Search

We investigate contributions to the anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons in the neutrino-extended Standard Model Effective Field Theory ($\nu$SMEFT). We discuss how $\nu$SMEFT operators can contribute to a lepton's magnetic moment at one- and two-loop order. We show that only one operator can account for existing electronic and muonic discrepancies, assuming new physics appears above $1$ TeV. In particular, we find that a right-handed charged current in combination with minimal sterile-active mixing can explain the discrepancy for sterile neutrino masses of $\mathcal O(100)$ GeV while avoiding direct and indirect constraints. We discuss how searches for sterile neutrino production at the (HL-)LHC, measurements of $h\rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-$ and searches for $h\rightarrow e^+ e^-$, neutrinoless double beta decay experiments, and improved unitarity tests of the CKM matrix can further probe the relevant parameter space., Comment: Journal version. 37 pages (incl. references), 6 figures, 4 tables. vSMEFT FeynRules UFO available from https://feynrules.irmp.ucl.ac.be/wiki/HeavyN

The nature of the three narrow $P_c$ states, i.e., $P_c(4312)$, $P_c(4440)$ and $P_c(4457)$, is under intense discussion since their discovery from the updated analysis by LHCb. In this work we extend our previous coupled-channel approach [Phys. Rev. Lett. \bf{124}, 072001 (2020)] by including the $\Lambda_c\bar{D}^{(*)}$ and $\eta_cp$ as explicitly in addition to the $J/\psi p$, as required by unitarity and heavy quark spin symmetry (HQSS). Since inelastic parameters are very badly constrained by the current data, three schemes are considered: (a) scheme I with pure contact interactions and without the $\Lambda_c\bar D^{(*)}$ interactions, (b) scheme II, where the one-pion exchange is added to scheme I, and (c) scheme III, where the $\Lambda_c \bar D^{(*)}$ are included in addition. It is shown that to obtain cutoff independent results, OPE in the multichannel system is to be supplemented with $S$-$D$ mixing contact terms. We demonstrate that the experimental data for the $J/\psi p$ invariant mass distribution are consistent with the interpretation of the $P_c(4312)$ and $P_c(4440)/P_c(4457)$ as $\Sigma_c\bar{D}$ and $\Sigma_c \bar{D}^{*}$ hadronic molecules, respectively, and that the data show clear evidence for a new narrow $P_c(4380)$, as a $\Sigma_c^*\bar D$ molecule, which should exist as a consequence of HQSS. While two equally good solutions are found in scheme I, only one of these solutions with the quantum numbers of the $P_c(4440)$ and $P_c(4457)$ being $J^P=3/2^-$ and $1/2^-$, respectively, survives the requirement of regulator independence once the OPE is included. Moreover, we predict the line shapes in the elastic and inelastic channels and demonstrate that those related to the $P_c(4440)$ and the $P_c(4457)$ in the corresponding $\Sigma_c^{(*)}\bar{D}$ and $\eta_cp$ mass distributions allow one to confirm the quantum numbers given above, once the data are available., Comment: 57 pages, 14 figures, and 13 tables

The objective of this study is to correlate the scaling factor of the Standard Model (SM) like Higgs boson and the cross section ratio of the process $e^+ e^- \rightarrow hhf\overline{f}$ where $f\neq t$, normalized to SM predictions in the type I of the Two Higgs Doublet Model. All calculations have been performed at $\sqrt{s}=500$ GeV and $1 \leq \tan{\beta} \leq 30$ for masses $m_H = m_A = m_{H^\pm} = 300GeV$ and $m_H=300$ GeV, $m_A=m_{H^\pm}=500$ GeV. The working scenario is by taking without alignment limit, that is $s_{\beta-\alpha}= 0.98$ and $s_{\beta-\alpha}= 0.99,$ $0.995$, which gives the enhancement in the cross section, particularly a few times greater than the predictions of the SM due to resonant-impacts of the additional heavy neutral Higgs bosons. This shows that enhancement in cross section occurs on leaving the alignment i.e., $s_{\beta-\alpha}=1$, at which all the higgs that couple to vector bosons and fermions have the same values as in SM at tree level. A large value of enhancement factor is obtained at $s_{\beta-\alpha}= 0.98$ compared to $s_{\beta-\alpha}= 0.99,$ $0 .995$. Furthermore, the decrease in the enhancement factor is observed for the case when $m_H=300$ GeV, $m_A=m_{H^\pm}=500$ GeV. The behavior of the scaling factor with $\tan{\beta}$ is also studied, which shows that for large values of $\tan\beta$, the scaling factor becomes equal to $s_{\beta-\alpha}$. Finally a convincing correlation is achieved by taking into account, the experimental and theoretical constraints e.g, perturbative unitarity, vacuum stability and electroweak oblique parameters., Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures. International Journal of Theoretical Physics, 2021

We revisit $$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ deformations of d = 2 theories with fermions with a view toward the quantization. As a simple illustration, we compute the deformed Dirac bracket for a Majorana doublet and confirm the known eigenvalue flows perturbatively. We mostly consider those $$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ theories that can be reconstructed from string-like theories upon integrating out the worldsheet metric. After a quick overview of how this works when we add NSR-like or GS-like fermions, we obtain a known non-supersymmetric $$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ deformation of a $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = (1, 1) theory from the latter, based on the Noether energy-momentum. This world- sheet reconstruction implies that the latter is actually a supersymmetric subsector of a d = 3 GS-like model, implying hidden supercharges, which we do construct explicitly. This brings us to ask about different $$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ deformations, such as manifestly supersymmetric $$ T\overline{T} $$ T T ¯ and also more generally via the symmetric energy-momentum. We show that, for theories with fermions, such choices often lead us to doubling of degrees of freedom, with potential unitarity issues. We show that the extra sector develops a divergent gap in the “small deformation” limit and decouples in the infrared, although it remains uncertain in what sense these can be considered a deformation.

