arXiv subjects

S. Lola

Publications and source records attributed to S. Lola.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Confronting Grand Unification with Lepton Flavour Violation, Dark Matter and LHC Data

We explore possible signatures for charged lepton flavour violation (LFV), sparticle discovery at the LHC and dark matter (DM) searches in grand unified theories (GUTs) based on SU(5), flipped SU(5) (FSU(5)) and SU(4)$_c \times $SU(2)$_L \times $SU(2)$_R$ (4-2-2). We assume that soft supersymmetry-breaking terms preserve the group symmetry at some high input scale, and focus on the non-universal effects on different matter representations generated by gauge interactions at lower scales, as well as the charged LFV induced in Type-1 see-saw models of neutrino masses. We identify the different mechanisms that control the relic DM density in the various GUT models, and contrast their LFV and LHC signatures. The SU(5) and 4-2-2 models offer good detection prospects both at the LHC and in LFV searches, though with different LSP compositions, and the SU(5) and FSU(5) models offer LFV within the current reach. The 4-2-2 model allows chargino and gluino coannihilations with neutralinos, and the former offer good detection prospects for both the LHC and LFV, while gluino coannihilations lead to lower LFV rates. Our results indicate that LFV is a powerful tool that complements LHC and DM searches, providing significant insights into the sparticle spectra and neutrino mass parameters in different models.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Confronting SUSY GUT with Dark Matter, Sparticle Spectroscopy and Muon $(g-2)$

We explore the implications of LHC and cold dark matter searches for supersymmetric particle mass spectra in two different grand unified models with left-right symmetry, $SO(10)$ and $ SU(4)_c \times SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R$ (4-2-2). We identify characteristic differences between the two scenarios, which imply distinct correlations between experimental measurements and the particular structure of the GUT group. The gauge structure of 4-2-2 enhances significantly the allowed parameter space as compared to $SO(10)$, giving rise to a variety of coannihilation scenarios compatible with the LHC data, LSP dark matter and the ongoing muon g-2 experiment.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Dark Matter, Sparticle Spectroscopy and Muon $(g-2)$ in $SU(4)_c \times SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R$

We explore the sparticle mass spectra including LSP dark matter within the framework of supersymmetric $SU(4)_c \times SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R$ (422) models, taking into account the constraints from extensive LHC and cold dark matter searches. The soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters at $M_{GUT}$ can be non-universal, but consistent with the 422 symmetry. We identify a variety of coannihilation scenarios compatible with LSP dark matter, and study the implications for future supersymmetry searches and the ongoing muon g-2 experiment.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Sudden Future Singularities in Quintessence and Scalar-Tensor Quintessence Models

We demonstrate analytically and numerically the existence of geodesically complete singularities in quintessence and scalar tensor quintessence models with scalar field potential of the form $V(ϕ)\sim \vert ϕ\vert^n$ with $0<n<1$. In the case of quintessence, the singularity which occurs at $ϕ=0$, involves divergence of the third time derivative of the scale factor (Generalized Sudden Future Singularity (GSFS)), and of the second derivative of the scalar field. In the case of scalar-tensor quintessence with the same potential and with a linear minimal coupling ($F(ϕ)=1-λϕ$), the singularity is stronger and involves divergence of the second derivative of the scale factor (Sudden Future Singularity (SFS)). We show that the scale factor close to the singularity is of the form $a(t)=a_s+b(t_{s}-t) + c(t_{s}-t)^2 +d(t_{s}-t)^q$ where $a_s,b,c,d$ are constants obtained from the dynamical equations and $t_s$ is the time of the singularity. In the case of quintessence we find $q=n+2$ (ie $2<q<3$), while for the case of scalar-tensor quintessence $q=n+1$ ($1<q<2$). We verify these analytical results numerically and extend them to the case where a perfect fluid is present. The linear and quadratic terms in $(t_{s}-t)$ that appear in the expansion of the scale factor around $t_s$ are subdominant for the diverging derivatives close to the singularity, but can play an important role in the estimation of the Hubble parameter. Using the analytically derived relations between these terms, we derive relations involving the Hubble parameter close to the singularity, which may be used as observational signatures of such singularities in this class of models. For quintessence with matter fluid, we find that close to the singularity $\dot H=\frac{3}{2}Ω_{0m} (1+z_{s})^{3}-3H^{2}$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Supersymmetry Searches in GUT Models with Non-Universal Scalar Masses

