Search

We perform an analysis of leptogenesis in the context of a simple extension of the Standard Model with two fermions, one charged (χ) and one neutral (ψ), in addition to three right-handed neutrinos, interacting through a charged gauge singlet scalar S. The dark sector (χ and ψ) interacts feebly and produces a relic density consistent with the existing data. The right-handed neutrinos decay into the charged scalar S and a lepton, providing, along with the virtual exchange of S in the standard decay channel, an additional source of CP asymmetry. The advantage of this scenario is that it can generate naturally the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe, even for right-handed neutrino masses in 10 TeV region, without requiring neutrinos to be degenerate.

The Alternative Left-Right Model is an attractive variation of the usual Left-Right Symmetric Model because it avoids flavour-changing neutral currents, thus allowing the additional Higgs bosons in the model to be light. We show here that the model predicts several dark matter candidates naturally, through introduction of an $R$-parity similar to the one in supersymmetry, under which some of the new particles are odd, while all the SM particles are even. Dark matter candidates can be fermionic or bosonic. We present a comprehensive investigation of all possibilities. We analyze and restrict the parameter space where relic density, direct and indirect detection bounds are satisfied, and investigate the possibility of observing fermionic and bosonic dark matter signals at the LHC. Both the bosonic and fermionic candidates provide promising signals, the first in LHC at 300 fb$^{-1}$, the second at higher luminosity, 3000 fb$^{-1}$. Signals from bosonic candidates are indicative of the presence of exotic $d^\prime$ quarks, while fermionic candidates imply the existence of charged Higgs bosons, all with masses in the TeV region., Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, 14 tables, matches version accepted for publication in JHEP

We investigate an Alternative Left-Right Model (ALRM) with $SU(2)_L$ as well as $SU(2)_R$ gauge groups, but unlike the traditional left-right symmetric models (LRSM) is not symmetric under the exchange of the fermion content. Interestingly, it can be embedded in $E_6$, while its low energy Higgs structure resembles the LRSM, involving Higgs doublets $\chi_{L,R}$ and one Higgs bidoublet $\Phi$. We analyze the scalar potential and the vacuum structure of the theory analytically to ensure the stability of scalar potential via bounded from below (BFB) and copositivity criteria, accompanied by a numerical study. We establish the necessary criteria for electric charge preserving vacua, yielding constraints on various coupling parameters of the theory. Finally we obtain constraints on the parameters of the model from collider data on the masses of the Higgs scalars., Comment: 30 pages, 10 figures, matches version accepted for publication in JHEP

New physics frameworks like the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model and the Next-to-2-Higgs-doublet Model contain three neutral CP-even Higgs bosons. It is possible for the heavier two of these states to have masses identical to each other, which can result in a sizeable quantum interference between their propagators in processes they mediate. For both these models, we study the impact of such interference on the pair-production of the lightest of the three scalars, which we identify with the observed 125 GeV Higgs boson, in the gluon-fusion channel at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We find that the inclusion of these effects can substantially alter the cross section, compared to its value when they are ignored, for this process. Our results illustrate the importance of taking possible quantum interference effects into account not only when investigating the phenomenology of extended Higgs sectors at the future Run(s) of the LHC, but also when imposing its current exclusion bounds on the parameter spaces of these models., Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 2 table. Some improvements in text, figures and tables. Results unchanged. Version to appear in EPJC