We study the observability of new interactions which modify Higgs-pair production via vector-boson fusion processes at the LHC and at future proton-proton colliders. In an effective-Lagrangian approach, we explore in particular the effect of the operator $h^2 W_{\mu\nu}^a W^{a,\mu\nu}$, which describes the interaction of the Higgs boson with transverse vector-boson polarization modes. By tagging highly boosted Higgs bosons in the final state, we determine projected bounds for the coefficient of this operator at the LHC and at a future 27 TeV or 100 TeV collider. Taking into account unitarity constraints, we estimate the new-physics discovery potential of Higgs pair production in this channel., Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, 14 tables, added references

We provide arguments for the use of the rational form of unitarization, its relation with the diffraction peak shrinkage and asymptotics of the inelastic cross--section. The particular problems of the Regge model and the exponential form of unitarization with a factorized eikonal are discussed as well. Central role belongs to the asymptotic amplitude factorization resulting from Mandelstam analyticity and its symmetry over the scattering variables., 10 pages, no figures, revised version accepted by Symmetry

We calculate the rates of radiative $\beta^- \to \alpha^- + \gamma$ decays for $(\alpha, \beta) = (e, \mu)$, $(e, \tau)$ and $(\mu, \tau)$ by taking the {\it unitary} gauge in the $(3+n)$ active-sterile neutrino mixing scheme, and make it clear that constraints on the unitarity of the $3\times 3$ Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (PMNS) matrix $U$ extracted from $\beta^- \to \alpha^- + \gamma$ decays in the {\it minimal unitarity violation} scheme differ from those obtained in the canonical seesaw mechanism with $n$ heavy Majorana neutrinos by a factor $5/3$. In such a natural seesaw case we show that the rates of $\beta^- \to \alpha^- + \gamma$ can be used to cleanly and strongly constrain the effective apex of a unitarity polygon, and compare its geometry with the geometry of its three sub-triangles formed by two vectors $U^{}_{\alpha i} U^*_{\beta i}$ and $U^{}_{\alpha j} U^*_{\beta j}$ (for $i \neq j$) in the complex plane. We find that the areas of such sub-triangles can be described in terms of the Jarlskog-like invariants of CP violation ${\cal J}^{ij}_{\alpha\beta}$, and their small differences signify slight unitarity violation of the PMNS matrix $U$., Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures, and the version accepted for publication in EPJC

In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with the inverse seesaw mechanism to generate neutrino masses, the lightest sneutrino may act as a feasible dark matter candidate in vast parameter space. In this case, the smallness of the leptonic unitarity violation and the recent XENON-1T experiment can limit the dark matter physics. In particular, they set upper bounds of the neutrino Yukawa couplings $\lambda_\nu$ and $Y_\nu$. We study such effects by encoding the constraints in a likelihood function and carrying out elaborated scans over the parameter space of the theory with the Nested Sampling algorithm. We show that these constraints are complementary to each other in limiting the theory, and in some cases, they are very strict. We also study the impact of the future LZ experiment on the theory., Comment: The version to be published in JHEP

The "Cabibbo Angle Anomaly" (CAA) originates from the disagreement between the CKM elements $V_{ud}$ and $V_{us}$ extracted from superallowed beta and kaon decays, respectively, once compared via CKM unitarity. It points towards new physics with a significance of up to $4\,\sigma$, depending on the theoretical input used, and can be explained through modified $W$ couplings to leptons. In this context, vector-like leptons (VLLs) are prime candidates for a corresponding UV completion since they can affect $W\ell\nu$ couplings at tree-level, such that this modification can have the dominant phenomenological impact. In order to consistently asses the agreement with the data, a global fit is necessary which we perform for gauge-invariant dimension-6 operators and all patterns obtained for the six possible representations (under the SM gauge group) of VLLs. We find that even in the lepton flavour universal case, including the measurements of the CKM elements $V_{us}$ and $V_{ud}$ into the electroweak fit has a relevant impact, shifting the best fit point significantly. Concerning the VLLs we discuss the bounds from charged lepton flavour violating processes and observe that a single representation cannot describe experimental data significantly better than the SM hypothesis. However, allowing for several representations of VLLs at the same time, we find that the simple scenario in which $N$ couples to electrons via the Higgs and $\Sigma_1$ couples to muons not only explains the CAA but also improves the rest of the electroweak fit in such a way that its best fit point is preferred by more than $4\,\sigma$ with respect to the SM., Comment: Version accepted for publication in JHEP, 34 pages, 9 figures, 7 tables, typos corrected

An important task at future colliders is the measurement of the triple Higgs coupling. Depending on its size relative to the Standard Model (SM) value, certain collider options result in a higher experimental accuracy. Within the framework of Two Higgs Doublet Models (2HDM) types I and II we investigate the allowed ranges for all triple Higgs couplings involving at least one light, SM-like Higgs boson. We take into account theoretical constraints (unitarity, stability), experimental constraints from direct Higgs-boson searches, measurements of the SM-like Higgs-boson properties, flavor observables and electroweak precision data. We find that the SM-type triple Higgs coupling w.r.t. its SM value, λhhh/λSM, can range between ∼−0.5 and ∼1.5. Depending on which value is realized, the HL-LHC can compete with, or is clearly inferior to the ILC. We find the coupling λhhH between ∼−1.5 and ∼1.5. Triple Higgs couplings involving two heavy Higgs bosons, λhHH, λhAA and λhH+H− can reach values up to O(10), roughly independent of the 2HDM type. This can lead to potentially strongly enhanced production of two Higgs-bosons at the HL-LHC or high-energy e+e− colliders., The present work has received financial support from the ‘Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación” (AEI) and the EU “Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional” (FEDER) through the project FPA2016-78022-P and from the grant IFT Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa SEV-2016-0597. The work of S.H. was also supported in part by the MEINCOP Spain under contract FPA2016-78022-P and in part by the “Spanish Red Consolider MultiDark” FPA2017-90566-REDC. This work has also received partial funding/support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 674896. The work of F.A. was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation via a FPU grant with code FPU18/06634., Funded by SCOAP3.

We investigate the impact of extra leptons on observed tensions in the muon $g-2$ and the first-row CKM unitarity. By introducing a new SU(2)$_L$ doublet lepton and a SU(2)$_L$ triplet lepton, we find that both of the tensions can be explained simultaneously under constraints from electroweak precision observables and Higgs-boson decays. Our model could be tested by measurements of $h\to\mu\mu$ at future collider experiments., Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures; version published in JHEP

We argue that resonances terminate, i.e. at certain mass/temperature they “melt”, converting into a kind of a quark-gluon soup. We predict a finite spectrum of glueball/oddball resonances lying on the pomeron/odderon trajectories. A simple model for Regge trajectories with threshold and asymptotic behaviour required by analyticity and unitarity is used.

