arXiv subjects

Thomas Hambye

Publications and source records attributed to Thomas Hambye.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Dynamical generation of the weak and Dark Matter scale

Assuming that naturalness should be modified by ignoring quadratic divergences, we propose a simple extension of the Standard Model where the weak scale is dynamically generated together with an automatically stable vector. Identifying it as thermal Dark Matter, the model has one free parameter. It predicts one extra scalar, detectable at colliders, which triggers a first-order dark/electroweak cosmological phase transition with production of gravitational waves. Vacuum stability holds up to the Planck scale.

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arXiv2012

Leptogenesis: beyond the minimal type I seesaw scenario

Numerous recent evidences for neutrino masses have established the leptogenesis mechanism as a very natural possible explanation for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. The explicit realization of this mechanism depends on the neutrino mass model considered. If the right-handed type-I seesaw model of neutrino masses is certainly the most straightforward, it is not the only natural one, especially in the framework of explicit GUT realizations of the seesaw. In this review we discuss in detail the various seesaw scenarios that can implement the leptogenesis mechanism successfully, beyond the paradigm of the pure standard type-I seesaw model. This includes scenarios based on the existence of scalar triplets (type-II), of fermion triplets (type-III) as well as mixed seesaw frameworks.

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arXiv2012

Muon conversion to electron in nuclei in type-I seesaw models

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.

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arXiv2012

What if Dark Matter Gamma-Ray Lines come with Gluon Lines?

In dark matter (DM) models, the production of a gamma line (or of a "box-shaped" gamma-ray spectrum) from DM annihilation proceeds in general from a loop diagram involving a heavy charged particle. If the charged particle in the loop carries also a color charge, this leads inevitably to DM annihilation to gluons, with a naturally larger rate. We consider a scenario in which DM candidates annihilate dominantly into gluon pairs, and determine (as far as possible, model-independent) constraints from a variety of observables: a) the dark matter relic density, b) the production of anti-protons, c) DM direct detection and d) gluon-gluon fusion processes at LHC. Among other things, we show that this scenario together with the recent claim for a possible gamma line from the Galactic center in the Fermi-LAT data, leads to a relic abundance of DM that may be naturally close to the cosmological observations.

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arXiv2012

The Four Basic Ways of Creating Dark Matter Through a Portal

We consider the possibility that along the thermal history of the Universe, dark matter (DM) would have been created from Standard Model particles, either through a kinetic mixing portal to an extra U(1) gauge field, or through the Higgs portal. Depending solely on the DM particle mass, on the portal and on the DM hidden sector interaction, we show how the observed DM relic density can be obtained. There are four possible freeze-in/reannihilation/freeze-out regimes, which together result in a simple characteristic relic density phase diagram, with the shape of a "Mesa". In the case of the kinetic mixing portal, we show that, unlike other freeze-in scenarios discussed in the literature, the freeze-in regime can be probed by forthcoming DM direct detection experiments. These results are well representative {of} any scenario where a DM hidden sector would be created out of the Standard Model {sector}.

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arXiv2011

Sub-GeV dark matter as pseudo-Goldstone from the seesaw scale

Pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons (pNGBs) are naturally light spin-zero particles, which can be interesting dark matter (DM) candidates. We study the phenomenology of a pNGB theta associated with an approximate symmetry of the neutrino seesaw sector. A small coupling of theta to the Higgs boson is induced radiatively by the neutrino Yukawa couplings. By virtue of this Higgs portal interaction (i) the pNGB acquires a mass m_theta proportional to the electroweak scale, and (ii) the observed DM relic density can be generated by the freeze-in of theta-particles with mass m_theta ~ 3 MeV. Alternatively, the coupling of theta to heavy sterile neutrinos can account for the DM relic density, in the 1 keV-3 MeV window. The decays of theta into light fermions are suppressed by the seesaw scale, making such pNGB sufficiently stable to play the role of DM.

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arXiv2011

Relations among neutrino observables in the light of a large theta_13 angle

The recent T2K and MINOS indications for a "large" theta_13 neutrino mixing angle can be accommodated in principle by an infinite number of Yukawa flavour structures in the seesaw model. Without considering any explicit flavour symmetry, there is an instructive exercise one can do: to determine the simplest flavour structures which can account for the data with a minimum number of parameters, simply assuming these parameters to be uncorrelated. This approach points towards a limited number of simple structures which show the minimum complexity a neutrino mass model must generally involve to account for the data. These basic structures essentially lead to only 4 relations between the neutrino observables. We emphasize that 2 of these relations, |sin theta_13|=(tan theta_23/cos delta)*(1-tan theta_12)/(1+tan theta_12) and |sin theta_13| = sin theta_12 R^1/4, with R= Delta m^2_21/Delta m^2_32, have several distinctive properties. First, they hold not only with a minimum number of parameters, but also for complete classes of more general models. Second, any value of theta_13 within the T2K and MINOS ranges can be obtained from these relations by taking into account small perturbations. Third, they turn out to be the pivot relations of models with approximate conservation of lepton number, which allow the seesaw interactions to induce observable flavour violating processes, such as mu -> e gamma and tau -> mu gamma. Finally, in specific cases of this kind, these structures have the rather unique property to allow a full reconstruction of the seesaw Lagrangian from low energy data.

