arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Yosef Nir.
The recent measurement of $ΔA_{CP}$ by the LHCb collaboration requires an ${\cal O}(10)$ enhancement coming from hadronic physics in order to be explained within the SM. We examine to what extent can NP models explain $ΔA_{CP}$ without such enhancements. We discuss the implications in terms of a low energy effective theory as well as in the context of several explicit NP models.
The Higgs program is relevant to many of the open fundamental questions in particle physics and in cosmology. Thus, when discussing future collider experiments, one way of comparing them is by assessing their potential contributions to progress on these questions. We discuss in detail the capabilities of the various proposed experiments in searching for singlet scalars, which are relevant to several of the open questions, and in measuring Higgs decays to fermion pairs, which are relevant to the flavor puzzles. On other interesting questions, we list the most relevant observables within the Higgs program.
Searches for neutrino-less double-beta decay ($0\nu2β$) place an important constraint on models where light fields beyond the Standard Model participate in the neutrino mass mechanism. While $0\nu2β$ experimental collaborations often consider various massless majoron models, including various forms of majoron couplings and multi-majoron final-state processes, none of these searches considered the scenario where the "majoron" $ϕ$ is not massless, $m_ϕ\sim$~MeV, of the same order as the $Q$-value of the $0\nu2β$ reaction. We consider this parameter region and estimate $0\nu2βϕ$ constraints for $m_ϕ$ of order MeV. The constraints are affected not only by kinematical phase space suppression but also by a change in the signal to background ratio characterizing the search. As a result, $0\nu2βϕ$ constraints for $m_ϕ>0$ diminish significantly below the reaction threshold. This has phenomenological implications, which we illustrate focusing on high-energy neutrino telescopes. Our results motivate a dedicated analysis by $0\nu2β$ collaborations, analogous to the dedicated analyses targeting massless majoron models.
The present upper bound on $κ_e$, the ratio between the electron Yukawa coupling and its Standard Model value, is of ${\cal O}(600)$. We ask what would be the implications in case that $κ_e$ is close to this upper bound. The simplest extension that allows for such enhancement is that of two Higgs doublet models (2HDM) without natural flavor conservation. In this framework, we find the following consequences: (i) Under certain conditions, measuring $κ_e$ and $κ_V$ would be enough to predict values of Yukawa couplings for other fermions and for the $H$ and $A$ scalars. (ii) In the case that the scalar potential has a softly broken $Z_2$ symmetry, the second Higgs doublet must be light, but if there is hard breaking of the symmetry, the second Higgs doublet can be much heavier than the electroweak scale and still allow the electron Yukawa coupling to be very different from its SM value. (iii) CP must not be violated at a level higher than ${\cal O}(0.01/κ_e)$ in both the scalar potential and the Yukawa sector. (iv) LHC searches for $e^+e^-$ resonances constrain this scenario in a significant way. Finally, we study the implications for models where one of the scalar doublets couples only to the first generation, or only to the third generation.
The $R_{K^{(*)}}$ anomaly can be explained by tree level exchange of leptoquarks. We study the consequences of subjecting these models to the principle of minimal flavor violation (MFV). We consider MFV in the linear regime, and take the charged lepton Yukawa matrix to be the only spurion that violates lepton flavor universality. We find that a combination of constraints from a variety of processes -- $b\to sμμ$, $b\to sττ$, $b\to sνν$, $b\bar b\toττ$ and $b\to cτν$ -- excludes MFV in these models.
Experimental measurements of the ratios $R(D^{(*)})\equiv\frac{Γ(B\to D^{(*)}τν)}{Γ(B\to D^{(*)}\ellν)}$ ($\ell=e,μ$) show a $3.9σ$ deviation from the Standard Model prediction. In the absence of light right-handed neutrinos, a new physics contribution to $b\to cτν$ decays necessarily modifies also $b\bar b\toτ^+τ^-$ and/or $c\bar c\toτ^+τ^-$ transitions. These contributions lead to violation of lepton flavor universality in, respectively, $Υ$ and $ψ$ leptonic decays. We analyze the constraints resulting from measurements of the leptonic vector-meson decays on solutions to the $R(D^{(*)})$ puzzle. Available data from BaBar and Belle can already disfavor some of the new physics explanations of this anomaly. Further discrimination can be made by measuring $Υ(1S,2S,3S)\toττ$ in the upcoming Belle II experiment.
