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S. F. King

Publications and source records attributed to S. F. King.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Modular $S_{3}$ flavoured Pati-Salam model with two family seesaw

We present a unified model of quarks and leptons with modular $S_3$ flavour symmetry, where the two lightest family masses are naturally suppressed via a Pati-Salam version of the type I seesaw mechanism, mediated through heavier vector-like fermions. Majorana neutrino masses are further suppressed through a double seesaw mechanism. The viable parameter space has a preferred range of the modulus field with Im$(τ) \sim 2 $, leading to successful fermion masses and mixing. The prediction for neutrinoless double beta decay is partly within the reach of the nEXO experiment. In particular, the Dirac CP violating neutrino oscillation phase is predicted to lie in the range $δ_{\rm CP}^ν\sim 260^o-360^o$.

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arXiv2022

Fermion mass hierarchies from vector-like families with an extended 2HDM and a possible explanation for the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments

We study an extended 2 Higgs doublet model (2HDM) in which the Standard Model (SM) Yukawa interactions are forbidden due to a global $U(1)^\prime$ symmetry, but may arise via mixing with vector-like families. In this model, the hierarchical structure of Yukawa couplings of quarks and leptons in the SM arises from the heavy masses of the fourth and fifth vector-like families. Within this model, we consider various non-standard contributions to the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments. We first consider the $W$ exchange at one-loop level, consistent with the $μ\rightarrow e γ$ constraint, and show that it yields a negligible contribution to both electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments. We then consider Higgs scalar exchange, together with vector-like leptons, at one-loop level and show that it is possible to have non-standard contributions to the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments within the $1σ$ constraint of certain experiments. We present some benchmark points for both the muon and the electron anomalies, together with some numerical scans around these points, which indicate the mass regions of the Higgs scalars of the 2HDM in this scenario.

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arXiv2022

$Z$ mediated Flavour Changing Neutral Currents with a Fourth Vector-Like Family

We discuss $Z$ mediated flavour changing neutral currents within a model where the hierarchical quark and lepton masses are explained via a fourth vector-like family, together with a scalar sector consisting of two Higgs doublets augmented by a gauge singlet scalar field that spontaneously breaks an extra global $U(1)^{\prime}$ symmetry. The $Z$ mediated flavor violating interactions arise from the mixings between the SM fermions and the vector-like fermions, where the mixing is discussed in an analytic approximation and also exactly numerically. We first discuss charged lepton flavor violating (CLFV) $τ\rightarrow μγ, τ\rightarrow 3μ$ and $Z \rightarrow μτ$ decays and find that they cannot significantly constrain the masses of charged vector-like leptons. However, the $790 \text{GeV}$ mass bound arising from collider searches on vector-like lepton doublets can set further constraints on the model parameter space. We also consider rare $t \rightarrow c Z$ decays as well as unitarity violation in the CKM mixing in order to constrain the quark sector of the model under consideration.

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arXiv2020

Is it possible to explain the muon and electron $g-2$ in a $Z^{\prime}$ model?

In order to address this question, we consider a simple renormalisable and gauge invariant model in which the $Z'$ only has couplings to the electron and muon and their associated neutrinos, arising from mixing with a heavy vector-like fourth family of leptons. Within this model we discuss the contributions to the electron and muon anomalous magnetic moments from $Z'$ exchange, subject to the constraints from $μ\rightarrow e γ$ and neutrino trident production. Using analytic and numerical arguments, we find that such a $Z'$ model can account for either the electron or the muon $g-2$ anomalies, but not both, while remaining consistent with the experimental constraints from $μ\rightarrow e γ$ and neutrino trident production.

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arXiv2020

Littlest Inverse Seesaw Model

We propose a minimal predictive inverse seesaw model based on two right-handed neutrinos and two additional singlets, leading to the same low energy neutrino mass matrix as in the Littlest Seesaw (LS) (type I) model. In order to implement such a Littlest Inverse Seesaw (LIS) model, we have used an $S_{4}$ family symmetry, together with other various symmetries, flavons and driving fields. The resulting LIS model leads to an excellent fit to the low energy neutrino parameters, including the prediction of a normal neutrino mass ordering, exactly as in the usual LS model. However, unlike the LS model, the LIS model allows charged lepton flavour violating (CLFV) processes and lepton conversion in nuclei within reach of the forthcoming experiments.