In the next-to-minimal supersymmetric (NMS) Standard Model (SM), it is possible for either one of the additional singlet-like scalar and pseudoscalar Higgs bosons to be almost degenerate in mass with the ~125 GeV SM-like Higgs state. In the real NMSSM (rNMSSM), when the mass difference between two scalar states is comparable to their individual total decay widths, the quantum mechanical interference, due to the relevant diagonal as well as off-diagonal terms in the propagator matrix, between them can become sizable. This possibility invalidates usage of the narrow width approximation (NWA) to compute the cross section for the production of a di-photon pair with a given invariant mass via resonant Higgs boson(s) in the gluon fusion process at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). When, motivated by the baryon asymmetry of the universe, CP-violating (CPV) phases are explicitly invoked in the Higgs sector of the NMSSM, all the interaction eigenstates mix to give five CP-indefinite physical Higgs bosons. In this scenario, the interference effects due the off-diagonal terms in the Higgs mass matrix that mix the pseudoscalar-like state with the SM-like one can also become significant, when these two are sufficiently mass-degenerate. We perform a detailed analysis, in both the real and complex NMSSM, of these interference effects, when the full propagator matrix is taken into account, in the production of a photon pair with an invariant mass near 125 GeV through gluon fusion. We find that these effects can account for up to ~40% of the total cross section for certain model parameter configurations. We also investigate how such mutually interfering states contributing to the ~125 GeV signal observed at the LHC can be distinguished from a single resonance., 26 pages, 9 figures. Typos corrected, some figures and text improved. Version published in EPJC

We explore the multi-component dark matter (DM) scenario considered in a simple extension of the standard model with an inert scalar doublet and a singlet fermionic field providing the two DM candidates. The DM states are made stable under the unbroken $Z_2\times Z_2'$ discrete symmetry. An additional gauge singlet scalar field is introduced to facilitate the interaction of the dark fermion with the visible sector. Presence of a charged fermionic field having the same $Z_2$ charge as that of the inert scalar field allows exploring the dark matter mass regions otherwise disallowed, like in the standard Inert Doublet Model (IDM) scenarios. With these arrangements, it is shown that the light DM scenario and the desert region in the intermediate mass range of DM in the standard IDM case can be made compatible with the relic density bounds and direct detection limits. Further, detailed parameter space study is carried out keeping the coexistence of both the scalar and fermionic components in focus, showing that sizable parameter space regions are available for the entire mass range of $10\ \rm GeV \le M_{DM}\le 2000$ GeV., 19 pages, 19 figures, appendix added, some minor corrections to main text

The recent discovery of a Higgs boson at the LHC, while establishing the Higgs mechanism as the way of electroweak symmetry breaking, started an era of precision measurements involving the Higgs boson. In an effective Lagrangian framework, we consider the $e^+e^-\rightarrow ZHH$ process at the ILC running at a centre of mass energy of 500 GeV to investigate the effect of the $ZZH$ and $ZZHH$ couplings on the sensitivity of $HHH$ coupling in this process. Our results show that the sensitivity of the trilinear Higgs self couplings on this process has somewhat strong dependence on the Higgs-gauge boson couplings. Single and two parameter reach of the ILC with an integrated luminosity of 1000 fb$^{-1}$ are obtained on all the effective couplings indicating how these limits are affected by the presence of anomalous $ZZH$ and $ZZHH$ couplings. The kinematic distributions studied to understand the effect of the anomalous couplings, again, show a strong influence of $Z$-$H$ couplings on the dependence of these distributions on $HHH$ coupling. Similar results are indicated in the case of the process, $e^+e^-\rightarrow \nu\bar \nu HH$, considered at a centre of mass energy of 2 TeV, where the cross section is large enough. The effect of $WWH$ and $WWHH$ couplings on the sensitivity of $HHH$ coupling is clearly established through our analyses in this process., Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures and 1 table. This version supersedes arXiv:1408.3563

We present a novel framework capable of addressing the dark matter problem through freeze-in and freeze-out mechanisms, separately or together, depending on the region of the parameter space considered. In the dark matter dynamics, the model features an interplay of thermal production along with sizeable contribution through feeble decay of associated dark fermionic partner, which finally freezes out to the right relic density for a wide range of masses and couplings. Apart from the fermionic dark matter candidate, the model introduces two charged partners, one fermionic and another scalar, which often have delayed decays leading to distinct characteristics of such long-lived particles (LLP) in the colliders like the LHC. Our analysis shows that within the present scenario, LLP of decay length that could be probed at the LHC experiments are compatible with dark matter masses ranging from a few GeV to close to a TeV, as opposed to the requirement of keV-MeV dark matter in simple FIMP scenarios with LLP. In addition, the model presents hitherto unexplored interesting possibilities in the LLP searches, like (i) LLP to LLP to SM cascade decays, which could be searched for within the LHC detectors and (ii) heavy neutral particle decaying within MATHUSLA with two jets and large missing energy. A supplementary aspect of the model is the presence of a heavy neutrino facilitating Type-I seesaw mechanism without disturbing the dark matter side., Comment: 31 pages, 14 figures, 11 tables, matches version published in JCAP