We embed Two Higgs Doublet Models (2HDMs) in the Froggatt Nielsen (FN) framework. We find that the approximate FN symmetry predicts i) approximate Natural Flavor Conservation (NFC) of Types II or IV in the Yukawa sector, and ii) approximate Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry in the scalar sector. We discuss the phenomenological consequences of these features.
We study the phenomenology of exotic color-triplet scalar particles $X$ with charge $|Q|=2/3, 4/3,5/3,7/3,8/3$ and $10/3$. If $X$ is a non-singlet of $SU(2)_W$ representation, mass splitting within the multiplet allows for cascade decays of the members into the lightest state. We study examples where the lightest state, in turn, decays into a three-body $W^\pm jj$ final state, and show that in such case the entire multiplet is compatible with existing direct collider searches and indirect precision tests down to $m_X\sim250$~GeV. However, bound states $S$, made of $XX^†$ pairs at $m_S\approx2m_X$, form under rather generic conditions and their decay to diphoton can be the first discovery channel of the model. Furthermore, for $SU(2)_W$-non-singlets, the mode $S\to W^+W^-$ may be observable and the width of $S\toγγ$ and $S\to jj$ may appear large as a consequence of mass splittings within the $X$-multiplet. As an example we study in detail the case of an $SU(2)_W$ quartet, finding that $m_X\simeq450$~GeV is allowed by all current searches.
The ATLAS and CMS experiments at the LHC have reported an excess of diphoton events with invariant mass around 750 GeV, with local significance of about $3.6 σ$ and $2.6 σ$, respectively. We entertain the possibility that this excess is due to new physics, in which case the data suggest a new particle with 13 TeV LHC production cross section times diphoton branching ratio of about 5~fb. Interestingly, ATLAS reports a mild preference for a sizeable width for the signal of about 45 GeV; this result appears consistent with CMS, and is further supported by improving the compatibility of the 8 TeV and 13 TeV analyses. We focus on the possibility that the new state is a scalar. First, we show that, in addition to the new state that is needed directly to produce the diphoton bump, yet more new particles beyond the Standard Model are needed to induce diphoton decay rate of the right size. Second, we note that if the excess is attributed to the Breit-Wigner peak of a single new state, then the signal strength and width -- taken together -- suggest a total LHC production cross section of order $10^5$ fb. Restricting to perturbative models without ad-hoc introduction of many new states or exotic charges, we reach the following conclusions: (i) Gluon-fusion cannot explain the required large production cross section. (ii) Tree level production from initial state quarks cannot explain the required branching ratio to two photons. (iii) Tree level production is constrained by flavor data as well as LHC Run-I and Tevatron dijet analyses. Insisting on a large width we are led to suggest that more than one scalar states, nearly degenerate in mass, could conspire to produce an observed wide bump.
We study how large the rate of the lepton-flavor violating Higgs decay h->tau mu can be in the (R-parity conserving) MSSM. We make no assumptions, such as universality or alignment, about the flavor structure of the MSSM. We only assume that all couplings and, in particular, the trilinear scalar ones, are perturbative. We take into account lower bounds on the bino and slepton masses from tau->mu gamma and h->gamma gamma as well as upper bounds on the trilinear scalar couplings from the requirement that the global minimum is not charge breaking. We find that in highly fine-tuned regions of parameter space, the ratio BR(h->tau mu)/BR(h->tau tau) can be enhanced by about three orders of magnitude above the estimate from naive dimensional analysis, but still about two orders of magnitude below the present bound. Thus, if h->tau mu is experimentally established to be close to present bounds, the MSSM will be excluded.