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arXiv2020

A Review of the Exceptional Supersymmetric Standard Model

Local supersymmetry (SUSY) provides an attractive framework for the incorporation of gravity and unification of gauge interactions within Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). Its breakdown can lead to a variety of models with softly broken SUSY at low energies. In this review article we focus on the SUSY extension of the Standard Model (SM) with an extra U(1)_{N} gauge symmetry originating from a string-inspired E_6 grand unified gauge group. Only in this U(1) extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) inspired by E_6 GUTs the right-handed neutrinos can be superheavy providing a mechanism for the generation of the lepton and baryon asymmetry of the Universe. The particle content of this exceptional supersymmetric standard model (E_6SSM) includes three 27 representations of the E_6 group, to ensure anomaly cancellation, plus a pair of SU(2)_W doublets as required for gauge coupling unification. Thus E_6SSM involves extra exotic matter beyond the MSSM. We consider symmetries that permit to suppress non-diagonal flavour transitions and rapid proton decay, as well as gauge coupling unification, the breakdown of the gauge symmetry and the spectrum of Higgs bosons in this model. The possible Large Hadron Collider (LHC) signatures caused by the presence of exotic states are also discussed.

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arXiv2019

Flavour from the Planck scale to the electroweak scale

We discuss a theory of flavour in which Higgs Yukawa couplings are related to those of the new scalar triplet leptoquark and/or $Z'$ responsible for $R_{K^{(*)}}$, with all couplings arising effectively from mixing with a vector-like fourth family, whose mass may be anywhere from the Planck scale to the electroweak scale for the leptoquarks explanation, but is pinned down to the TeV scale if the $Z'$ exchange plays a role. However, in this particular model, only leptoquark exchange can contribute significantly to $R_{K^{(*)}}$, since $Z'$ exchange is too constrained from $B_s$ mixing and $τ\rightarrow 3 μ$, although other Higgs Yukawa matrix structures may allow it.

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arXiv2018

Dark Matter Signals at the LHC from a 3HDM

We analyse new signals of Dark Matter (DM) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in a 3-Higgs Doublet Model (3HDM) where only one doublet acquires a Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV), preserving a parity $Z_2$. The other two doublets are \textit{inert} and do not develop a VEV, leading to a {\it dark scalar sector} controlled by $Z_2$, with the lightest CP-even dark scalar $H_1$ being the DM candidate. This leads to the loop induced decay of the next-to-lightest scalar, $H_2 \to H_1 f \bar f$ ($f=u,d,c,s,b,e,μ,τ$), mediated by both dark CP-odd and charged scalars. This is a smoking-gun signal of the 3HDM since it is not allowed in the 2HDM with one inert doublet and is expected to be important when $H_2$ and $H_1$ are close in mass. In practice, this signature can be observed in the cascade decay of the SM-like Higgs boson, $h\to H_1 H_2\to H_1 H_1 f \bar f$ into two DM particles and di-leptons/di-jets, where $h$ is produced from either gluon-gluon Fusion (ggF) or Vector Boson Fusion (VBF). However, this signal competes with the tree-level channel $q\bar q\to H_1H_1Z^*\to H_1H_1f \bar f$. We devise some benchmarks, compliant with collider, DM and cosmological data, for which the interplay between these modes is discussed. In particular, we show that the resulting detector signature, $\Et\; f \bar f$, with invariant mass of $ f \bar f$ much smaller than $m_Z$, can potentially be extracted already during Run 2 and 3. For example, the $H_2\to H_1γ^*$ and $γ^*\to e^+e^-$ case will give a spectacular QED mono-shower signal.