We investigate the LHC discovery prospects for a heavy Higgs boson decaying into the Standard Model Higgs boson and additional weak bosons. We consider a generic model-independent new physics configuration where this decay proceeds via a cascade involving other intermediate scalar bosons and focus on an LHC final-state signature comprised either of four b-jets and two charged leptons or of four charged leptons and two b-jets. We design two analyses of the corresponding signals, and demonstrate that a 5{\sigma} discovery at the 14 TeV LHC is possible for various combinations of the parent and daughter Higgs-boson masses. We moreover find that the Standard Model backgrounds can be sufficiently rejected to guarantee the reconstrution of the parent Higgs boson mass. We apply our analyses to the Type-II Two-Higgs-Doublet Model and identify the regions of the parameter space to which the LHC is sensitive., Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, version accepted by PRD

The signatures of heavy fermionic triplets ($\Sigma$) arising in scenarios like Type III seesaw model are probed through their direct production and subsequent decay at high energy electron-positron collider. Unlike the case of LHC, the production process has strong dependence on the mixing parameter ($V_{e,\mu}$), making the leptonic collider unique to probe such mixing. We have established that with suitably chosen kinematic cuts, a 1 TeV $e^+e^-$ collider could probe the presence of $\Sigma$ of mass in the range of 500 GeV having $V_e=0.05$ with a few inverse femto barn luminosity through single production. The cross section is found to be not sufficient to probe the case of triplet-muon mixing through single triplet production. On the other hand, the pair production considered at 2 TeV centre of mass energy is capable of probing both the mixing scenarios efficiently. Studying the mass reach, presence of charged fermionic triplets upto a mass of about 980 GeV could be established at $3\sigma$ level through single production at a 1 TeV $e^+e^-$ collider with moderate luminosity of 100 fb$^{-1}$, assuming $V_e = 0.05$ . The pair production case requires larger luminosity, as the cross section is smaller in this case. With an integrated luminosity of 300 fb$^{-1}$, the mass reach in this case is close to 1 TeV with triplet-muon mixing, while it is slightly lower at about 950 GeV in the case of $V_\mu = 0.05$., Comment: 26 pages, 5 Figures

In the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM), it is possible to have strong mass degeneracies between the new singlet-like scalar and the heavy doublet-like scalar, as well as between the singlet-like and doublet-like pseudoscalar Higgs states. When the difference in the masses of such states is comparable with the sum of their widths, the quantum mechanical interference between their propagators can become significant. We study these effects by taking into account the full Higgs boson propagator matrix in the calculation of the production process of $\tau^+\tau^-$ pairs in gluon fusion at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We find that, while these interference effects are sizeable, they are not resolvable in terms of the distributions of differential cross sections, owing to the poor detector resolution of the $\tau^+\tau^-$ invariant mass. They are, however, identifiable via the inclusive cross sections, which are subject to significant variations with respect to the standard approaches, wherein the propagating Higgs bosons are treated independently from one another. We quantify these effects for several representative benchmark points, extracted from a large set of points, obtained by numerical scanning of the NMSSM parameter space, that satisfy the most important experimental constraints currently available., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Revised benchmark points and figures, overall results and conclusions unchanged. Version to appear in PRD

We investigate the potential collider signatures of singly-charged and doubly-charged Higgs bosons such as those arising in minimal left-right symmetric models. Focusing on multileptonic probes in the context of the high-luminosity run of the Large Hadron Collider, we separately assess the advantages of the four-leptonic and trileptonic final states for a representative benchmark setup designed by considering a large set of experimental constraints. Our study establishes possibilities of identifying singly-charged and doubly-charged scalars at the Large Hadron Collider with a large significance, for luminosity goals expected to be reached during the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider. We generalise our results and demonstrate that existing limits can in principle be pushed much further in the heavy mass regime., 13 pages, 4 figures; version accepted by PRD

