arXiv subjects

Paolo Ciafaloni

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Ciafaloni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Electroweak Evolution Equations and Isospin Conservation

In processes taking place at energies much higher than the weak scale, electroweak corrections can be taken into account by using electroweak evolution equations, that are analogous to the DGLAP equations in QCD. We show that weak isospin conservation in these equations imposes to modify the expressions of the splitting functions commonly used in the literature. These modifications have a profound impact on the parton distribution functions.

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arXiv2022

Power suppressed corrections show new features of infrared cancellations

The cancellation of infrared (IR) divergences is an old topic in quantum field theory whose main results are condensed into the celebrated Kinoshita-Lee-Nauenberg (KLN) theorem. In this paper, we consider mass-suppressed corrections to the leading (i.e. double-logarithmic) IR divergences in the context of spontaneously broken gauge theories. We work in a simplified theoretical set-up based on the spontaneously broken $U'(1)\otimes U(1)$ gauge group. We analyze, at the one-loop level and including mass-suppressed terms, the double-logarithmic corrections to the decay channels of a hypothetical heavy $Z'$ gauge boson coupled to light chiral fermions and mixed with a light massive $Z$ gauge boson. Limited to this theoretical framework, only final state IR corrections are relevant. We find that full exploitation of the KLN theorem requires non-trivial combinations of various decay channels in order to get rid of the mass-suppressed IR corrections. Based on this observation we show that, starting from any two-body decay of the heavy $Z'$ gauge boson, the cancellation of the mass-suppressed double-logarithmic corrections requires the sum over the full decay width (thus enforcing the inclusion of final states which are na\"ıvely unrelated to the starting one). En route, we prove a number of technical results that are relevant for the computation of mass-suppressed double-logarithms of IR origin. Our results are relevant for models that enlarge the Standard Model by adding a heavy $Z'$.

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arXiv2021

Searching for New Physics with multilepton events at PADME

The PADME experiment is searching for the Dark Photon $A'$ in the $e^{+}e^{-} \to γA'$ process, assuming a $A'$ decay into invisible particles. In extended Dark Sector models, a Dark Higgs $h'$ can be produced alongside $A'$ in the process $e^{+}e^{-} \to h' A'$. If the $h'$ mass is greater than twice the $A'$ mass the final state will be composed by three $e^{+}e^{-}$ pairs. Such extremely rare process is explorable by the PADME experiment, which could get a first measure and impose limits on models of physics beyond the Standard Model.

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arXiv2020

Lepton Flavor Violation at muon-electron colliders

Lepton Flavor Violating (LFV) processes are clear signals of physics beyond the Standard Model. We investigate the possibility of measuring this kind of processes at present and foreseeable future muon-electron colliders, taking into account present day bounds from existing experiments. As a model of new physics we consider a Z' boson with a $U'(1)$ gauge symmetry and generic couplings. Processes that violate lepton flavor by two units seem to be particularly promising.

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arXiv2020

Searching for dark sectors in multi lepton final state in e+ e- collisions

Electron positron collisions are a very promising environment to search for new physics, and in particular for dark sector related observables. The most challenging experimental problem in detecting dark sector candidates is the very high associated Standard Model background. For this reason it is important to identify observables that are, at the same time, minimally suppressed in the dark sector and highly suppressed in the Standard Model. One example is the $e^+ e^-\to 3(e^+e^-)$ process that can be mediated either by the production and subsequent decay of dark Higgs ($h'$), $e^+e^-\to A'h'\to 6e$ or produced by the Standards Model process $e^+ e^-\to 3(e^+e^-)$. In the following letter we study the relative contribution to observed $e^+ e^-\to 3(e^+e^-)$ total cross section, coming from the $h'$ mediated and from the Standard Model processes in the contest of fixed target and low energy collider experiments, with particular attention to the PADME experiment at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati.