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arXiv2017

Unified Models of Neutrinos, Flavour and CP Violation

Recent data from neutrino experiments gives intriguing hints about the mass ordering, the CP violating phase and non-maximal atmospheric mixing. There seems to be a (one sigma) preference for a normal ordered (NO) neutrino mass pattern, with a CP phase $δ= -100^{\circ}\pm 50 ^\circ$, and (more significantly) non-maximal atmospheric mixing. Global fits for the NO case yield lepton mixing angle one sigma ranges: $θ_{23}\approx 41.4^\circ \pm 1.6^\circ$, $θ_{12}\approx 33.2^\circ \pm 1.2^\circ$, $θ_{13}\approx 8.45^\circ \pm 0.15^\circ$. Cosmology gives a limit on the total of the three masses to be below about $0.23$ eV, favouring hierarchical neutrino masses over quasi-degenerate masses. Given such experimental advances, it seems an opportune moment to review the theoretical status of attempts to explain such a pattern of neutrino masses and lepton mixing, focussing on approaches based on the four pillars of: {\em predictivity}, {\em minimality}, {\em robustness} and {\em unification}. {\em Predictivity} can result from various mixing sum rules whose status is reviewed. {\em Minimality} can follow from the type I seesaw mechanism, including constrained sequential dominance of right-handed (RH) neutrinos, and the littlest seesaw model. {\em Robustness} requires enforcing a discrete CP and non-Abelian family symmetry, spontaneously broken by flavons with the symmetry preserved in a semi-direct way. {\em Unification} can account for all lepton and quark masses, mixing angles and CP phases, as in Supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories of Flavour, with possible string theory origin.

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arXiv2016

Higgs portal dark matter and neutrino mass and mixing with a doubly charged scalar

We consider an extension of the Standard Model involving two new scalar particles around the TeV scale: a singlet neutral scalar $ϕ$, to be eventually identified as the Dark Matter candidate, plus a doubly charged $SU(2)_L$ singlet scalar, $S^{++}$, that can be the source for the non-vanishing neutrino masses and mixings. Assuming an unbroken $Z_2$ symmetry in the scalar sector, under which only the additional neutral scalar $ϕ$ is odd, we write the most general (renormalizable) scalar potential. The model may be regarded as a possible extension of the conventional Higgs portal Dark Matter scenario which also accounts for neutrino mass and mixing. This framework cannot completely explain the observed positron excess. However a softening of the discrepancy observed in conventional Higgs portal framework can be obtained, especially when the scale of new physics responsible for generating neutrino masses and lepton number violating processes is around 2 TeV.

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arXiv2016

CP violating scalar Dark Matter

We study an extension of the Standard Model (SM) in which two copies of the SM scalar $SU(2)$ doublet which do not acquire a Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV), and hence are \textit{inert}, are added to the scalar sector. We allow for CP-violation in the \textit{inert} sector, where the lightest \textit{inert} state is protected from decaying to SM particles through the conservation of a $Z_2$ symmetry. The lightest neutral particle from the \textit{inert} sector, which has a mixed CP-charge due to CP-violation, is hence a Dark Matter (DM) candidate. We discuss the new regions of DM relic density opened up by CP-violation, and compare our results to the CP-conserving limit and the Inert Doublet Model (IDM). We constrain the parameter space of the CP-violating model using recent results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and DM direct and indirect detection experiments.

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arXiv2016

750 GeV Diphoton Resonance from Singlets in an Exceptional Supersymmetric Standard Model

The 750-760 GeV diphoton resonance may be identified as one or two scalars and/or one or two pseudoscalars contained in the two singlet superfields S_{1,2} arising from the three 27-dimensional representations of E_6 . The three 27s also contain three copies of colour-triplet charge \mp 1/3 vector-like fermions D,\bar{D} and two copies of charged inert Higgsinos \tilde{H}^{+},\tilde{H}^{-} to which the singlets S_{1,2} may couple. We propose a variant of the E_6SSM where the third singlet S_3 breaks a gauged U(1)_N above the TeV scale, predicting Z'_N, D,\bar{D}, \tilde{H}^{+},\tilde{H}^{-} at LHC Run 2, leaving the two lighter singlets S_{1,2} with masses around 750 GeV. We calculate the branching ratios and cross-sections for the two scalar and two pseudoscalar states associated with the S_{1,2} singlets, including possible degeneracies and maximal mixing, subject to the constraint that their couplings remain perturbative up to the unification scale.