We study mass bounds of the $W_R$ gauge boson in generic left-right symmetric models. Assuming that the gauge bosons couple universally to quarks and leptons, we allow different gauge couplings $g_R \ne g_L$ and mass mixing, $V_{CKM}^L \ne V_{CKM}^R$ in the left and right sectors. Imposing constraints from collider experiments and $K^0$, $B_d$, $B_s$ physics, we investigate scenarios where $W_R$ is lighter, or heavier than the right handed neutrino $\nu_R$. In these scenarios, $W_R$ mass bounds can be considerably relaxed, while $Z_R$ mass bounds are much more stringent. In the case where $M_{W_R} \le M_{\nu_R}$, the experimental constraints come from $W_R \to tb $ and $W_R \to jj$ channels, while if $M_{W_R} \ge M_{\nu_R}$, the dominant constraints come from $W_R \to \ell \ell jj $. The observed (expected) limits in the two-dimensional ($M_{W_R}$, $M_{\nu_R}$) mass plane excluded at 95\% confidence level extend to approximately $M_{W_R}$= 3.1 (3.3) TeV in the $ee$ channel and 3.3 (3.4) TeV in the ($\mu\mu$) channel, for a large range of right-handed neutrino masses up to $M_{\nu_R}$= 2.1 (2.1) TeV in the $ee$ channel and 2.6 (2.5) in the ($\mu\mu$) channel, representing a significant relaxation of the mass bounds., Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures

A study of the top quark \emph{Flavour Changing Neutral Current} (FCNC) through $Z$-boson has been performed in the proposed future $e^-p$ collider for the energy, $E_{e(p)} = 60~(7000)$~GeV. We considered an effective theory where the anomalous FCNC couplings are of vector and tensor nature. The effect of these couplings is probed in the single top production along with the scattered electron. The polar angle $\theta$ of the electrons coming out of the primary vertex in association with the top quark polarization asymmetries constructed from the angular distribution of the secondary lepton arising from the top decay, allow to distinguish the Lorentz structure of the coupling. From a multi-parameter analysis, we obtain a reach of ${\cal O} (10^{-2})$ in the case of $Ztu$ and $Ztc$ couplings at an integrated luminosity of 2~ab$^{-1}$ at 95\% C.L., Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, Acknowledgement, 26 references

We explore constraints on multipartite dark matter (DM) framework composed of singlet scalar DM interacting with the Standard Model (SM) through Higgs portal coupling. We compute relic density and direct search constraints including the updated LUX bound for two component scenario with non-zero interactions between two DM components in $\mathcal{Z}_2\times \mathcal{Z}_2^{'}$ framework in comparison with the one having $\mathcal{O}(2)$ symmetry. We point out availability of a significantly large region of parameter space of such a multipartite model with DM-DM interactions., Version accepted in JCAP

In this study of the Inert Doublet Model (IDM), we propose that the dijet + missing transverse energy channel at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be an effective way of searching for the scalar particles of the IDM. This channel receives contributions from gauge boson fusion, and $t-$channel production, along with contributions from $H^+$ associated production. We perform the analysis including study of the Standard Model (SM) background with assumed systematic uncertainty, and optimise the selection criteria employing suitable cuts on the kinematic variables to maximise the signal significance. We find that with high luminosity option of the LHC, this channel has the potential to probe the IDM in the mass range of up to about 400 GeV, which is not accessible through other leptonic channels. In a scenario with light dark matter of mass about 65 GeV, charged Higgs in the mass range of around 200 GeV provides the best possibility with a signal significance of about $2\sigma$ at an integrated luminosity of about 3000 fb$^{-1}$., Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, pdflatex; tables modified with new selection criteria to accommodate systematics. version to appear in PLB