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arXiv2013

The Role of Electroweak Corrections for the Dark Matter Relic Abundance

We analyze the validity of the theorems concerning the cancellation of the infrared and collinar divergences in the case of dark matter freeze-out in the early universe. In particular, we compute the electroweak logarithmic corrections of infrared origin to the annihilation cross section of a dark matter particle being the neutral component of a SU(2)_L multiplet. The inclusion of processes with final state W can modify significantly the cross sections computed with only virtual W exchange. Our results show that the inclusion of infrared logs is necessary for a precise computation of the dark matter relic abundance.

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arXiv2012

Electroweak bremsstrahlung for wino-like Dark Matter annihilations

If the Dark Matter is the neutral Majorana component of a multiplet which is charged under the electroweak interactions of the Standard Model, its main annihilation channel is into W+W-, while the annihilation into light fermions is helicity suppressed. As pointed out recently, the radiation of gauge bosons from the initial state of the annihilation lifts the suppression and opens up an s-wave contribution to the cross section. We perform the full tree-level calculation of Dark Matter annihilations, including electroweak bremsstrahlung, in the context of an explicit model corresponding to the supersymmetric wino. We find that the fermion channel can become as important as the di-boson one. This result has significant implications for the predictions of the fluxes of particles originating from Dark Matter annihilations.

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arXiv2011

Initial State Radiation in Majorana Dark Matter Annihilations

The cross section for a Majorana Dark Matter particle annihilating into light fermions is helicity suppressed. We show that, if the Dark Matter is the neutral Majorana component of a multiplet which is charged under the electroweak interactions of the Standard Model, the emission of gauge bosons from the initial state lifts the suppression and allows an s-wave annihilation. The resulting energy spectra of stable Standard Model particles are importantly affected. This has an impact on indirect searches for Dark Matter.

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arXiv2011

On the Importance of Electroweak Corrections for Majorana Dark Matter Indirect Detection

Recent analyses have shown that the inclusion of electroweak corrections can alter significantly the energy spectra of Standard Model particles originated from dark matter annihilations. We investigate the important situation where the radiation of electroweak gauge bosons has a substantial influence: a Majorana dark matter particle annihilating into two light fermions. This process is in p-wave and hence suppressed by the small value of the relative velocity of the annihilating particles. The inclusion of electroweak radiation eludes this suppression and opens up a potentially sizeable s-wave contribution to the annihilation cross section. We study this effect in detail and explore its impact on the fluxes of stable particles resulting from the dark matter annihilations, which are relevant for dark matter indirect searches. We also discuss the effective field theory approach, pointing out that the opening of the s-wave is missed at the level of dimension-six operators and only encoded by higher orders.

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arXiv2010

Anomalous Sudakov Form Factors

While radiative corrections of infrared origin normally depress high energy amplitudes (Sudakov form factors), we find that in some cases resummation of leading effects produces exponentials with positive exponents, giving rise to amplitudes that grow indefinitely with energy. The effect happens in broken gauge theories like the electroweak sector of the Standard Model, and is related to the existence of amplitudes that do not respect the gauge symmetry, and that contrary to expectations do not vanish in the very high energy limit, but rather become dominant. As a working example we consider a model with two chiral abelian gauge groups $U'(1)\otimes U(1)$ with large mass splitting $M_{Z'} \gg M_{Z} $, and we compute leading radiative corrections corrections to the decay of the heavy extra ${Z'}$ boson into light fermions. For proper fermionic charges, the chirality breaking magnetic dipole moment, although mass suppressed, becomes the dominant contribution to the $Z'$ width at very high energies.

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arXiv2010

TeV scale Dark Matter and electroweak radiative corrections

Recent anomalies in cosmic rays data, namely from the PAMELA collaboration, can be interpreted in terms of TeV scale decaying/annihilating Dark Matter. We analyze the impact of radiative corrections coming from the electroweak sector of the Standard Model on the spectrum of the final products at the interaction point. As an example, we consider virtual one loop corrections and real gauge bosons emission in the case of a very heavy vector boson annihilating into fermions. We show that the effect of electroweak corrections is relevant, but not as big as sometimes claimed in the literature. At such high scales, one loop electroweak effects are so big that eventually higher orders/resummations have to be considered: we advocate for the inclusion of these effects in parton shower Montecarlos aiming at the description of TeV scale physics.