Due to a recent more precise evaluation of $V_{ud}$ and $V_{us}$, the unitarity condition of the first row in the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix: $|V_{ud}|^2 + |V_{us}|^2 + |V_{ub}|^2 = 0.99798 \pm 0.00038$ now stands at a deviation more than $4\sigma$ from unity. Furthermore, a mild excess in the overall Higgs signal strength appears at about $2\sigma$ above the standard model (SM) prediction, as well as the long-lasting discrepancy in the forward-backward asymmetry ${\cal A}_{\rm FB}^b$ in $Z\to b\bar b$ at LEP. Motivated from the above three anomalies we investigate an extension of the SM with vector-like quarks (VLQs) associated with the down-quark sector, with the goal of alleviating the tension among these datasets. We perform global fits of the model under the constraints coming from the unitarity condition of the first row of the CKM matrix, the $Z$-pole observables ${\cal A}_{\rm FB}^b$, $R_b$ and $\Gamma_{\rm had}$, Electro-Weak precision observables $\Delta S$ and $\Delta T$, $B$-meson observables $B_d^0$-$\overline{B}_d^0$ mixing, $B^+ \to \pi^+ \ell^+ \ell^-$ and $B^0 \to \mu^+ \mu^-$, and direct searches for VLQs at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Our results suggest that adding VLQs to the SM provides better agreement than the SM., Comment: 30 pages, 3 figures, version published in JHEP

We study a three Higgs doublet model where one doublet is inert and the other two doublets are active. Flavor changing neutral currents are avoided at tree-level by imposing a softly broken $Z'_2$ symmetry and we consider type I and type II Yukawa structures. The lightest inert scalar is a viable Dark Matter (DM) candidate. A numerical scan of the free parameters is performed taking into account theoretical constraints such as positivity of the scalar potential and unitarity of $2 \rightarrow 2$ scattering amplitudes. The model is further constrained by experimental results such as $B$ physics lower limits on charged Higgs masses, Electroweak Precision Observables, LEP II, LHC Higgs measurements, Planck measurement of the DM relic abundance and WIMP direct searches by the LUX and XENON1T experiments. The model predictions for mono-jet, mono Z and mono Higgs final states are studied and tested against current LHC data and we find the model to be allowed. We also discuss the effects of abandoning the "dark democracy" assumption common in studies of inert models. Projected sensitivities of direct detection experiments will leave only a tiny window in the DM mass versus coupling plane that is compliant with relic density bounds., Matches version to appear in JHEP. Significant modifications were made including a discussion of lifting the dark democracy assumption of the quartic couplings

We consider modifications of the Higgs potential due to new physics at high energy scales. These upset delicate cancellations predicted by the Standard Model for processes involving Higgs bosons and longitudinal gauge bosons, and lead to a breakdown of the theory at high energies. We focus on modifications of the Higgs trilinear coupling and use the violation of tree-level unitarity as an estimate of the scale where the theory breaks down. We obtain a completely model-independent bound of ~ 13 TeV for an order-1 modification of the trilinear. We argue that this bound can be saturated only in fine-tuned models, and the scale of new physics is likely to be much lower. The most stringent bounds are obtained from amplitudes involving multiparticle states that are not conventional scattering states. Our results show that a future determination of the Higgs cubic coupling can point to a well-defined scale of new physics that can be targeted and explored at future colliders., 28 pages, 3 figures, added discussion. Final published version in JHEP

Data in $B$-meson decays indicate violations of lepton flavour universality, thereby raising the question about such phenomena in the charm sector. We perform a model-independent analysis of NP contributions in (semi)-leptonic decays of $D_{(s)}$ mesons which originate from $c \to d \bar{\ell} \nu_{\ell}$ and $c \to s \bar{\ell} \nu_{\ell}$ charge-current interactions. Starting from the most general low-energy effective Hamiltonian containing four-fermion operators and the corresponding short-distance coefficients, we explore the impact of new (pseudo)-scalar, vector and tensor operators and constrain their effects through the interplay with current data. We pay special attention to the elements $|V_{cd}|$ and $|V_{cs}|$ of the Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa matrix and extract them from the $D_{(s)}$ decays in the presence of possible NP decay contributions, comparing them with determinations utilizing unitarity. We find a picture in agreement with the Standard Model within the current uncertainties. Using the results from our analysis, we make also predictions for leptonic $D_{(s)}^+ \to e^+ \nu_e$ modes which could be hugely enhanced with respect to their tiny Standard Model branching ratios. It will be interesting to apply our strategy at the future high-precision frontier., Comment: 34 pages, 17 figures. v2: references added

We apply on-shell methods to the bottom-up construction of electroweak amplitudes, allowing for both renormalizable and non-renormalizable interactions. We use the little-group covariant massive-spinor formalism, and flesh out some of its details along the way. Thanks to the compact form of the resulting amplitudes, many of their properties, and in particular the constraints of perturbative unitarity, are easily seen in this formalism. Our approach is purely bottom-up, assuming just the standard-model electroweak spectrum as well as the conservation of electric charge and fermion number. The most general massive three-point amplitudes consistent with these symmetries are derived and studied in detail, as the primary building blocks for the construction of scattering amplitudes. We employ a simple argument, based on tree-level unitarity of four-point amplitudes, to identify the three-point amplitudes that are non-renormalizable at tree level. This bottom-up analysis remarkably reproduces many low-energy relations implied by electroweak symmetry through the standard-model Higgs mechanism and beyond it. We then discuss four-point amplitudes. The gluing of three-point amplitudes into four-point amplitudes in the massive spinor helicity formalism is clarified. As an example, we work out the $\psi^c \psi Zh$ amplitude, including also the non-factorizable part. The latter is an all-order expression in the effective-field-theory expansion. Further constraints on the couplings are obtained by requiring perturbative unitarity. In the $\psi^c \psi Zh$ example, one for instance obtains the renormalizable-level relations between vector and fermion masses and gauge and Yukawa couplings. We supplement our bottom-up derivations with a matching of three- and four-point amplitude coefficients onto the standard-model effective field theory (SMEFT) in the broken electroweak phase., Comment: 55 pages, 2 figures, references added, journal version

In this work we study the phenomenological constraints on the parameter space of scalars carrying colour quantum numbers. In particular we constrain the Manohar-Wise model based on the addition of a SU(2) doublet and SU(3) octet to the minimal Higgs model. The fits are performed using the open-source package HEPfit . We include both theoretical constraints, such as unitarity and perturbativity, and experimental constraints, like the ones coming from flavour and electroweak observables. For the first time we combine all these results and we are able to constrain the parameters of the potential, the Yukawa couplings and the masses of the scalars.