The ATLAS and CMS collaborations have observed independently at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) a new Higgs-like particle with a mass $M_h \sim$ 125 GeV and properties similar to that predicted by the Standard Model (SM). Although the measurements indicate that this Higgs-like boson is compatible with the SM hypothesis, however due to large uncertainties in some of the Higgs detection channels, one still has the possibility of testing this object as being a candidate for some Beyond the SM (BSM) physics scenarios, for example, the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), in the CP-conserving version (CPC-MSSM). In this paper, we evaluate the modifications of these CPC-MSSM results when CP-violating (CPV) phases are turned on explicitly, leading to the CP-violating MSSM (CPV-MSSM). We investigate the role of the CPV phases in (some of) the soft Supersymmetry (SUSY) terms on both the mass of the lightest Higgs boson $h_1$, and the rates for the processes $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$, $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow ZZ^*\rightarrow 4l$, $gg \rightarrow h_1 \rightarrow WW^*\rightarrow l \nu l \nu$, $pp \rightarrow V h_1 \rightarrow V b\bar b$ and $pp \rightarrow V h_1 \rightarrow V \tau^+\tau^-$, ($V \equiv W^\pm, Z$) at the LHC, considering the impact of the flavor constraints as well as the constraints coming from the Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) measurements. We find that the imaginary part of the top and bottom Yukawa couplings can take very small but non-zero values even after satisfying the recent updates from LHC. Our study shows that the CPV-MSSM provides an equally potential solution (like its CP-conserving (CPC) counterpart) to the recent LHC Higgs data. Improvement in different Higgs coupling measurements is necessary in order to test the possibility of probing the small dependence on these CPV phases in the Higgs sector of the MSSM., Comment: 34 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables; figures updated, new references added, accepted for the publication in PRD

Theories with large extra compact dimensions predict exciting phenomenological consequences at the TeV scale. Such theories can, consequently, be tested/verified in experiments at future colliders like the Next Linear Collider (NLC). In this paper, we study the production of the spin-2 Kaluza-Klein excitations in NLC operating in the $e \gamma$ mode. Results for unpolarised and polarised cases are presented and it is shown that it is possible to use this process to test these theories to values of the effective string scale between about 1 - 7 TeV., Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, 1 postscript figure

We calculate the CP-violating electric and weak dipole form factors of the top quark and the tau lepton in models with scalar leptoquarks coupling only to the third generation of quarks and leptons. We obtain numerical values of the real and imaginary parts of these form factors at various energies for different values of leptoquark masses and couplings. The existing limits on the tau electric and weak dipole form factors allows us to put a limit on the masses and couplings of such leptoquarks and therefore on the top electric and weak dipole form factors. We also discuss constraints on the form factors coming from indirect limits on leptoquark masses and couplings deduced from LEP results on Z properties., 22 pages, LaTeX, includes 14 figures in postscript files

While the properties of the 125 GeV Higgs boson-like particle observed by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations are largely compatible with those predicted for the Standard Model state, significant deviations are present in some cases. We, therefore, test the viability of a Beyond the Standard Model scenario based on Supersymmetry, the CP-violating Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, against the corresponding experimental observations. Namely, we identify possible model configurations in which one of its Higgs bosons is consistent with the LHC observation and evaluate the role of the explicit complex phases in both the mass and diphoton decay of such a Higgs boson. Through a detailed analysis of some benchmark points corresponding to each of these configurations, we highlight the impact of the CP-violating phases on the model predictions compared to the CP-conserving case., Comment: 24 Pages, 5 figures, LateX. Some typos corrected. Version published in PRD

We study the possibility of fingerprinting a strongly interacting $W$ boson sector which is consistent with present day LHC searches at the ILC with longitudinal as well as transversely polarized electron and positron beams. We account for the final state interaction using a suitable Omn\`es formalism in terms of a plausible resonance description, and carry out thorough analyses of cross sections, asymmetries and angular distributions of the $W's$. We carry out a comparison with other extensions of the Standard Model, where heavy additional $Z'$ bosons arise naturally. We also consider the effect of the strong final state interaction on a correlation that depends on $(\phi_--\phi_+)$, where the $\phi_\mp$ are the azimuthal angles of decay leptons, and find that it is a useful discriminant., Comment: 25 pages latex using JHEP style files, 14 figures; v2 is a slightly expanded version of v1, reference added, discussions improved, some figures have been changed; corresponds to version accepted for publication in JHEP