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arXiv2010

On the stability of particle dark matter

From the particle physics point of view, the most peculiar property of the dark matter particle is its stability on cosmological time scales. We briefly review the possible origins of this characteristic feature for candidates whose relic density results from the thermal freeze-out of their annihilation. We emphasize that each stabilization mechanism implies an all specific phenomenology. The models reviewed include supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric models where the stability is a consequence of grand-unification, models where stability is due to an unbroken gauge group and models where the DM stability is accidental. The latter possibility includes minimal dark matter, hidden vector dark matter and composite DM models.

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arXiv2010

A light scalar WIMP through the Higgs portal and CoGeNT

If dark matter (DM) simply consists in a scalar particle interacting dominantly with the Higgs boson, the ratio of its annihilation cross section ---which is relevant both for the relic abundance and indirect detection--- and its spin-independent scattering cross section on nuclei depends only on the DM mass. It is an intriguing result that, fixing the mass and direct detection rate to fit the annual modulation observed by the DAMA experiment, one obtains a relic density in perfect agreement with its observed value. In this short letter we update this result and confront the model to the recent CoGeNT data, tentatively interpreting the excess of events in the recoil energy spectrum as being due to DM. CoGeNT, as DAMA, points toward a light DM candidate, with somewhat different (but not necessarily incompatible) masses and cross sections. For the CoGeNT region too, we find an intriguing agreement between the scalar DM relic density and direct detection constraints. We give the one $σ$ region favoured by the CDMS-II events, and our exclusion limits for the Xenon10 (2009) and Xenon100 data, which, depending on the scintillation efficiency, may exclude CoGeNT and DAMA. Assuming CoGeNT and/or DAMA to be due to scalar singlet DM leads to definite predictions regarding indirect detection and at colliders. We specifically emphasize the limit on the model that might be set by the current {\it Fermi}-LAT data on dwarf galaxies, and the implications for the search for the Higgs at the LHC.

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arXiv2010

Dark matter stability and unification without supersymmetry

In the absence of low energy supersymmetry, we show that (a) the dark matter particle alone at the TeV scale can improve gauge coupling unification, raising the unification scale up to the lower bound imposed by proton decay, and (b) the dark matter stability can automatically follow from the grand unification symmetry. Within reasonably simple unified models, a unique candidate satisfying these two properties is singled out: a fermion isotriplet with zero hypercharge, member of a 45 (or larger) representation of SO(10). We discuss the phenomenological signatures of this TeV scale fermion, which can be tested in direct and indirect future dark matter searches. The proton decay rate into e^+ π^0 is predicted close to the present bound.

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arXiv2010

Hidden vector dark matter

We show that dark matter could be made of massive gauge bosons whose stability doesn't require to impose by hand any discrete or global symmetry. Stability of gauge bosons can be guaranteed by the custodial symmetry associated to the gauge symmetry and particle content of the model. The particle content we consider to this end is based on a hidden sector made of a vector multiplet associated to a non-abelian gauge group and of a scalar multiplet charged under this gauge group. The hidden sector interacts with the Standard Model particles through the Higgs portal quartic scalar interaction in such a way that the gauge bosons behave as thermal WIMPS. This can lead easily to the observed dark matter relic density in agreement with the other various constraints, and can be tested experimentally in a large fraction of the parameter space. In this model the dark matter direct detection rate and the annihilation cross section can decouple if the Higgs portal interaction is weak.

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arXiv2010

Intense Gamma-Ray Lines from Hidden Vector Dark Matter Decay

Scenarios with hidden, spontaneously broken, non-abelian gauge groups contain a natural dark matter candidate, the hidden vector, whose longevity is due to an accidental custodial symmetry in the renormalizable Lagrangian. Nevertheless, non-renormalizable dimension six operators break the custodial symmetry and induce the decay of the dark matter particle at cosmological times. We discuss in this paper the cosmic ray signatures of this scenario and we show that the decay of hidden vector dark matter particles generically produce an intense gamma ray line which could be observed by the Fermi-LAT experiment, if the scale of custodial symmetry breaking is close to the Grand Unification scale. This gamma line proceeds directly from a tree level dark matter 2-body decay in association with a Higgs boson. Within this model we also perform a determination of the relic density constraints taking into account the dark matter annihilation processes with one dark matter particle in the final state. The corresponding direct detection rates can be easily of order the current experimental sensitivities.