Minimal massive gravity in three dimensions propagates a single massive spin-2 mode around an AdS vacuum. It is distinguished by allowing for vacua with positive central charges of the asymptotic conformal algebra and a bulk graviton of positive energy. We present a new action for the model (and its higher order extensions) in terms of a dreibein and an independent spin connection. From this, we construct its supersymmetric extension. Surprisingly, all vacua complying with bulk and boundary unitarity appear to break supersymmetry spontaneously. In contrast, all supersymmetric vacua have a negative central charge whenever the bulk graviton has positive energy., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure v2: matches published version

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the funding agencies: Agence Nationale de la Recherche (contract ANR-15-CE31-0020), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commission Europeenne (FEDER fund and Marie Curie Program), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), LabEx UnivEarthS (ANR-10-LABX-0023 and ANR-18-IDEX-0001), Paris Ile-de-France Region, France; Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG, FR-18-1268), Georgia; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany; The General Secretariat of Research and Technology (GSRT), Greece; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Ministero dell'Universita e della Ricerca (MIUR), PRIN 2017 program (Grant NAT-NET 2017W4HA7S) Italy; Ministry of Higher Education Scientific Research and Professional Training, ICTP through Grant AF-13, Morocco; Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), the Netherlands; The National Science Centre, Poland (2015/18/E/ST2/00758); National Authority for Scientific Research (ANCS), Romania; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion, Investigacion y Universidades (MCIU): Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento (refs. PGC2018-096663-B-C41, -A-C42, -B-C43, -B-C44) (MCIU/FEDER), Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence and MultiDark Consolider (MCIU), Junta de Andalucia (ref. SOMM17/6104/UGR), Generalitat Valenciana: Grisolia (ref. GRISOLIA/2018/119) and GenT (ref. CIDEGENT/2018/034 and CIDEGENT/2019/043) programs, La Caixa Foundation (ref. LCF/BQ/IN17/11620019), EU: MSC program (ref. 713673), Spain., The next generation of water Cherenkov neutrino telescopes in the Mediterranean Sea are under construction offshore France (KM3NeT/ORCA) and Sicily (KM3NeT/ARCA). The KM3NeT/ORCA detector features an energy detection threshold which allows to collect atmospheric neutrinos to study flavour oscillation. This paper reports the KM3NeT/ORCA sensitivity to this phenomenon. The event reconstruction, selection and classification are described. The sensitivity to determine the neutrino mass ordering was evaluated and found to be 4.4 sigma if the true ordering is normal and 2.3 sigma if inverted, after 3 years of data taking. The precision to measure Delta m(32)(2) and theta(23) were also estimated and found to be 85.10(-6) eV(2) and ((+1.9)(-3.1))degrees for normal neutrino mass ordering and, 75.10(-6) eV(2) and ((+2.0)(-7.0))degrees for inverted ordering. Finally, a unitarity test of the leptonic mixing matrix by measuring the rate of tau neutrinos is described. Three years of data taking were found to be sufficient to exclude (nu)over-left-right-arrow tau event rate variations larger than 20% at 3 sigma level., French National Research Agency (ANR) ANR-15-CE31-0020 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Commission Europeenne (FEDER fund), France Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France LabEx UnivEarthS, France ANR-10-LABX-0023 ANR-18-IDEX-0001 Paris Ile-de-France Region, France, Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG), Georgia FR-18-1268, German Research Foundation (DFG), The General Secretariat of Research and Technology (GSRT), Greece, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR), PRIN 2017 program, Italy NAT-NET 2017W4HA7S, Ministry of Higher Education Scientific Research and Professional Training, ICTP, Morocco AF-13, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) Netherlands Government, The National Science Centre, Poland 2015/18/E/ST2/00758, National Authority for Scientific Research (ANCS), Romania, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion, Investigacion y Universidades (MCIU): Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento, Spain PGC2018-096663-B-C41 PGC2018-096663-A-C42 PGC2018-096663-B-C43 PGC2018-096663-B-C44 Generalitat Valenciana: Grisolia program, Spain GRISOLIA/2018/119 La Caixa Foundation LCF/BQ/IN17/11620019, EU: MSC program, Spain 713673, Commission Europeenne (Marie Curie Program), France, Generalitat Valenciana: GenT programs, Spain CIDEGENT/2018/034 CIDEGENT/2019/043, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion, Investigacion y Universidades (MCIU): Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion, Investigacion y Universidades (MCIU): MultiDark Consolider (MCIU), Junta de Andalucia European Commission SOMM17/6104/UGR

If massive neutrinos are Majorana particles, then the lepton number should be violated in nature and neutrino-antineutrino oscillations $\nu^{}_\alpha \leftrightarrow \overline{\nu}^{}_\beta$ (for $\alpha, \beta = e, \mu, \tau$) will definitely take place. In the present paper, we study the properties of CP violation in neutrino-antineutrino oscillations with the non-unitary leptonic flavor mixing matrix, which is actually a natural prediction in the canonical seesaw model due to the mixing between light and heavy Majorana neutrinos. The oscillation probabilities $P(\nu^{}_\alpha \to \overline{\nu}^{}_\beta)$ and $P(\overline{\nu}^{}_\alpha \to \nu^{}_\beta)$ are derived, and the CP asymmetries ${\cal A}^{}_{\alpha \beta} \equiv [P(\nu^{}_\alpha \to \overline{\nu}^{}_\beta) - P(\overline{\nu}^{}_\alpha \to \nu^{}_\beta)]/[P(\nu^{}_\alpha \to \overline{\nu}^{}_\beta) + P(\overline{\nu}^{}_\alpha \to \nu^{}_\beta)]$ are also calculated. Taking into account current experimental bounds on the leptonic unitarity violation, we show that the CP asymmetries induced by the non-unitary mixing parameters can significantly deviate from those in the limit of a unitary leptonic flavor mixing., Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables, more discussions and references added, accepted by PLB

