arXiv subjects

Subhadip Mitra

Publications and source records attributed to Subhadip Mitra.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Quantum Treatment of the Weyl Vector Meson

The Weyl meson arises in theories with local scale invariance. It acts as a candidate for dark matter in a generalized Standard Model with local scale invariance. The Higgs particle is absent from the physical spectrum in this theory. We consider the quantization of this theory in detail, imposing suitable gauge fixing conditions. We also consider a further generalization of this model which includes an additional real scalar field. In this theory a Higgs like particle remains in the particle spectrum. Since this particle couples to the Weyl meson, it can lead to interesting phenomenology involving this vector field in particle colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

LHC Signatures of a Vector-like b'

Many beyond the standard model extensions predict the existence of heavy vector-like fermions. We study the LHC signatures of one such heavy vector-like fermion, called b', with electromagnetic charge -1/3 like the SM b-quark, but which could generically have different SU(2)_L and U(1)_Y quantum numbers. Our emphasis will be on the phenomenology due to b <-> b' mass-mixing, present after electroweak symmetry breaking. We focus on aspects which distinguish a vector-like b' from a chiral b' and include tree-level decays of the b' into t W, b Z and b h final states. While our analysis is largely model-independent, we take as a motivating example warped-space models in which a vector-like b' appears as the custodial partner of the top-quark.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2011

Scale Invariance as a Solution to the Cosmological Constant Problem

We show that scale invariance provides a solution to the fine tuning problem of the cosmological constant. We construct a generalization of the standard model of particle physics which displays exact quantum scale invariance. The matter action is invariant under global scale transformations in arbitrary dimensions. However the gravitational action breaks scale invariance explicitly. The scale symmetry is broken spontaneously in the matter sector of the theory. We show that the contribution to the vacuum energy and hence the cosmological constant is identically zero from the matter sector within the full quantum theory. However the gravitational sector may give non-zero contributions to the cosmological constant at loop orders. No fine tuning may be required at loop orders since the matter sector gives zero contribution to the cosmological constant. We also show that we do not require full scale invariance in order to constrain the vacuum energy from the matter sector. We only require invariance under pseudoscale transformations. Using this idea and motivated by the concept of unimodular gravity we propose an alternative model. In this case also we show that matter sector gives exactly zero contribution to the vacuum energy.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Constraints on the Cosmological Constant due to Scale Invariance

We consider the standard model with local scale invariance. The theory shows exact scale invariance of dimensionally regulated action. We show that massless gauge fields, which may be abelian or non-abelian, lead to vanishing contribution to the cosmological constant in this theory. This result follows in the quantum theory, to all orders in the gauge couplings. However we have not considered contributions higher orders in the gravitational coupling. Similarly we also find that massless fermion fields yield null contribution to the cosmological constant. The effective cosmological constant in this theory is non-zero due to the phenomenon of cosmological symmetry breaking, which also gives masses to all the massive fields, besides generating the Planck mass. We find a simple relationship between the curvature scalar and the vacuum value of the Higgs field in the limit when we ignore all other contributions to the energy density besides the vacuum energy.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Standard Model with Cosmologically Broken Quantum Scale Invariance

We argue that scale invariance is not anomalous in quantum field theory, provided it is broken cosmologically. We consider a locally scale invariant extension of the Standard Model of particle physics and argue that it fits both the particle and cosmological observations. The model is scale invariant both classically and quantum mechanically. The scale invariance is broken cosmologically producing all the dimensionful parameters. The cosmological constant or dark energy is a prediction of the theory and can be calculated systematically order by order in perturbation theory. It is expected to be finite at all orders. The model does not suffer from the hierarchy problem due to absence of scalar particles, including the Higgs, from the physical spectrum.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

