensures the cancellation of the one-loop quadratic divergence in the Higgs mass from the top sector. Testing the sum rule experimentally would thus provide a powerful consistency check on SUSY as the solution to the gauge hierarchy problem. While such a test will most likely have to await a future next-generation lepton collider, the LHC experiments may be able to make significant progress towards this goal. If some of the terms entering the sum rule are measured at the LHC, the sum rule can be used (within SUSY framework) to put interesting constraints on the other terms, such as the mixing angles among third-generation squarks. We outline how the required mass measurements could be performed, and estimate the accuracy that can be achieved at the LHC.

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arXiv2010

FCNC Processes in the Littlest Higgs Model with T-Parity: an Update

We update our 2006-2007 results for FCNC processes in the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity (LHT). The removal of the logarithmic UV cutoff dependence in our previous results through a new contribution to the Z^0-penguin diagrams identified by Goto et al. and del Aguila et al., while making the deviations from the SM expectations in the quark sector less spectacular, still allows for sizable new physics effects in K -> pi nu anti-nu and K_L -> pi^0 l^+ l^- decays and in the CP-asymmetry S_{psi phi} with the latter unaffected by the new contribution. We extend our analysis by a study of the fine-tuning required to fit the data on epsilon_K and by the inclusion of the decay K_L -> mu^+ mu^-. A number of correlations can distinguish this model from the custodially protected Randall-Sundrum model analysed recently. We also reconsider lepton flavour violating decays, including now a discussion of fine-tuning. While the l_i -> l_j gamma decays are unaffected by the removal of the logarithmic cutoff dependence, the branching ratios for decays with three leptons in the final state, like mu -> 3 e are lowered by almost an order of magnitude. In spite of this, the pattern of lepton flavour violation in the LHT model can still be distinguished from the one in supersymmetric models.

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arXiv2010

The Littlest Higgs Model with T-Parity Facing CP-Violation in B_s - anti-B_s Mixing

The non-minimal flavour violating interactions of mirror quarks and new heavy gauge bosons in the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity (LHT) give rise to naturally large CP-violating effects in the B_s system. In view of a large new CP phase in B_s - anti-B_s mixing hinted by the CDF and D0 data and the recent UTfit analysis, we update our 2006 analysis of particle-antiparticle mixing and rare K and B decays in the LHT model, using the most recent values of a number of input parameters and performing a more careful error analysis. We find that the CP-asymmetry S_{psi phi} can easily reach values ~ 0.15-0.20, compared to the SM value ~ 0.04, while higher values are rather unlikely though not excluded. Large enhancements are also possible in the branching ratios for K_L -> pi0 nu anti-nu, K+ -> pi+ nu anti-nu and K_L -> pi0 l+ l- with much more modest effects in B_{s,d} -> mu+ mu-. We perform a detailed study of correlations between the latter decays and S_{psi phi} as well as of the correlation between S_{psi phi} and S_{psi K_S}. We also point out that the possible tension between epsilon_K and the tree level CKM determination recently hinted by various analyses can easily be resolved in the LHT model.

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arXiv2010

Littlest Higgs Model with T-Parity Confronting the New Data on D^0-\bar D^0 Mixing

Motivated by the first experimental evidence of meson oscillations in the D system, we study D^0 - \bar D^0 mixing in the Littlest Higgs model with T-parity, we investigate its role in constraining the model parameters and its impact on the most interesting flavour observables. We find that the experimental data are potentially strongly constraining but at present limited by large theoretical uncertainties in the long-distance Standard Model contribution to D^0 - \bar D^0 mixing.

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