Physical review / D 105(4), 046006 (2022). doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.105.046006, We use the numerical conformal bootstrap to study six-dimensional N=(1,0) superconformal field theories with flavor symmetry so4k. We present evidence that minimal (Dk,Dk) conformal matter saturates the unitarity bounds for arbitrary k. Furthermore, using the extremal-functional method, we check that the chiral-ring relations are correctly reproduced, extract the anomalous dimensions of low-lying long superconformal multiplets, and find hints for novel operator product expansion selection rules involving type-B multiplets., Published by Inst., Melville, NY

We present positivity bounds, derived from the principles of analyticity, unitarity and crossing symmetry, that constrain the low-energy constants of chiral perturbation theory. Bounds are produced for 2, 3 or more flavours in meson-meson scattering with equal meson masses, up to and including next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO), using the second and higher derivatives of the amplitude. We enhance the bounds by using the most general isospin combinations posible (or higher-flavour counterparts thereof) and by analytically integrating the low-energy range of the discontinuities. In addition, we present a powerful and general mathematical framework for efficiently managing large numbers of positivity bounds., Comment: 94 pages of which 51 in appendices, 31 figures, 2 tables. Version 2 added to reflect changes (mainly clarifications) done prior to publication in JHEP

We propose a {\em unitarity method} for determining $\tau$ neutrino appearance probability $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{\tau})$ in long-baseline (LBL) accelerator experiments and atmospheric neutrino observations. When simultaneous in situ measurements of $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{\mu})$ and $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{e})$ proceed, as is typical in the LBL experiments, one can use unitarity to "measure" $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{\tau})$. A theorists' toy analysis for the model-independent determination of $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{\mu})$ and $P(\nu_{\mu} \rightarrow \nu_{e})$ is presented by using the NOvA data. It is shown in our analysis that $\lsim$5\% (8\%) measurement of $\tau$ neutrino appearance probability in neutrino (antineutrino) mode is possible in the peak region $1.5 \lesssim E_\nu \lesssim 2.5$ GeV. The $\nu$SM-independent nature of determination of the probabilities is emphasized., Comment: Published version. New references added. 22 pages, 5 figures

We study the effect of a first-order phase transition in a confining $SU(N)$ dark sector with heavy dark quarks. The baryons of this sector are the dark matter candidate. During the confinement phase transition the heavy quarks are trapped inside isolated, contracting pockets of the deconfined phase, giving rise to a second stage of annihilation that dramatically suppresses the dark quark abundance. The surviving abundance is determined by the local accidental asymmetry in each pocket. The correct dark matter abundance is obtained for $\mathcal{O}(1-100)$ PeV dark quarks, above the usual unitarity bound., 5 pages, 3 figures, comments are welcomed

We present a detailed study of the non-abelian vector dark matter candidate Wt with a MeV–GeV low mass range, accompanied by a dark photon A′ and a dark Z′ of similar masses, in the context of a gauged two-Higgs-doublet model with the hidden gauge group that has the same structure as the Standard Model electroweak gauge group. The stability of dark matter is protected by an accidental discrete Z2 symmetry (h-parity) which was usually imposed ad hoc by hand. We examine the model by taking into account various experimental constraints including dark photon searches at NA48, NA64, E141, ν-CAL, BaBar and LHCb experiments, electroweak precision data from LEP, relic density from Planck satellite, direct (indirect) detection of dark matter from CRESST-III, DarkSide-50, XENON1T (Fermi-LAT), and collider physics from the LHC. The theoretical requirements of bounded from below of the scalar potential and tree level perturbative unitarity of the scalar sector are also imposed. The viable parameter space of the model consistent with all the constraints is exhibited. While a dark Z′ can be the dominant contribution in the relic density due to resonant annihilation of dark matter, a dark photon is crucial to dark matter direct detection. We also demonstrate that the parameter space can be further probed by various sub-GeV direct dark matter experimental searches at CDEX, NEWS-G and SuperCDMS in the near future.

We present a determination of the ratio of kaon and pion leptonic decay constants in isosymmetric QCD (ISOQCD), ${f}_{K}/{f}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}$, making use of the gauge ensembles produced by the Extended Twisted Mass Collaboration with ${N}_{f}=2+1+1$ flavors of Wilson-clover twisted-mass quarks, including configurations close to the physical point for all dynamical flavors. The simulations are carried out at three values of the lattice spacing ranging from $\ensuremath{\sim}0.068$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}0.092\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$ with linear lattice size up to $L\ensuremath{\sim}5.5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$. The scale is set by the particle data group (PDG) value of the pion decay constant, ${f}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\text{ISO}\mathrm{QCD}}=130.4(2)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$, at the ISOQCD pion point, ${M}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\text{ISO}\mathrm{QCD}}=135.0(2)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$, obtaining for the gradient-flow scales the values ${w}_{0}=0.17383(63)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$, $\sqrt{{t}_{0}}=0.14436(61)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$ and ${t}_{0}/{w}_{0}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}0.11969(62)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$. The data are analyzed within the framework of SU(2) chiral perturbation theory without resorting to the use of renormalized quark masses. At the ISOQCD kaon point ${M}_{K}^{\text{ISO}\mathrm{QCD}}=494.2(4)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ we get $({f}_{K}/{f}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}{)}^{\text{ISO}\mathrm{QCD}}=1.1995(44)$, where the error includes both statistical and systematic uncertainties. Implications for the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|{V}_{us}|$ and for the first-row Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity are discussed.

