arXiv subjects

Yongchao Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Yongchao Zhang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Neutron-Mirror-Neutron Oscillation and Neutron Star Cooling

It was pointed out in a recent paper that the observed cooling rate of old, cold neutron stars (NS) can provide an upper limit on the transition rate of neutron to mirror neutron ($n-n'$). This limit is so stringent that it would preclude any discovery of $n \to n'$ oscillation in the current round of terrestrial searches for the process. Motivated by this crucially important conclusion, we critically analyze this suggestion and note an interesting new effect present in nearly exact mirror models for $n \to n'$ oscillation, which significantly affect this bound. The new element is the $β$ decay $n' \to p'+ e' +\barν'_{e}$, which creates a cloud of mirror particles $n'$, $p'$, $e'$ and $D'$ inside the NS core. The $e'$ can "rob" the energy generated by the $n \to n'$ transition via $e-e'$ scattering enabled by the presence of a (minute) milli-charge in mirror particles. This energy is emitted as unobserved mirror photons via fast mirror bremsstrahlung leading to a relaxation of this upper limit.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Improved stellar limits on a light CP-even scalar

We derive improved stellar luminosity limits on a generic light CP-even scalar field $S$ mixing with the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson from the supernova SN1987A, the Sun, red giants (RGs) and white dwarfs (WDs). For the first time, we include the geometric effects for the decay and absorption of $S$ particles in the stellar interior. For SN1987A and the Sun, we also take into account the detailed stellar profiles. We find that a broad range of the scalar mass and mixing angle can be excluded by our updated astrophysical constraints. For instance, SN1987A excludes $1.0\times10^{-7} \lesssim \sinθ\lesssim 3.0\times 10^{-5}$ and scalar mass up to 219 MeV, which covers the cosmological blind spot with a high reheating temperature. The updated solar limit excludes the mixing angle in the range of $1.5\times 10^{-12} < \sinθ< 1$, with scalar mass up to 45 keV. The RG and WD limits are updated to $5.3\times 10^{-13} < \sin θ< 0.39$ and $2.8\times 10^{-18} < \sin θ< 1.8\times 10^{-4}$, with scalar mass up to 392 keV and 290 keV, respectively.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Charged Lepton Flavour Violation in Heavy Particle DEcays

Charged lepton flavor violation is an unambiguous signature for New Physics. Here we present a summary of the theoretical and experimental status of the search for charged lepton flavor violation in heavy particle decays, in particular in the decays of the Z and Higgs bosons, and of the top quark. Decays of beyond-Standard-Model particles such as a Z' or an additional scalar particle are also discussed. Finally the prospects for such searches at proposed future electron-positron colliders are reviewed.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Searching for new physics from SMEFT and leptoquarks at the P2 experiment

The P2 experiment aims at high-precision measurements of the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron-proton and electron-$^{12}$C scatterings with longitudinally polarized electrons. We discuss here the sensitivity of P2 to leptoquarks, which within the P2 energy range can be described in the language of Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). We give the expected P2 limits on the SMEFT operators and on the leptoquark parameters, which will test energy scales up to 15 TeV. In many cases those limits exceed current constraints from LHC and atomic parity violation (APV) experiments. We also demonstrate that degeneracies of different SMEFT operators can partially be resolved by use of APV experiments and different targets (protons and $^{12}$C) at P2. Moreover, we show that P2 could confirm or resolve potential tensions between the theoretical and experimental determinations of the weak charge of $^{133}$Cs.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Leptonic Scalars and Collider Signatures in a UV-complete Model

We study the non-standard interactions of neutrinos with light leptonic scalars ($ϕ$) in a global $(B-L)$-conserved ultraviolet (UV)-complete model. The model utilizes Type-II seesaw motivated neutrino interactions with an $SU(2)_L$-triplet scalar, along with an additional singlet in the scalar sector. This UV-completion leads to an enriched spectrum and consequently new observable signatures. We examine the low-energy lepton flavor violation constraints, as well as the perturbativity and unitarity constraints on the model parameters. Then we lay out a search strategy for the unique signature of the model resulting from the leptonic scalars at the hadron colliders via the processes $H^{\pm\pm} \to W^\pm W^\pm ϕ$ and $H^\pm \to W^\pm ϕ$ for both small and large leptonic Yukawa coupling cases. We find that via these associated production processes at the HL-LHC, the prospects of doubly-charged scalar $H^{\pm\pm}$ can reach up to 800 (500) GeV and 1.1 (0.8) TeV at the $2σ\ (5σ)$ significance for small and large Yukawa couplings, respectively. A future 100 TeV hadron collider will further increase the mass reaches up to 3.8 (2.6) TeV and 4 (2.7) TeV, at the $2σ\ (5σ)$ significance, respectively. We also demonstrate that the mass of $ϕ$ can be determined at about 10% accuracy at the LHC for the large Yukawa coupling case even though it escapes as missing energy from the detectors.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Charged Lepton Flavor Violation at the High-Energy Colliders: Neutrino Mass Relevant Particles