We study SO(10), SU(5) and flipped SU(5) GUT models with non-universal soft supersymmetry-breaking scalar masses, exploring how they are constrained by LHC supersymmetry searches and cold dark matter experiments, and how they can be probed and distinguished in future experiments. We find characteristic differences between the various GUT scenarios, particularly in the coannihilation region, which is very sensitive to changes of parameters. For example, the flipped SU(5) GUT predict the possibility of $\tilde{t}_1-χ$ coannihilation, which is absent in the regions of the SO(10) and SU(5) GUT parameter spaces that we study. We use the relic density predictions in different models to determine upper bounds for the neutralino masses, and we find large differences between different GUT models in the sparticle spectra for the same LSP mass, leading to direct connections of distinctive possible experimental measurements with the structure of the GUT group. We find that future LHC searches for generic missing $E_T$, charginos and stops will be able to constrain the different GUT models in complementary ways, as will the Xenon 1 ton and Darwin dark matter scattering experiments and future FERMI or CTA $γ$-ray searches.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2015

R-parity violating chargino decays at the LHC

Supersymmetric models with R-parity violation (RPV) have become more popular following the lack of any excess of missing energy events at the 8 TeV LHC. To identify such models, the suggested searches generally rely on the decay products of the (effectively) lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), with signals that depend on the identity of the LSP and the relevant RPV operators. Here we look at the prospects for detecting RPV chargino decays at the LHC and find substantial patches of parameter space in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with possibly spectacular signatures, such as three charged-lepton resonances.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Long lived charginos in Natural SUSY?

Supersymmetric models with a small neutralino-chargino mass difference, and as a result metastable charginos, have been a popular topic of investigation in collider phenomenology, e.g. in anomaly-mediated models of supersymmetry breaking. Recently, the absence of any supersymmetric signal at the 8 TeV LHC data has led to significant interest in the so-called Natural SUSY models with light higgsinos. These models also have a naturally small neutralino-chargino mass difference. However, we show here that when relevant indirect constraints from results at the LHC and elsewhere are applied, this possibility is heavily constrained within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM): massive metastable higgsinos are not a signature of Natural SUSY.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Searches for Lepton Flavour Violation at a Linear Collider

We investigate the prospects for detection of lepton flavour violation in sparticle production and decays at a Linear Collider (LC), in models guided by neutrino oscillation data. We consider both slepton pair production and sleptons arising from the cascade decays of non-leptonic sparticles. We study the expected signals when lepton-flavour-violating (LFV) interactions are induced by renormalization effects in the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM), focusing on the subset of the supersymmetric parameter space that also leads to cosmologically interesting values of the relic neutralino LSP density. Emphasis is given to the complementarity between the LC, which is sensitive to mixing in both the left and right slepton sectors, and the LHC, which is sensitive primarily to mixing in the right sector. We also emphasize the complementarity between searches for rare LFV processes at the LC and in low-energy experiments.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Supersymmetry with Trilinear R-Parity Violation at the LHC

The inclusion of trilinear R-parity violating couplings in a supersymmetric theory, has monumental impacts on the phenomenology. Regarding LHC physics, we no longer expect events with a lot of missing transverse energy, but events with large lepton and/or jet multiplicity. Here we present a study where the standard MSSM scenario of squark and gluino pair production and consequent cascade decay to the neutralino, is followed by a three-body decay of the neutralino through any of the 45 allowed trilinear R-parity violating operators. This allows us to study all these operators and detect any hierarchies among them as well as measuring the neutralino mass.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Suppression of Lepton Flavour Violation from Quantum Corrections above $M_{GUT}$

We study the predictions for sfermion masses and Lepton Flavour Violation (LFV) for the WMAP preferred parameter space in $b-τ$ Yukawa-unified models with massive neutrinos. A soft term structure as predicted by an Abelian flavour symmetry combined with SU(5) RGEs for scales above $M_{GUT}$, results to an efficient suppression of the off-diagonal terms in the scalar soft matrices, particularly for $m_0< 100$ GeV. Using the WMAP bounds, this implies $35\le\tanβ\le 45$, $350\,\mathrm{GeV}\le m_{1/2}\le 1\,\mathrm{TeV}$, with the higher $\tanβ$ values being favored. Within this framework, SU(5) unification becomes compatible with the current experimental bounds, in contrast to the conventional case where the soft terms are postulated at the GUT scale.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Photon, Neutrino and Charged Particle Spectra from R-violating Gravitino Decays

We study photonic, neutrino and charged particle signatures from slow decays of gravitino dark matter in supersymmetric theories where R-parity is explicitly broken by trilinear operators. Photons and (anti-)fermions from loop and tree-level processes give rise to spectra with distinct features, which, if observed, can give crucial input on the possible mass of the gravitino and the magnitude and flavour structure of R-violating operators. Within this framework, we make detailed comparisons of the theoretical predictions to the recent experimental data from PAMELA, ATIC and Fermi LAT.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2010