We obtain full-color three-loop three-point form factors of the stress-tensor supermultiplet and also of a length-3 half-BPS operator in N=4 SYM based on the color-kinematics duality and on-shell unitarity. The integrand results are verified by all planar and non-planar unitarity cuts, and they satisfy the minimal power-counting of loop momenta and diagrammatic symmetries. Interestingly, these three-loop solutions, while manifesting all dual Jacobi relations, contain a large number of free parameters; in particular, there are 24 free parameters for the form factor of stress-tensor supermultiplet. Such degrees of freedom are due to a new type of generalized gauge transformation associated with the operator insertion for form factors. We also perform numerical integration and obtain consistent full-color infrared divergences and the known planar remainder. The form factors we obtain can be understood as the N=4 SYM counterparts of three-loop Higgs plus three-gluon amplitudes in QCD and are expected to provide the maximally transcendental parts of the latter., 6 pages, 8 figures, 6 pages of appendix; v2: minor changes, references added, numerical data updated

The Higgs trilinear coupling is a crucial tool to investigate the structure of the Higgs sector and the nature of the electroweak phase transition, and to search for indirect signs of New Physics. Classical scale invariance (CSI) is an attractive concept for BSM model building, explaining the apparent alignment of the Higgs sector and potentially relating to the hierarchy problem. A particularly interesting feature of CSI theories is that, at one loop, they universally predict the Higgs trilinear coupling to deviate by 67% from the SM prediction at tree level. This result is however modified at two loops, and we present here results from the first explicit computation of two-loop corrections to the Higgs trilinear coupling in classically scale-invariant BSM models. Taking as example a CSI variant of the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model, we show that the inclusion of two-loop effects allows distinguishing different scenarios with CSI, even though the requirement of correctly reproducing the mass of the Higgs boson, as well as unitarity, severely restrict the possible values of the Higgs trilinear coupling., 6 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of the European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP2021), 26-30 July 2021; v2: added references

In the context of precise measurements in some of the CKM elements and angles of the unitarity triangle coupled with latest theoretical improvements of lattice QCD calculations of “hadronic factors,” we have explored the implication of these and unitarity on some of the CKM parameters which are ridden with ambiguities. In particular, we have undertaken a thorough scrutiny of the implications of the precise measurements of the angles of the unitarity triangle along with the element [Formula: see text], on the [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], as well as the CP violating parameter [Formula: see text]. Interestingly, we find a unitarity-based analysis while unambiguously favoring [Formula: see text] exclusive-over-inclusive value which is also in agreement with the present data pertaining to [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], etc. The present analysis also shows that the presence of NP in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] systems, if any, would be less than a few percent only.

We study perturbative unitarity constraints on generic Yukawa interactions where the involved fields have arbitrary quantum numbers under an $\prod_i SU(N_i) \otimes U(1)$ group. We derive compact expressions for the bounds on the Yukawa couplings for the cases where the fields transform under the trivial, fundamental or adjoint representation of the various $SU(N)$ factors. We apply our results to specific models formulated to explain the anomalous measurements of $(g-2)_\mu$ and of the charged- and neutral-current decays of the $B$ mesons. We show that, while these models can generally still explain the observed experimental values, the required Yukawa couplings are pushed at the edge of the perturbative regime., Comment: 50 pages, 10 figures; typos fixed, references added, matches published version

The recent measurement of the muon $g\ensuremath{-}2$ anomaly continues to defy a Standard Model explanation but can be accommodated within the framework of two-Higgs doublet models, although the pseudoscalar mass must be fairly light. If one further includes extra fermion content in the form of a generation of vectorlike leptons, the allowed parameter range that explains the anomaly is even further extended, and clashes with $B$-decay constraints may be avoided. We show how the muon magnetic moment anomaly can be fit within these models, under the assumption that the vectorlike leptons do not mix with the muon. We update previous analyses and include all theoretical and experimental constraints, including searches for extra scalars. It is shown that the inclusion of vectorlike fermions allows the lepton-specific and muon-specific models to perform much better in fitting the muon's $g\ensuremath{-}2$. However, these fits do require the Yukawa coupling between the Higgs and the vectorlike leptons to be large, causing potential problems with perturbativity and unitarity, and thus, models in which the vectorlike leptons mix with the muon may be preferred.

We study the spectroscopy and transport properties of charmed mesons in a thermal medium by applying an effective field theory based on chiral and heavy-quark symmetries in the imaginary time formalism. Relying on unitarity constraints and self-consistency we extract the in-medium properties (masses and widths) of $D$ and $D_s$ mesons and their interactions with light hadrons. We report our findings on 1) dynamically generated states, 2) thermal evolution of chiral partners, 3) in-medium scattering amplitudes, and 4) transport coefficients below the chiral restoration temperature., 11 pages, 7 figures. Contribution to the 10th International Workshop on Charm Physics (CHARM2020). Accepted for publication in Proceedings of Science

BESIII has collected 2.93 fb$^{-1}$ and 6.32 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+ e^-$ collision data samples at the center-of-mass energies 3.773 and 4.178-4.226 GeV, respectively. We report recent measurements of the (semi-) leptonic decays $D_{s} \to \ell^+ \nu_{\ell}~(\ell=\mu, \tau)$ and $D_{(s)} \to X \ell^+ \nu_{\ell}$ [$X=\eta, K_{1}(1270)$ or denotes generic decays, and $\ell=e, \mu$]. The decay constant $f_{D_s^+}$, the semileptonic form factor $f^{\eta}_{+}(0)$ and the CKM matrix elements $|V_{cd(s)}|$ are determined precisely. These results are important to verify the theoretical calculations of $f_{D_{s}^+}$ and $f^{\eta}_{+}(0)$, and the unitarity of the CKM matrix. Precision tests of lepton-flavor universality with (semi-) leptonic $D_{(s)}$ decays are also performed.