We summarize the potential charged lepton flavor violation (LFV) from neutrino mass relevant models, for instance the seesaw mechanisms. In particular, we study, in a model-dependent way, the LFV signals at the high-energy hadron and lepton colliders originating from the beyond standard model (BSM) neutral scalar $H$, doubly charged scalar $H^{\pm\pm}$, heavy neutrino $N$, heavy $W_R$ boson, and the $Z'$ boson. For the neutral scalar, doubly charged scalar and $Z'$ boson, the LFV signals originate from the (effective) LFV couplings of these particles to the charged leptons, while for the heavy neutrino $N$ and $W_R$ boson, the LFV effects are from flavor mixing in the neutrino sector. We consider current limits on these BSM particles and estimate their prospects at future high-energy hadron and lepton colliders.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Neutrino Self-Interactions: A White Paper

Neutrinos are the Standard Model (SM) particles which we understand the least, often due to how weakly they interact with the other SM particles. Beyond this, very little is known about interactions among the neutrinos, i.e., their self-interactions. The SM predicts neutrino self-interactions at a level beyond any current experimental capabilities, leaving open the possibility for beyond-the-SM interactions across many energy scales. In this white paper, we review the current knowledge of neutrino self-interactions from a vast array of probes, from cosmology, to astrophysics, to the laboratory. We also discuss theoretical motivations for such self-interactions, including neutrino masses and possible connections to dark matter. Looking forward, we discuss the capabilities of searches in the next generation and beyond, highlighting the possibility of future discovery of this beyond-the-SM physics.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Light scalars in neutron star mergers

Due to their unique set of multimessenger signals, neutron star mergers have emerged as a novel environment for studies of new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM). As a case study, we consider the simplest extension of the SM scalar sector involving a light CP-even scalar singlet $S$ mixing with the SM Higgs boson. These $S$ particles can be produced abundantly in neutron star mergers via the nucleon bremsstrahlung process. We show that the $S$ particles may either be trapped in or stream freely out of the merger remnant, depending on the $S$ mass, its mixing with the SM Higgs boson, and the temperature and baryon density in the merger. In the free-streaming region, the scalar $S$ will provide an extra channel to cool down the merger remnant, with cooling timescales as small as ${\cal O}$(ms). On the other hand, in the trapped region, the Bose gas of $S$ particles could contribute a larger thermal conductivity than the trapped neutrinos in some parts of the parameter space, thus leading to faster thermal equilibration than expected. Therefore, future observations of the early postmerger phase of a neutron star merger could effectively probe a unique range of the $S$ parameter space, largely complementary to the existing and future laboratory and supernova limits. In view of these results, we hope the merger simulation community will be motivated to implement the effects of light CP-even scalars into their simulations in both the free-streaming and trapped regimes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

PASSAT at Future Neutrino Experiments: Hybrid Beam-Dump-Helioscope Facilities to Probe Light Axion-Like Particles

There are broadly three channels to probe axion-like particles (ALPs) produced in the laboratory: through their subsequent decay to Standard Model (SM) particles, their scattering with SM particles, or their subsequent conversion to photons. Decay and scattering are the most commonly explored channels in beam-dump type experiments, while conversion has typically been utilized by light-shining-through-wall (LSW) experiments. A new class of experiments, dubbed PASSAT (Particle Accelerator helioScopes for Slim Axion-like-particle deTection), has been proposed to make use of the ALP-to-photon conversion in a novel way: ALPs, after being produced in a beam-dump setup, turn into photons in a magnetic field placed near the source. It has been shown that such hybrid beam-dump-helioscope experiments can probe regions of parameter space that have not been investigated by other laboratory-based experiments, hence providing complementary information; in particular, they probe a fundamentally different region than decay or LSW experiments. We propose the implementation of PASSAT in future neutrino experiments, taking a DUNE-like experiment as an example. We demonstrate that the magnetic field in the planned DUNE multi-purpose detector is already capable of probing the ALP-photon coupling down to $g_{aγγ} \sim {\rm few}\times 10^{-5}$ GeV$^{-1}$ for ALP masses $m_a \lesssim 10$ eV. The implementation of a CAST or BabyIAXO-like magnet would improve the sensitivity down to $g_{aγγ} \sim 10^{-6}$ GeV$^{-1}$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