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arXiv2015

Exploring the CP-violating NMSSM: EDM Constraints and Phenomenology

The Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (NMSSM) features extra new sources for CP violation. In contrast to the MSSM CP violation can already occur at tree level in the Higgs sector. We investigate the range of possible allowed CP-violating phases by taking into account the constraints arising from the measurements of the Electric Dipole Moments (EDMs) and the latest LHC Higgs data. Our analysis shows that large CP-violating phases, that are NMSSM-specific, are not in conflict with the EDMs. They are dominantly constrained by the Higgs data in this case. We use our results to investigate the prospects of measuring CP violation through the combined measurement of Higgs rates, on the one hand, and in observables based on CP-violating Higgs couplings to tau leptons on the other hand.

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arXiv2014

Discovery Prospects for NMSSM Higgs Bosons at the High-Energy Large Hadron Collider

We investigate the discovery prospects for NMSSM Higgs bosons during the 13~TeV run of the LHC. While one of the neutral Higgs bosons is demanded to have a mass around 125~GeV and Standard Model (SM)-like properties, there can be substantially lighter, nearby or heavier Higgs bosons, that have not been excluded yet by LEP, Tevatron or the 8~TeV run of the LHC. The challenge consists in discovering the whole NMSSM Higgs mass spectrum. We present the rates for production and subsequent decay of the neutral NMSSM Higgs bosons in the most promising final states and discuss their possible discovery. The prospects for pinning down the Higgs sector of the Natural NMSSM will be analysed taking into account alternative search channels. We give a series of benchmark scenarios compatible with the experimental constraints, that feature Higgs-to-Higgs decays and entail (exotic) signatures with multi-fermion and/or multi-photon final states. These decay chains furthermore give access to the trilinear Higgs self-couplings. We briefly discuss the possibility of exploiting coupling sum rules in case not all the NMSSM Higgs bosons are discovered.

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arXiv2013

Quark-Lepton Mass Relation in a Realistic A4 Extension of the Standard Model

We propose a realistic A4 extension of the Standard Model involving a particular quark-lepton mass relation, namely that the ratio of the third family mass to the geometric mean of the first and second family masses are equal for down-type quarks and charged leptons. This relation, which is approximately renormalization group invariant, is usually regarded as arising from the Georgi-Jarlskog relations, but in the present model there is no unification group or supersymmetry. In the neutrino sector we propose a simple modification of the so called Zee-Wolfenstein mass matrix pattern which allows an acceptable reactor angle along with a deviation of the atmospheric and solar angles from their bi-maximal values. Quark masses, mixing angles and CP violation are well described by a numerical fit.

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arXiv2013

Minimal see-saw model predicting best fit lepton mixing angles

We discuss a minimal predictive see-saw model in which the right-handed neutrino mainly responsible for the atmospheric neutrino mass has couplings to (nu_e, nu_mu, nu_tau) proportional to (0,1,1) and the right-handed neutrino mainly responsible for the solar neutrino mass has couplings to (nu_e, nu_mu, nu_tau) proportional to (1,4,2), with a relative phase eta = -2pi/5. We show how these patterns of couplings could arise from an A_4 family symmetry model of leptons, together with Z_3 and Z_5 symmetries which fix eta = -2pi/5 up to a discrete phase choice. The PMNS matrix is then completely determined by one remaining parameter which is used to fix the neutrino mass ratio m_2/m_3. The model predicts the lepton mixing angles theta12=34 degrees, theta23=41 degrees, theta13=9.5 degrees, which exactly coincide with the current best fit values for a normal neutrino mass hierarchy, together with the distinctive prediction for the CP violating oscillation phase delta =106 degrees.

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arXiv2012

Leptogenesis in the two right-handed neutrino model revisited

We revisit leptogenesis in the minimal non-supersymmetric type I see-saw mechanism with two right-handed (RH) neutrinos, including flavour effects and allowing both RH neutrinos N_1 and N_2 to contribute, rather than just the lightest RH neutrino N_1 that has hitherto been considered. By performing scans over parameter space in terms of the single complex angle z of the orthogonal matrix R, for a range of PMNS parameters, we find that in regions around z \sim \pm π/2, for the case of a normal mass hierarchy, the N_2 contribution can dominate the contribution to leptogenesis, allowing the lightest RH neutrino mass to be decreased by about an order of magnitude in these regions, down to M_1 \sim 1.3*10^11 GeV for vanishing initial N_2-abundance, with the numerical results supported by analytic estimates. We show that the regions around z \sim \pm π/2 correspond to light sequential dominance, so the new results in this paper may be relevant to unified model building.

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