Search

The recent measurements of $h \to Z \gamma$ from ATLAS and CMS show an excess of the signal strength $\mu_Z = (\sigma\cdot{\cal B})_{\mathrm{obs}}/(\sigma\cdot{\cal B})_{\mathrm{SM}}=2.2\pm 0.7$, normalized as 1 in the standard model~(SM). If confirmed, it would be a signal of new physics (NP) beyond the SM. We study NP explanation for this excess. In general, for a given model, it also affects the process $h \to \gamma \gamma$. Since the measured branching ratio for this process agrees well with the SM prediction, the model is severely constrained. We find that a minimally fermion singlets and doublet extended NP model can explain simultaneously the current data for $h \to Z \gamma$ and $h\to \gamma\gamma$. There are two solutions. Although both solutions enhance the amplitude of $h \to Z \gamma$ to the observed one, in one of the solutions the amplitude of $h \to \gamma \gamma$ flips sign to give the observ ed branching ratio. This seems to be a contrived solution although cannot be ruled out simply using branching ratio measurements alone. However, we find another solution that naturally enhances $h \to Z \gamma$ to the measured value, but keeps the amplitude of $h \to \gamma\gamma$ close to its SM prediction. We also comment on the phenomenology associated with these new fermions., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

Due to finite masses and mixing, for neutrinos propagation in space-time, there is a chiral oscillation between left- and right- chiral neutrinos, besides the usual oscillation between different generations. The probability of chiral oscillation is suppressed by a factor of $m^2/E^2$ making the effect small for relativistic neutrinos. However, for non-relativistic neutrinos, this effect can be significant. In matter, the equation of motion is modified. When neutrinos produced in weak interaction pass through the matter, the eigen-energies are split into two different ones depending on the helicity of the neutrino. This results in different oscillation behavior for neutrinos with different helicity, in particular there is a new resonant effect related to the helicity state of neutrino different than the usual MSW effect. For Majorana neutrinos, chiral oscillation also depends on Majorana phases., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, published version

In Type-II seesaw model, an electroweak triplet scalar field $\Delta$ with a non-zero vacuum expectation value (vev) $v_\Delta$ is introduced to facilitate the generation of small neutrino masses. A non-zero $v_\Delta$ also affects the W mass through the electroweak $\rho$ parameter, making it to be less than 1 as predicted by standard model (SM). The component fields in $\Delta$ come along introduce additional contributions to reduce the SM rare neutrino trident scattering cross section. These fields also induce new processes not existed in SM, such as $l_i \to \overline{ l_j} l_k l_l$ and $l_i \to l_j \gamma$. There are severe constraints on these processes which limit the effects on neutrino trident scattering and the $\rho$ parameter and therefore the W mass. The newly measured W mass by CDF makes the central value of $\rho$ parameter to be larger than 1, even larger than previously expected. Combining neutrinoless double beta decay, direct neutrino mass and oscillation data, we find a lower limit for $v_\Delta$ as a function of the triplet scalar mass $m_\Delta$, $v_\Delta > (6.3 \sim 8.4) \mathrm{eV} (100 \mathrm{GeV}/m_\Delta)$. To have significant effect on $\rho$ in this model, $v_\Delta$ needs to be in the range of a GeV or so. However this implies a very small $m_\Delta$ which is ruled out by data. We conclude that the effect of triplet vev $v_\Delta$ on the W mass can be neglected. We also find that at 3$\sigma$ level, the deviation of the ratio for Type-II Seesaw to SM neutrino trident scattering cross section predictions is reduced to be below 1, but is restricted to be larger than 0.98., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, match the published version in PLB