Tracking Quintessence and Cold Dark Matter Candidates

We study the generation of a kination-dominated phase in the context of a quintessential model with an inverse-power-law potential and a Hubble-induced mass term for the quintessence field. The presence of kination is associated with an oscillating evolution of the quintessence field and the barotropic index. We find that, in sizeable regions of the parameter space, a tracker scaling solution can be reached sufficiently early to alleviate the coincidence problem. Other observational constraints originating from nucleosynthesis, the inflationary scale, the present acceleration of the universe and the dark-energy-density parameter can be also met. The impact of this modified kination-dominated phase on the thermal abundance of cold dark matter candidates is investigated too. We find that: (i) the enhancement of the relic abundance of the WIMPs with respect to the standard paradigm, crucially depends on the hierarchy between the freeze-out temperature and the temperature at which the extrema in the evolution of the quintessence field are encountered, and (ii) the relic abundance of e-WIMPs takes its present value close to the temperature at which the earliest extremum of the evolution of the quintessence field occurs and, as a consequence, both gravitinos and axinos arise as natural cold dark matter candidates. In the case of unstable gravitinos, the gravitino constraint can be satisfied for values of the initial temperature well above those required in the standard cosmology.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Cosmic Ray Signatures from Decaying Gravitino Dark Matter

We study the charged cosmic rays arising from the slow decay of gravitino dark matter within supersymmetric scenarios with trilinear R-parity violation. It is shown that operators of the LLE type can very well account for the recent anomalies in cosmic ray electron and positron data reported by PAMELA, ATIC and Fermi LAT, without violating any other bounds. This scenario will soon be tested by the Fermi LAT data on diffuse gamma ray emission.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Quintessential Kination and Thermal Production of Gravitinos and Axinos

The impact of a kination-dominated phase generated by a quintessential exponential model on the thermal abundance of gravitinos and axinos is investigated. We find that their abundances become proportional to the transition temperature from the kination to the radiation era; since this temperature is significantly lower than the initial ("reheating") temperature, the abundances decrease with respect to their values in the standard cosmology. For values of the quintessential energy-density parameter close to its upper bound, at the eve of nucleosynthesis, we find the following: (i) for unstable gravitinos, the gravitino constraint is totally evaded; (ii) If the gravitino is stable, its thermal abundance is not sufficient to account for the cold dark matter of the universe; (iii) the thermal abundance of axinos can satisfy the cold dark matter constraint for values of the initial temperature well above those required in the standard cosmology. A novel calculation of the axino production rate by scatterings at low temperature is also presented.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Gravitino Dark Matter and the Flavour Structure of R-violating Operators

We study gravitino dark matter and slow gravitino decays within the framework of R-violating supersymmetry, with particular emphasis on the flavour dependence of the branching ratios and the allowed R-violating couplings. The dominant decay modes and final state products turn out to be very sensitive to the R-violating hierarchies. Mixing effects can be crucial in correctly deriving the relative magnitude of the various contributions, particularly for heavy flavours with phase space suppression. The study of the strength of different decay rates for the gravitino is also correlated to collider signatures expected from decays of the Next-to-Lightest Supersymmetric Particle (NLSP) and to single superparticle production.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Dark Matter and Lepton Flavour Violation in Yukawa Unification with Massive Neutrinos

The WMAP dark matter constraints on b-$τ$ Yukawa Unification in the presence of massive neutrinos is revisited. The predictions for the bottom quark mass are observed to be modified by the large neutrino mixing suggested by the data. This enables Yukawa unification also for large $\tanβ$, and for positive $μ$ that were previously disfavoured. Consequently, the allowed parameter space for neutralino dark matter differs from the MSSM one. We also find that the parameter space being compatible with dark matter also predicts detectable rates for Lepton Flavour Violation at the LHC.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Dark Matter and Yukawa Unification with Massive Neutrinos

We revisit the WMAP dark matter constraints on Yukawa Unification in the presence of massive neutrinos. The large neutrino mixing indicated by the data modifies the predictions for the bottom quark mass, and enables Yukawa also for large $\tanβ$, and for positive $μ$ that were previously disfavoured. As a result, the allowed parameter space for neutralino dark matter also increases, particularly for areas with resonant enhancement of the neutralino relic density.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

WMAP Dark Matter Constraints on Yukawa Unification with Massive Neutrinos

We revisit the WMAP dark matter constraints on Yukawa Unification in the presence of massive neutrinos. The large lepton mixing indicated by the data may modify the predictions for the bottom quark mass, enabling Yukawa unification also for large $\tanβ$, and for positive $μ$ that was previously disfavoured. As a result, the allowed parameter space for neutralino dark matter increases for positive $μ$, particularly for areas with resonant enhancement of the neutralino relic density. On the contrary, a negative $μ$ is not easily compatible with large lepton mixing and Dirac neutrino Yukawa couplings, and the WMAP allowed parameter space is in this case strongly constrained.

hep-ph↗