The diphoton excess around $m_S=750$ GeV observed at ATLAS and CMS can be interpreted as coming from $S=H$ and $A$, the neutral components of a second Higgs doublet. If so, then the consistency of the light Higgs decays with the Standard Model predictions provides upper bounds on the rates of $S\to VV, hZ, hh$ decays. On the other hand, if $h\toτμ$ decay is established, then a lower bound on the rate of $S\toτμ$ decay arises. Requiring that $Γ_S\lesssim45$ GeV gives both an upper and a lower bound on the rotation angle from the Higgs basis $(Φ_v,Φ_A)$ to the mass basis $(Φ_h,Φ_H)$. The charged scalar, with $m_{H^\pm}\simeq750$ GeV, is produced in association with a top quark, and can decay to $μ^\pmν$, $τ^\pmν$, $tb$ and $W^\pm h$
If $t\rightarrow hq$ ($q=c,u$) or $h\rightarrowτ\ell$ ($\ell=μ,e$) decays are observed, it will be a clear signal of new physics. We investigate whether natural and viable flavor models can saturate the present direct upper bounds without violating the indirect constraints from low energy loop processes. We carry out our analysis in two theoretical frameworks: minimal flavor violation (MFV) and Froggatt-Nielsen symmetry (FN). The simplest models in either framework predict flavor changing couplings that are too small to be directly observed. Yet, in the MFV framework, it is possible to have lepton flavor changing Higgs couplings close to the bound if spurions related to heavy singlet neutrinos play a role. In the FN framework, it is possible to have large flavor changing couplings in both the up and the charged lepton sectors if supersymmetry plays a role.
A first measurement of time-reversal (T) asymmetries that are not also CP asymmetries has been recently achieved by the BaBar collaboration. We analyze the measured asymmetries in the presence of direct CP violation, CPT violation, wrong strangeness decays and wrong sign semileptonic decays. We note that the commonly used S_{ψK} and C_{ψK} parameters are CP-odd, but have a T-odd CPT-even part and a T-even CPT-odd part. We introduce parameters that have well-defined transformation properties under CP, T and CPT. We identify contributions to the measured asymmetries that are T conserving. We explain why, in order that the measured asymmetries would be purely odd under time-reversal, there is no need to assume the absence of direct CP violation. Instead, one needs to assume (i) the absence of CPT violation in strangeness changing decays, and (ii) the absence of wrong sign decays.
A measurement of the Higgs trilinear self coupling $λ_{hhh}$ will test the Standard Model Higgs potential. But can it reveal information that cannot be learned otherwise? By analyzing several simple extensions of the Standard Model scalar sector we show that this measurement might give a first hint for New Physics modifying the electroweak symmetry breaking. Combining the measurements of $λ_{hhh}$ and $λ_{hVV}$ ($V=W,Z$) is particularly powerful in distinguishing between various models of New Physics and in providing unique information on these models.
Measurements of the Yukawa couplings of the recently discovered boson h to fermion pairs will provide a new arena for studying flavor physics. We analyze the lessons that can be learned by measuring the h decay rates into the charged lepton pairs, ττ, μμ, and τμ. We demonstrate how this set of measurements can distinguish in principle between various classes of flavor models such as natural flavor conservation, minimal flavor violation, and Froggatt-Nielsen symmetry.
We clarify several subtleties concerning the implementation of minimal flavor violation (MFV) in two Higgs doublet models. We derive all the exact and approximate predictions of MFV for the neutral scalar (h,H,A) Yukawa couplings to fermions. We point out several possible tests of this framework at the LHC.
Within the four generation Standard Model, the Higgs couplings to gluons and to photons deviate in a significant way from the predictions of the three generation Standard Model. As a consequence, large departures in several Higgs production and decay channels are expected. Recent Higgs search results, presented by ATLAS, CMS and CDF, hint on the existence of a Higgs boson with a mass around 125 GeV. Using these results and assuming such a Higgs boson, we derive exclusion limits on the four generation Standard Model. For m_H = 125 GeV, the model is excluded at 99.9% confidence level. For 124 GeV <= m_H <= 127 GeV, an exclusion limit above 95% confidence level is found.
There is experimental evidence for a direct CP asymmetry in singly Cabibbo suppressed D decays, ΔA_{CP} \sim 0.006. Naive expectations are that the Standard Model contribution to ΔA_{CP} is an order of magnitude smaller. We explore the possibility that a major part of the symmetry comes from supersymmetric contributions. The leading candidates are models where the flavor structure of the trilinear scalar couplings is related to the structure of the Yukawa couplings via approximate flavor symmetries, particularly U(1), [U(1)]^2 and U(2). The recent hints for a lightest neutral Higgs boson with mass around 125 GeV support the requisite order one trilinear terms. The typical value of the supersymmetric contribution to the asymmetry is ΔA_{CP}^{SUSY}\sim 0.001, but it could be accidentally enhanced by order one coefficients.