New Interference Effects from Light Gauge Bosons in Neutrino-Electron Scattering

We point out that light gauge boson mediators could induce new interference effects in neutrino-electron scattering that can be used to enhance the sensitivity of neutrino-flavor-selective high-intensity neutrino experiments, such as DUNE. We particularly emphasize a destructive interference effect, leading to a deficit between the Standard Model expectation and the experimental measurement of the differential cross-sections, which is prominent only in either the neutrino or the antineutrino mode, depending on the mediator couplings. Therefore, the individual neutrino (or antineutrino) mode could allow for sensitivity reaches superior to the combined analysis, and moreover, could distinguish between different types of gauge boson mediators.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Nonlocal effects of low-energy excitations in quantum-spin-liquid candidate Cu$_3$Zn(OH)$_6$FBr

We systematically study the low-temperature specific heats for the two-dimensional kagome antiferromagnet, Cu$_{3}$Zn(OH)$_6$FBr. The specific heat exhibits a $T^{1.7}$ dependence at low temperatures and a shoulder-like feature above it. We construct a microscopic lattice model of $Z_2$ quantum spin liquid and perform large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations to show that the above behaviors come from the contributions from gapped anyons and magnetic impurities. Surprisingly, we find the entropy associated with the shoulder decreases quickly with grain size $d$, although the system is paramagnetic to the lowest temperature. While this can be simply explained by a core-shell picture in that the contribution from the interior state disappears near the surface, the 5.9-nm shell width precludes any trivial explanations. Such a large length scale signifies the coherence length of the nonlocality of the quantum entangled excitations in quantum spin liquid candidate, similar to Pippard's coherence length in superconductors. Our approach therefore offers a new experimental probe of the intangible quantum state of matter with topological order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Light, Long-Lived $B-L$ Gauge and Higgs Bosons at the DUNE Near Detector

The low-energy $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge symmetry is well-motivated as part of beyond Standard Model physics related to neutrino mass generation. We show that a light $B-L$ gauge boson $Z{'}$ and the associated $U(1)_{B-L}$-breaking scalar $φ$ can both be effectively searched for at high-intensity facilities such as the near detector complex of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Without the scalar $φ$, the $Z{'}$ can be probed at DUNE up to mass of 1 GeV, with the corresponding gauge coupling $g_{BL}$ as low as $10^{-9}$. In the presence of the scalar $φ$ with gauge coupling to $Z{'}$, the DUNE capability of discovering the gauge boson $Z{'}$ can be significantly improved, even by one order of magnitude in $g_{BL}$, due to additional production from the decay $φ\to Z{'}Z{'}$. The DUNE sensitivity is largely complementary to other long-lived $Z{'}$ searches at beam-dump facilities such as FASER and SHiP, as well as astrophysical and cosmological probes. On the other hand, the prospects of detecting $φ$ itself at DUNE are to some extent weakened in presence of $Z{'}$, compared to the case without the gauge interaction.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Searching for $Z'$ bosons at the P2 experiment

The P2 experiment aims at high-precision measurements of the parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron-proton and electron-$^{12}$C scatterings with longitudinally polarized electrons. We discuss here the sensitivity of P2 to new physics mediated by an additional neutral gauge boson $Z'$ of a new $U(1)'$ gauge symmetry. If the charge assignment of the $U(1)'$ is chiral, i.e., left- and right-handed fermions have different charges under $U(1)'$, additional parity-violation is induced directly. On the other hand, if the $U(1)'$ has a non-chiral charge assignment, additional parity-violation can be induced via mass or kinetic $Z$-$Z'$ mixing. By comparing the P2 sensitivity to existing constraints, we show that in both cases P2 has discovery potential over a wide range of $Z'$ mass. In particular, for chiral models, the P2 experiment can probe gauge couplings at the order of $10^{-5}$ when the $Z'$ boson is light, and heavy $Z'$ bosons up to 79 (90) TeV in the proton ($^{12}$C) mode. For non-chiral models with mass mixing, the P2 experiment is sensitive to mass mixing angles smaller than roughly $10^{-4}$, depending on model details and gauge coupling magnitude.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