One Loop Calculation of Cosmological Constant in a Scale Invariant Theory

We compute the cosmological constant in a scale invariant scalar field theory. The gravitational action is also suitably modified to respect scale invariance. Due to scale invariance the theory does not admit a cosmological constant term. The scale invariance is broken by a recently introduced mechanism called cosmological symmetry breaking. This leads to a nonzero cosmological constant. We compute the one loop corrections to the cosmological constant and show that it is finite.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Two Photon Exchange Contributions to Elastic e + p --> e + p Process in a Nonlocal Field Formalism

We compute the two photon exchange contributions to elastic scattering of polarized electrons from target protons. We use a nonlocal field theory formalism for this calculation. The formalism maintains gauge invariance and provides a systematic procedure for making this calculation. The results depend on one unknown parameter \bar b. We compute the two photon exchange correction to the ratio of electric to magnetic form factors extracted using the polarization transfer experiments. The correction is found to be small if \bar b ~ 1. However for larger values of \bar b>3, the correction can be quite significant. The correction to the polarization transfer results goes in the right direction to explain their difference with the ratio measured by Rosenbluth separation method. We find that the difference between the two experimental results can be explained for a wide range of values of the parameter \bar b. We also find that the corrections due to two photon exchange depend on the photon longitudinal polarization epsilon. Hence we predict an epsilon dependence of the form factor ratio extracted using the polarization transfer technique. Finally we obtain a limit on \bar b by requiring that the non-linearity in epsilon dependence of the unpolarized reduced cross section is within experimental errors.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2008

Cosmological Implications of a Scale Invariant Standard Model

We generalize the standard model of particle physics such it displays global scale invariance. The gravitational action is also suitably modified such that it respects this symmetry. This model is interesting since the cosmological constant term is absent in the action. We find that the scale symmetry is broken by the recently introduced cosmological symmetry breaking mechanism. This simultaneously generates all the dimensionful parameters such as the Newton's gravitational constant, the particle masses and the vacuum or dark energy. We find that in its simplest version the model predicts the Higgs mass to be very small, which is ruled out experimentally. We further generalize the model such that it displays local scale invariance. In this case the Higgs particle disappears from the particle spectrum and instead we find a very massive vector boson. Hence the model gives a consistent description of particle physics phenomenology as well as fits the cosmological dark energy.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

Cosmological Symmetry Breaking, Pseudo-scale invariance, Dark Energy and the Standard Model

The energy density of the universe today may be dominated by the vacuum energy of a slowly rolling scalar field. Making a quantum expansion around such a time dependent solution is found to break fundamental symmetries of quantum field theory. We call this mechanism cosmological symmetry breaking and argue that it is different from the standard phenomenon of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We illustrate this with a toy scalar field theory, whose action displays a U(1) symmetry. We identify a symmetry, called pseudo-scale invariance, which sets the cosmological constant exactly equal to zero, both in classical and quantum theory. This symmetry is also broken cosmologically and leads to a nonzero vacuum or dark energy. The slow roll condition along with the observed value of dark energy leads to a value of the background scalar field of the order of Planck mass. We also consider a U(1) gauge symmetry model. Cosmological symmetry breaking, in this case, leads to a non zero mass for the vector field. We also show that a cosmologically broken pseudo-scale invariance can generate a wide range of masses.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2007

Two Photon Exchange Contributions to Elastic ep Scattering in the Nonlocal Field Formalism

We construct a nonlocal gauge invariant Lagrangian to model the electromagnetic interaction of proton. The Lagrangian includes all allowed operators with dimension up to five. We compute the two photon exchange contribution to elastic electron-proton scattering using this effective nonlocal Lagrangian. The one loop calculation in this model includes the standard box and cross box diagram with the standard on-shell form of the hadron electromagnetic vertices. Besides this we find an extra contribution which depends on an unknown constant. We use experimentally extracted form factors for our calculation. We find that the correction to the reduced cross section is slightly nonlinear as a function of the photon longitudinal polarization $ε$. The non-linearity seen is within the experimental error bars of the Rosenbluth data. The final result completely explains the difference between the form factor ratio $G_E/G_M$ extracted by Rosenbluth separation technique at SLAC and polarization transfer technique at JLAB.

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