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arXiv2010

Weak Corrections are Relevant for Dark Matter Indirect Detection

The computation of the energy spectra of Standard Model particles originated from the annihilation/decay of dark matter particles is of primary importance in indirect searches of dark matter. We compute how the inclusion of electroweak corrections significantly alter such spectra when the mass M of dark matter particles is larger than the electroweak scale: soft electroweak gauge bosons are copiously radiated opening new channels in the final states which otherwise would be forbidden if such corrections are neglected. All stable particles are therefore present in the final spectrum, independently of the primary channel of dark matter annihilation/decay. Such corrections are model independent.

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arXiv2009

Toward minimal renormalizable SUSY SU(5) Grand Unified Model with tribimaximal mixing from A4 Flavor symmetry

We address the problem of rationalizing the pattern of fermion masses and mixings by adding a nonabelian flavor symmetry in a grand unified framework. With this purpose, we include an A4 flavor symmetry into a unified renormalizable SUSY GUT SU(5) model. With the help of the "Type II Seesaw" mechanism we are able to obtain the pattern of observed neutrino mixings in a natural way, through the so called tribimaximal matrix.

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arXiv2009

Neutrino masses and tribimaximal mixing in the minimal renormalizable supersymmetric SU(5) grand unified model with A4 flavor symmetry

We analyze all possible extensions of the recently proposed minimal renormalizable SUSY SU(5) grand unified model with the inclusion of an additional A4 flavor symmetry. We find that there are five possible cases but only one of them is phenomenologically interesting. We develop in detail such case and we show how the fermion masses and mixing angles come out. As a prediction we obtain the neutrino masses of order of 0.1 eV with an inverted hierarchy.

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arXiv2006

The Importance of Weak Bosons Emission at LHC

We point out that gauge bosons emissions should be carefully estimated when considering LHC observables, since real $Ws$ and $Zs$ contributions can dramatically change cross sections with respect to tree level values. Here we consider observables that are fully inclusive respect to soft gauge bosons emission and where a certain number of nonabelian isospin charges in initial and/or final states are detected. We set up a general formalism to evaluate leading, all order resummed electroweak corrections and we consider the phenomenologically relevant case of third family quark production at the LHC. In the case of $b\bar{t}$ production we find that, due to the interplay between strong and weak interactions, the production cross section can become an order of magnitude bigger than the tree level value.

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arXiv2005

Evolution Equations in the electroweak sector of the Standard Model

Energy-growing electroweak corrections in the Standard Model are potentially relevant for LHC physics, for Next generation of Linear Colliders (NLCs) and for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. I present here the results of recent work in which electroweak evolution equations (the analogous of DGLAP equations in QCD) have been derived. The main features of these effects, mainly related to the fact that the electroweak sector is spontaneously broken, are pointed out.

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arXiv2005

Electroweak Evolution Equations

Enlarging a previous analysis, where only fermions and transverse gauge bosons were taken into account, we write down infrared-collinear evolution equations for the Standard Model of electroweak interactions computing the full set of splitting functions. Due to the presence of double logs which are characteristic of electroweak interactions (Bloch-Nordsieck violation), new infrared singular splitting functions have to be introduced. We also include corrections related to the third generation Yukawa couplings.

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arXiv2001

Enhanced Electroweak Corrections to Inclusive Boson Fusion Processes at the TeV Scale

Electroweak radiative corrections with double-log enhancements occur in inclusive observables at the TeV scale because of a lack of compensation of virtual corrections with real emission due to the nonabelian (weak isospin) charges of the accelerator beams. Here we evaluate such Bloch-Nordsieck violating corrections in the case of initial longitudinal bosons, which is experimentally provided by boson fusion processes, and is related to the Goldstone-Higgs sector. All four states of this sector are involved in the group structure of the corrections, and cause in particular a novel double log effect due to hypercharge mixing in the longitudinal states. We study both the light- and the heavy-Higgs cases, and we analyze the symmetry breaking pattern of the corrections. The latter turn out to be pretty large, in the 5-10 % range, and show an interesting Higgs mass dependence, even for processes without Higgs boson in the final state.

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