Stellar limits on light CP-even scalar

We revisit the astrophysical constraints on a generic light CP-even scalar particle $S$, mixing with the Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson, from observed luminosities of the Sun, red giants, white dwarfs and horizontal-branch stars. The production of $S$ in the stellar core is dominated by the electron-nuclei bremsstrahlung process $e + N \to e + N + S$. With the $S$ decay and reabsorption processes taken into consideration, we find that the stellar luminosity limits exclude a broad range of parameter space in the $S$ mass-mixing plane, with the scalar mass up to 350 keV and the mixing angle ranging from $7.0\times10^{-18}$ to $3.4\times10^{-3}$. We also apply the stellar limits to a real-singlet scalar extension of the SM, where we can relate the mixing angle to the parameters in the scalar potential. In both the generic scalar case and the real-singlet extension, we show that the stellar limits preclude the scalar interpretation of the recently observed XENON1T excess in terms of the $S$ particles emitted from the Sun.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2021

A posteriori error analysis of hybrid high-order method for the Stokes problem

We present a residual-based a posteriori error estimator for the hybrid high-order (HHO) method for the Stokes model problem. Both the proposed HHO method and error estimator are valid in two and three dimensions and support arbitrary approximation orders on fairly general meshes. The upper bound and lower bound of the error estimator are proved, in which proof, the key ingredient is a novel stabilizer employed in the discrete scheme. By using the given estimator, adaptive algorithm of HHO method is designed to solve model problem. Finally, the expected theoretical results are numerically demonstrated on a variety of meshes for model problem.

math.NA↗

arXiv2021

Prospects of gravitational waves in the minimal left-right symmetric model

The left-right symmetric model (LRSM) is a well-motivated framework to restore parity and implement seesaw mechanisms for the tiny neutrino masses at or above the TeV-scale, and has a very rich phenomenology at both the high-energy and high-precision frontiers. In this paper we examine the phase transition and resultant gravitational waves (GWs) in the minimal version of LRSM. Taking into account all the theoretical and experimental constraints on LRSM, we identify the parameter regions with strong first-order phase transition and detectable GWs in the future experiments. It turns out in a sizeable region of the parameter space, GWs can be generated in the phase transition with the strength of $10^{-17}$ to $10^{-12}$ at the frequency of 0.1 to 10 Hz, which can be detected by BBO and DECIGO. Furthermore, GWs in the LRSM favor a relatively light $SU(2)_R$-breaking scalar $H_3^0$, which is largely complementary to the direct searches of a long-lived neutral scalar at the high-energy colliders. It is found that the other heavy scalars and the right-handed neutrinos in the LRSM also play an important part for GW signal production in the phase transition.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Revisiting supernova constraints on a light CP-even scalar

A light CP-even Standard Model (SM) gauge-singlet scalar $S$ can be produced abundantly in the supernova core, via the nucleon bremsstrahlung process $N N \to N N S$, due to its mixing with the SM Higgs boson. Including the effective $S$ coupling to both nucleons and the pion mediators, we evaluate the production amplitude for the $S$ particle and point out a key difference with the well-known light CP-odd scalar (axion) and vector boson (dark photon) cases. Taking the subsequent decay and re-absorption of $S$ into account, we present a complete calculation of the energy loss rate for the $S$ particle. We then use the SN1987A luminosity constraints to derive updated supernova limits on the mixing of the scalar $S$ with the SM Higgs boson. We find that the mixing angle $\sinθ$ with the SM Higgs is excluded only in the narrow range of $3.9 \times 10^{-7}$ to $7.0 \times 10^{-6}$, depending on the scalar mass up to about 147 MeV, beyond which the supernova limit disappears.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

A new mechanism for matter-antimatter asymmetry and connection with dark matter

We propose a new mechanism for generating matter-antimatter asymmetry via the interference of tree-level diagrams only, where the imaginary part of the Breit-Wigner propagator for an unstable mediator plays a crucial role. We first derive a general result that a nonzero $CP$-asymmetry can be generated via at least two sets of interfering tree-level diagrams involving either $2\rightarrow2$ or $1\rightarrow n$ (with $n\geq3$) processes. We illustrate this point in a simple TeV-scale extension of the Standard Model with an inert Higgs doublet and right-handed neutrinos, along with an electroweak-triplet scalar field, where small Majorana neutrino masses are generated via a combination of radiative type-I and tree-level type-II seesaw mechanisms. The imaginary part needed for the required $CP$-asymmetry comes from the trilinear coupling of the inert doublet with the triplet scalar, along with the width of the triplet scalar mediator. The real part of the neutral component of the inert doublet serves as a cold dark matter candidate. The evolutions of the dark matter relic density and the baryon asymmetry are intimately related in this scenario.

hep-ph↗