arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Rodrigo Alonso.
We calculate the one-loop anomalous dimension matrix for the dimension-six baryon number violating operators of the Standard Model effective field theory, including right-handed neutrino fields. We discuss the flavor structure of the renormalization group evolution in the contexts of minimal flavor violation and unification.
We analyze the structure of quark and lepton mass matrices under the hypothesis that they are determined from a minimum principle applied to a generic potential invariant under the $\left[U(3)\right]^5\otimes {\mathcal O}(3)$ flavor symmetry, acting on Standard Model fermions and right-handed neutrinos. Unlike the quark case, we show that hierarchical masses for charged leptons are naturally accompanied by degenerate Majorana neutrinos with one mixing angle close to maximal, a second potentially large, a third one necessarily small, and one maximal relative Majorana phase. The scheme presented here could be tested in the near future via neutrino-less double beta decay and cosmological measurements.
The matter content of the Standard Model admits a global symmetry due to the generational structure of the spectrum respected by all interactions except for fermion couplings to the Higgs doublet. This symmetry is identified as the largest possible global symmetry of the free theory and extended to the case of massive neutrinos. The violation of such symmetry is then assumed dynamical and the value of the Yukawa couplings is fixed by a variational principle. This ansatz yields compelling results: Quark Yukawas naturally accommodate hierarchical masses and small mixing whereas Lepton Yukawas exhibit a hierarchical pattern for charged leptons and simultaneously degeneracy in the neutrino sector correlated with large mixing and Majorana phases. The difference in the mixing patterns of Quark and Leptons in this scheme stem from the Dirac vs Majorana nature of fermions.
We compute the muon to electron conversion in the type-I seesaw model, as a function of the right-handed neutrino mixings and masses. The results are compared with previous computations in the literature. We determine the definite predictions resulting for the ratios between the muon to electron conversion rate for a given nucleus and the rate of two other processes which also involve a mu-e flavour transition: mu -> e gamma and mu -> eee. For a quasi-degenerate mass spectrum of right-handed neutrino masses -which is the most natural scenario leading to observable rates- those ratios depend only on the seesaw mass scale, offering a quite interesting testing ground. In the case of sterile neutrinos heavier than the electroweak scale, these ratios vanish typically for a mass scale of order a few TeV. Furthermore, the analysis performed here is also valid down to very light masses. It turns out that planned mu -> e conversion experiments would be sensitive to masses as low as 2 MeV. Taking into account other experimental constraints, we show that future mu -> e conversion experiments will be fully relevant to detect or constrain sterile neutrino scenarios in the 2 GeV-1000 TeV mass range.
We analyze the most natural formulations of the minimal lepton flavour violation hypothesis compatible with a type-I seesaw structure with three heavy singlet neutrinos N, and satisfying the requirement of being predictive, in the sense that all LFV effects can be expressed in terms of low energy observables. We find a new interesting realization based on the flavour group $SU(3)_e\times SU(3)_{\ell+N}$ (being $e$ and $\ell$ respectively the SU(2) singlet and doublet leptons). An intriguing feature of this realization is that, in the normal hierarchy scenario for neutrino masses, it allows for sizeable enhancements of $μ\to e$ transitions with respect to LFV processes involving the $τ$ lepton. We also discuss how the symmetries of the type-I seesaw allow for a strong suppression of the N mass scale with respect to the scale of lepton number breaking, without implying a similar suppression for possible mechanisms of N production
Recent developments on tau detection technologies and the construction of high intensity neutrino beams open the possibility of a high precision search for non-standard μ - τ flavour transition with neutrinos at short distances. The MINSIS - Main Injector Non-Standard Interaction Search- is a proposal under discussion to realize such precision measurement. This document contains the proceedings of the workshop which took place on 10-11 December 2009 in Madrid to discuss both the physics reach as well as the experimental requirements for this proposal.