We consider the possibility of fingerprinting the presence of heavy additional Z' bosons that arise naturally in extensions of the standard model such as E_6 models and left-right symmetric models, through their mixing with the standard model Z boson. By considering a class of observables including total cross sections, energy distributions and angular distributions of decay leptons we find significant deviation from the standard model predictions for these quantities with right-handed electrons and left-handed positrons at \sqrt{s}=800 GeV. The deviations being less pronounced at smaller centre of mass energies as the models are already tightly constrained. Our work suggests that the ILC should have a strong beam polarization physics program particularly with these configurations. On the other hand, a forward backward asymmetry and lepton fraction in the backward direction are more sensitive to new physics with realistic polarization due to interesting interplay with the neutrino t- channel diagram. This process complements the study of fermion pair production processes that have been considered for discrimination between these models., 23 pages, 9 figures, uses plain latex; substantially improved discussion, references added, version accepted for publication in JHEP

We study the possibility of using W pair production and leptonic decay of one of the W's at the ILC with polarized beams as a probe of the Littlest Higgs Model. We consider cross-sections, polarization fractions of the W's, leptonic decay energy and angular distributions, and left-right polarization asymmetry as probes of the model. With parameter values allowed by present experimental constraints detectable effects on these observables at typical ILC energies of 500 GeV and 800 GeV will be present. Beam polarization is further found to enhance the sensitivity., 17 pages, plain latex, 6 figures, replaced with version accepted by JHEP, typographical errors removed, notation and references improved, new references added, explanation added in appendix regarding beam polarization dependence

The Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) with explicit CP violation is studied with the help of the di-photon decay channel of the lightest neutral Higgs boson. Effects of CP violation, entering via the scalar/pseudo-scalar mixing at higher order as well as through the Higgs-sfermion-sfermion couplings at tree-level, are analyzed in the MSSM with and without light sparticles. A light stop may have a strong impact on the decay width and Branching Ratio (BR) of the decay process H_1 -> gamma gamma, whereas other light sparticles have only little influence. In some regions of the MSSM parameter space with large CP-violating phase phi_mu ~ 90 degrees a light stop can change the BR by more than 50%., 3 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figures, uses jpconf.cls, talk given by S. Hesselbach at the 2007 Europhysics Conference on High Energy Physics, Manchester, England, 19-25 July 2007; v2: changes in author affiliations

The di-photon decay channel of the lightest Higgs boson is considerd as a probe to explore CP violation in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The scalar/pseudo-scalar mixing is considered along with CP violation entering through the Higgs-sfermion-sfermion couplings, with and without light sparticles. The impact of a light stop on the decay width and Branching Ratio (BR) is established through a detailed study of the amplitude of the process H1 --> gamma.gamma. The other sparticles have little influence even when they are light. With a suitable combination of other MSSM parameters, a light stop can change the BR by more than 50 % with a CP-violating phase phi_mu ~ 90 deg., while the change is almost nil with a heavy stop., 27 pages; LaTeX; minor changes in text; reference added; corrected version to appear in EPJC

We show how the LHC potential to detect a rather light CP-even Higgs boson of the NMSSM, H1 or H2, decaying into CP-odd Higgs states, A1A1, can be improved if Higgs-strahlung off W bosons and (more marginally) off top-antitop pairs are employed alongside vector boson fusion as production modes. Our results should help extracting at least one Higgs boson signal over the NMSSM parameter space., 12 pages, 2 bitmapped figures (for high resolution version, please go to http://www.hep.phys.soton.ac.uk/~stefano/NoLoseNMSSM/). Version to appear in PLB. Minor modification in the text. Results and figures unchanged. LaTeX

We use NRQCD to predict the cross section for $\eta_c$ production at the Tevatron. The non-perturbative matrix elements required are obtained, using heavy-quark symmetry, from the matrix elements determined from the CDF $J/\psi$ data. Our numbers are, therefore, predictions of NRQCD and provide a very good test of it. Even after taking into account the small branching ratio of the $\eta_c$ into two photons, a substantial rate for the production of this resonance at the Tevatron is expected., Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX, 1 ps figure, Revised version to appear in Physics Letters B