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arXiv2010

Reconciling leptogenesis with observable mu --> e gamma rates

We perform a detailed analysis of thermal leptogenesis in the framework of seesaw models which approximately conserve lepton number. These models are known to allow for large Yukawa couplings and a low seesaw scale in agreement with neutrino mass constraints, and hence to lead to large lepton flavour violating rates that can be probed experimentally. Although large Yukawa couplings lead to (inverse) decay rates much larger than the Hubble expansion rate, we show that the leptogenesis washout induced is generically small if the mass splitting between the right-handed neutrinos is small enough. As a result, large lepton flavour violating rates are compatible with successful leptogenesis. We emphasize that this scenario does not require any particular flavour structure. A small splitting is natural and radiatively stable in this context because it is protected by the lepton number symmetry.

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arXiv2009

Confined hidden vector dark matter

We argue that the lightest vector bound states of a confining hidden sector communicating with the Standard Model through the Higgs portal are stable and are viable candidates of dark matter. The model is based on an SU(2) gauge group with a scalar field in its fundamental representation and the stability of the lightest vector bound state results from the existence of a custodial symmetry. As the relic density depends essentially on the scale of confinement in the hidden sector, Lambda_HS, agreement with WMAP abundance requires Lambda_HS in the 20-120 TeV range.

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arXiv2008

WIMP dark matter, Higgs exchange and DAMA

In the WIMP scenario, there is a one-to-one relation between the dark matter (DM) relic density and spin independent direct detection rate if both the annihilation of DM and its elastic scattering on nuclei go dominantly through Higgs exchange. In particular, for DM masses much smaller than the Higgs boson mass, the ratio of the relevant cross sections depends only on the DM mass. Assuming DM mass and direct detection rate within the ranges allowed by the recent DAMA collaboration results -taking account of the channelling effect on energy threshold and the null results of the other direct detection experiments- gives a definite range for the relic density. For scalar DM models, like the Higgs portal models or the inert doublet model, the relic density range turns out to be in agreement with WMAP. This scenario implies that the Higgs boson has a large branching ratio to pairs of DM particles, a prediction which might challenge its search at the LHC.

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arXiv2008

Type-III see-saw at LHC

Neutrino masses can be generated by fermion triplets with TeV-scale mass, that would manifest at LHC as production of two leptons together with two heavy SM vectors or higgs, giving rise to final states such as 2 leptons + 4 jets (that can violate lepton number and/or lepton flavor) or 1 lepton +4 jets +missing transverse energy. We devise cuts to suppress the SM backgrounds to these signatures. Furthermore, for most of the mass range suggested by neutrino data, triplet decays are detectably displaced from the production point, allowing to infer the neutrino mass parameters. We compare with LHC signals of type-I and type-II see-saw.

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arXiv2007

Four-point functions and kaon decays in a minimal AdS/QCD model

We study the predictions of holographic QCD for various observable four-point quark flavour current-current correlators. The dual 5-dimensional bulk theory we consider is a $SU(3)_L \times SU(3)_R$ Yang Mills theory in a slice of $AdS_5$ spacetime with boundaries. Particular UV and IR boundary conditions encode the spontaneous breaking of the dual 4D global chiral symmetry down to the $SU(3)_V$ subgroup. We explain in detail how to calculate the 4D four-point quark flavour current-current correlators using the 5D holographic theory, including interactions. We use these results to investigate predictions of holographic QCD for the $ΔI = 1/2$ rule for kaon decays and the $B_K$ parameter. The results agree well in comparison with experimental data, with an accuracy of 25% or better. The holographic theory automatically includes the contributions of the meson resonances to the four-point correlators. The correlators agree well in the low-momentum and high-momentum limit, in comparison with chiral perturbation theory and perturbative QCD results, respectively.

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arXiv2007

Electroweak Symmetry Breaking induced by Dark Matter

The mechanism behind Electroweak Symmetry Breaking (EWSB) and the nature of dark matter (DM) are currently among the most important issues in high energy physics. Since a natural dark matter candidate is a weakly interacting massive particle or WIMP, with mass around the electroweak scale, it is clearly of interest to investigate the possibility that DM and EWSB are closely related. In the context of a very simple extension of the Standard Model, the Inert Doublet Model, we show that dark matter could play a crucial role in the breaking of the electroweak symmetry. In this model, dark matter is the lightest component of an inert scalar doublet. The coupling of the latter with the Standard Model Higgs doublet breaks the electroweak symmetry at one-loop, "a la Coleman-Weinberg". The abundance of dark matter, the breaking of the electroweak symmetry and the constraints from electroweak precision measurements can all be accommodated by imposing an (exact or approximate) custodial symmetry.

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