In this work we discuss in detail the non-perturbative determination of the momentum dependence of the form factors entering in semileptonic decays using unitarity and analyticity constraints. The method contains several new elements with respect to previous proposals and allows to extract, using suitable two-point functions computed non-perturbatively, the form factors at low momentum transfer $q^2$ from those computed explicitly on the lattice at large $q^2$, without any assumption about their $q^2$-dependence. The approach will be very useful for exclusive semileptonic $B$-meson decays, where the direct calculation of the form factors at low $q^2$ is particularly difficult due to large statistical fluctuations and discretisation effects. As a testing ground we apply our approach to the semileptonic $D \to K \ell \nu_\ell$ decay, where we can compare the results of the unitarity approach to the explicit direct lattice calculation of the form factors in the full $q^2$-range. We show that the method is very effective and that it allows to compute the form factors with rather good precision., Comment: 66 pages, 13 figures and 10 tables. Minor changes matched to the version accepted by PRD

The canonical type-I seesaw model with three heavy Majorana neutrinos is one of the most natural extensions of the standard model (SM) to accommodate tiny Majorana masses of three ordinary neutrinos. At low-energy scales, Majorana neutrino masses and unitarity violation of lepton flavor mixing have been extensively discussed in the literature, which are respectively generated by the unique dimension-five Weinberg operator and one dimension-six operator in the seesaw effective field theory (SEFT) with the tree-level matching. In this work, we clarify that a self-consistent calculation of radiative decays of charged leptons $\beta^- \to \alpha^- + \gamma$ requires the SEFT with one-loop matching, where new six-dimensional operators emerge and make important contributions. For the first time, the Wilson coefficients of all the relevant six-dimensional operators are computed by carrying out the one-loop matching between the effective theory and full seesaw model, and applied to calculate the total rates of radiative decays of charged leptons., Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, matches the version published in PLB

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:32:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-08-20 We use the S-matrix bootstrap to carve out the space of unitary, crossing symmetric and supersymmetric graviton scattering amplitudes in ten dimensions. We focus on the leading Wilson coefficient α controlling the leading correction to maximal supergravity. The negative region α

The Fermi constant GF is extremely well measured through the muon lifetime, defining one of the key fundamental parameters in the standard model (SM). Therefore, to search for physics beyond the SM (BSM) via GF, the constraining power is determined by the precision of the second-best independent determination of GF. The best alternative extractions of GF proceed either via the global electroweak (EW) fit or from superallowed β decays in combination with the Cabibbo angle measured in kaon, τ, or D decays. Both variants display some tension with GF from muon decay, albeit in opposite directions, reflecting the known tensions within the EW fit and hints for the apparent violation of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity, respectively. We investigate how BSM physics could bring the three determinations of GF into agreement using SM effective field theory and comment on future perspectives.

We present a Monte Carlo approach to soft-gluon resummation at subleading color which can be used to improve existing parton shower algorithms. At the single-emission level, soft-collinear enhancements of the splitting functions are explicitly linked to quadratic Casimir operators, while wide angle single-soft enhancements are connected to nontrivial color correlators. We focus on a numerically stable implementation of color matrix element corrections to all orders and approximate the virtual corrections by requiring unitarity at the single-emission level. We provide a proof-of-concept implementation to compute nonglobal event shapes at lepton colliders., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, revised claimed accuracy in response to arXiv:2003.06399, version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D

At large virtuality $Q^2$, the coupling to the $\rho$ meson production channels provides us with a natural explanation of the surprisingly large cross section of the $\omega$, as well as the $\pi^+$, meson electroproduction recently measured at backward angles, without destroying the good agreement between the Regge pole model and the data at the real photon point. Together with elastic re-scattering of the outgoing meson it also provides us with a way to explain why the node, that appears at $u\sim -0.15$ GeV$^2$ at the real photon point, disappears at moderate virtuality $Q^2$. Predictions are given for the electroproduction of the $\pi^0$ meson., Comment: 14 pages, 19 figures. Version in press in Phys. Rev. C. A few slips corrected. Figure 11 frame customized References 10 and 14 corrected

We analyze the validity of BCFW recursion relations for currents of n - 2 gluons and two massive quarks, where one of the quarks is off shell and the remaining particles are on shell. These currents are gauge-dependent and can be used as ingredients in the unitarity-based approach to computing one-loop amplitudes. The validity of BCFW recursion relations is well known to depend on the so-called boundary behavior of the currents as the momentum shift parameter goes to infinity. With off-shell currents, a new potential problem arises, namely unphysical poles that depend on the choice of gauge. We identify conditions under which boundary terms are absent and unphysical poles are avoided, so that there is a natural recursion relation. In particular, we are able to choose a gauge in which we construct a valid shift for currents with at least n - 3 gluons of the same helicity. We derive an analytic formula in the case where all gluons have the same helicity. As by-products, we prove the vanishing boundary behavior of general off-shell objects in Feynman gauge, and we find a compact generalization of Berends-Giele gluon currents with a generic reference spinor., 30 pages, 8 figures; v2 minor corrections, journal version

We point out that hints of deviations from unitarity in the first row of the CKM matrix may be explained by the presence of a single vector-like top. We study how the stringent experimental constraints arising from CP Violation in the kaon sector and from meson mixing such as $D^0$-$\overline{D}^0$, $K^0$-$\overline{K}^0$ and $B^0_{d,s}$-$\overline{B}^0_{d,s}$ can be satisfied in the proposed framework. In order for the deviations from unitarity to be of the required size while keeping the theory perturbative, the new top quark should have a mass $m_T \lesssim 7$ TeV which could be probed in upcoming experiments at the energy frontier., 24 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables; comments and references added

Effective Field Theories (EFTs) for Goldstone Boson scattering at a low order allow the computation of near--threshold observables in terms of a few coefficients arranged by a counting. As a matter of principle they should make sense up to an energy scale $E\sim 4\pi F$ but the expansion in powers of momentum violates exact elastic unitarity and renders the derivative expansion unreliable at much lower energies. If new--physics deviations from the Standard Model are found and encoded in low-energy coefficients, perhaps at the LHC, it will be profitable to extend the reach of the EFT to regimes where partial waves are saturating unitarity. The methods known in hadron physics as "Unitarized Chiral Perturbation Theory" extend the EFT up to its nominal reach or up to the first new physics resonance or structure (if found below that energy reach) in the partial wave amplitude, but they usually have unknown uncertainties. We recapitulate our analysis of the systematic theory uncertainties of the well known Inverse Amplitude Method (IAM)., Comment: 5 page letter for the proceedings of QCD20, 23TH International Conference in Quantum Chromodynamics (27-20 October 2020, Montpellier)

In perturbative amplitudes in quantum field theory and string field theory, Cutkosky rule expresses the anti-hermitian part of a Feynman diagram in terms of sum over all its cut diagrams, and this in turn is used to prove unitarity of the theory. For D-instanton contribution to a string theory amplitude, the cutting rule needed for the proof of unitarity is somewhat different; we need to sum over only those cut diagrams for which all the world-sheet boundaries ending on some particular D-instanton lie on the same side of the cut. By working with the closed string effective action, obtained after integrating out the open string modes, we prove that the D-instanton amplitudes actually satisfy these cutting rules, provided the effective action is real. The violation of unitarity in the closed string sector of two dimensional string theory can be traced to the failure of this reality condition. In the critical superstring theory, multi-instanton and multi anti-instanton amplitudes satisfy the reality condition. Contribution to the amplitudes from the instanton anti-instanton sector satisfies the reality condition if we make a specific choice of integration cycle over the configuration space of string fields, whereas contribution due to the non-BPS D-instantons will need to either vanish or have an overall real normalization in order for it to give real contribution. We use Picard-Lefschetz theory to argue that these conditions are indeed satisfied in superstring theories., LaTeX file; 94 pages

We investigate the possible size of two-loop radiative corrections to the Higgs trilinear coupling $\lambda_{hhh}$ in two types of models with extended Higgs sectors, namely in a Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) and in the Inert Doublet Model (IDM). We calculate the leading contributions at two loops arising from the additional (heavy) scalars and the top quark of these theories in the effective-potential approximation. We include all necessary conversion shifts in order to obtain expressions both in the $\overline{\text{MS}}$ and on-shell renormalisation schemes, and in particular, we devise a consistent "on-shell" prescription for the soft-breaking mass of the 2HDM at the two-loop level. We illustrate our analytical results with numerical studies of simple aligned scenarios and show that the two-loop corrections to $\lambda_{hhh}$ remain smaller than their one-loop counterparts, with a typical size being 10-20% of the one-loop corrections, at least while perturbative unitarity conditions are fulfilled. As a consequence, the existence of a large deviation of the Higgs trilinear coupling from the prediction in the Standard Model, which has been discussed in the literature at one loop, is not altered significantly., Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures; v2 matches version published in PLB

In this paper we present the partial wave unitarity bound in the parameter space of dimension-5 and dimension-6 effective operators that arise in a compositeness scenario. These are routinely used in experimental searches at the LHC to constraint contact and gauge interactions between ordinary Standard Model fermions and excited (composite) states of mass $M$. After deducing the unitarity bound for the production process of a composite neutrino, we implement such bound and compare it with the recent experimental exclusion curves for Run 2, the High-Luminosity and High-Energy configurations of the LHC. Our results also applies to the searches where a generic single excited state is produced via contact interactions. We find that the unitarity bound, so far overlooked, is quite complelling and significant portions of the parameter space ($M,\Lambda$) become excluded in addition to the standard request $M \le \Lambda$., Comment: This version of the paper merges the previous version published in Phys. Lett. B 795 (2019) 644-649 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.06.042) with the subsequent Erratum currently in press in Physics Letters B (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2019.134990)

Leading logarithms (LLs) in massless non-renormalizable effective field theories (EFTs) can be computed with the help of non-linear recurrence relations. These recurrence relations follow from the fundamental requirements of unitarity, analyticity and crossing symmetry of scattering amplitudes and generalize the renormalization group technique for the case of non-renormalizable EFTs. We review the existing exact solutions of non-linear recurrence relations relevant for field theoretical applications. We introduce the new class of quantum field theories (quasi-renormalizable field theories) in which the resummation of LLs for $2 \to 2$ scattering amplitudes gives rise to a possibly infinite number of the Landau poles., Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures

The nucleon($N$)-Omega($\Omega$) system in the S-wave and spin-2 channel ($^5$S$_2$) is studied from the (2+1)-flavor lattice QCD with nearly physical quark masses ($m_\pi \simeq 146$~MeV and $m_K \simeq 525$~MeV). The time-dependent HAL QCD method is employed to convert the lattice QCD data of the two-baryon correlation function to the baryon-baryon potential and eventually to the scattering observables. The $N\Omega$($^5$S$_2$) potential, obtained under the assumption that its couplings to the D-wave octet-baryon pairs are small, is found to be attractive in all distances and to produce a quasi-bound state near unitarity: In this channel, the scattering length, the effective range and the binding energy from QCD alone read $a_0= 5.30(0.44)(^{+0.16}_{-0.01})$~fm, $r_{\rm eff} = 1.26(0.01)(^{+0.02}_{-0.01})$~fm, $B = 1.54(0.30)(^{+0.04}_{-0.10})$~MeV, respectively. Including the extra Coulomb attraction, the binding energy of $p\Omega^-$($^5$S$_2$) becomes $B_{p\Omega^-} = 2.46(0.34)(^{+0.04}_{-0.11})$~MeV. Such a spin-2 $p\Omega^-$ state could be searched through two-particle correlations in $p$-$p$, $p$-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions., Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, a reference added

We consider a non-Abelian gauge theory with N f fermions and discuss the possible existence of a non-trivial UV fixed point at large N f . Specifically, we study the anomalous dimension of the (rescaled) glueball operator Tr F 2 to first order in 1/N f by relating it to the derivative of the beta function at the fixed point. At the fixed point the anomalous dimension violates its unitarity bound and so the (rescaled) glueball operator is either decoupled or the fixed point does not exist. We also study the anomalous dimensions of the two spin-1/2 baryon operators to first order in 1/N f for an SU(3) gauge theory with fundamental fermions and find them to be relatively small and well within their associated unitarity bounds.

Type-Z models, where charged leptons, up type quarks, and down type quarks each couple to a different scalar, are only possible when there are three or more Higgs doublets. We consider the Type-Z three Higgs doublet model imposed by a softly broken $Z_3$ symmetry. We take into account all theoretical and experimental constraints, highlighting the importance of perturbative unitarity and bounded from below conditions that we develop here, and which have a strong impact on $B \rightarrow X_s \gamma$. Since there can be cancellations between the two charged Higgs in $B \rightarrow X_s \gamma$ (and in $h \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$), the lower bounds obtained on the charged Higgs masses are alleviated. We also discuss in detail the important physical differences between exact alignment and approximate alignment, and present some useful benchmark points., Comment: 32 pages, 23 Figures in PDF. v2: impact of BFB corrected, benchmarks added