Search

In the context of the left-right symmetric model, we study the interplay of neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay, parity-violating M{\o}ller scattering, and high-energy colliders, resulting from the Yukawa interaction of the right-handed doubly-charged scalar to electrons, which could evade the severe constraints from charged lepton flavor violation. The $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay amplitude receives additional contributions from right-handed sterile neutrinos. The half-life, calculated in the effective field theory (EFT) framework, allows for an improved description of the contributions involving non-zero mixing between left- and right-handed $W$ bosons and those arising from exchanging a light right-handed neutrino. We find that the relative sensitivities between the low-energy (or high-precision) and high-energy experiments are affected by the left-right mixing. On the other hand, our results show how the interplay of collider and low-energy searches provides a manner to explore regions that are inaccessible to $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay experiments., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

We investigate the possibility of a strong first-order electroweak phase transition during the early universe within the framework of the gauged two-Higgs doublet model (G2HDM) and explore its detectability through stochastic gravitational wave signals. The G2HDM introduces a dark replica of the Standard Model electroweak gauge group, inducing an accidental $Z_2$ symmetry which not only leads to a simple scalar potential at tree-level but also offers a compelling vectorial dark matter candidate. Using the high temperature expansion in the effective potential that manifests gauge invariance, we find a possible two-step phase transition pattern in the model with a strong first-order transition occurring in the second step at the electroweak scale temperature. Collider data from the LHC plays a crucial role in constraining the parameter space conducive to this two-step transition. Furthermore, satisfying the nucleation condition necessitates the masses of scalar bosons in the hidden sector to align with the electroweak scale, potentially probed by future collider detectors. The stochastic gravitational wave energy spectrum associated with the phase transition is computed. The results indicate that forthcoming detectors such as BBO, LISA, DECIGO, TianQin and Taiji could potentially detect the gravitational wave signals generated by the first-order phase transition. Additionally, we find that the parameter space probed by gravitational waves can also be searched for in future dark matter direct detection experiments, in particular those designed for dark matter masses in the sub-GeV range using the superfluid Helium target detectors., Comment: 71 pages, 9 figures

We perform a nonperturbative lattice study of the electroweak phase transition in the real singlet scalar extension of the Standard Model.We consider both the heavy and light singlet-like scalar regimes at non-zero singlet-doublet mixing angle. After reviewing features of the lattice method relevant for phase transition studies, we analyze the dependence of phase transition thermodynamics on phenomenologically relevant parameters. In the heavy singlet-like scalar regime, we find that the transition is crossover for small doublet-singlet mixing angles, despite the presence of an energy barrier in the tree-level potential. The transition becomes first order for sufficiently large mixing angles. We find two-loop perturbation theory to agree closely with the lattice results for all thermodynamical quantities considered here (critical temperature, order parameter discontinuity, latent heat) when the transition is strongly first order. For the light singlet-like scalar regime relevant to exotic Higgs decays, we update previous one-loop perturbative results using the two-loop loop dimensionally reduced effective field theory and assess the nature of the transition with lattice simulations at set of benchmark parameter points. For fixed singlet-like scalar mass the transition becomes crossover when the magnitude of the Higgs-singlet portal coupling is small. We perform our simulations in the high-temperature effective theory, which we briefly review, and present analytic expressions for the relevant lattice-continuum relations., Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures

Electroweak baryogenesis (EWBG) constitutes a theoretically compelling and experimentally testable mechanism for explaining the origin of the baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU). New results for the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron place significant constraints on the beyond Standard Model CP-violation needed for successful EWBG. We show how new developments in EWBG quantum transport theory that include CP-violating sources first order in gradients imply more relaxed EDM constraints than implied by previous approximation formulations. Consequently, EWBG remains viable even in light of present EDM bounds. We also illustrate how these developments enable a more realistic treatment of CP-conserving interactions that can also have a decisive impact on the predicted BAU., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of the electroweak sphaleron formalism and its application to electroweak phase transition (EWPT) patterns in extensions of the Standard Model scalar sector with electroweak multiplets. We offer an equivalence proof for different choices for the form of sphaleron configurations; construct the previously unestablished high-dimensional $\text{SU}(2)$ sphaleron transformation matrix; and revisit the required boundary conditions needed for solving the sphaleron field equations. We then investigate the leading order sphaleron dynamics in the context of a multi-step EWPT. We showcase two distinct analytical approaches for extending the $\text{SU}(2)$ scalar multiplet to the standard model (SM) under differing EWPT scenarios, and perform an explicit calculation of the sphaleron energy using a septuplet example. In the context of a single-step EWPT leading to a mixed phase, we find that the additional multiplet's contribution to the sphaleron energy is negligible, primarily due to the prevailing constraint imposed by the $\rho$ parameter. Conversely, in a two-step EWPT scenario, the sphaleron energy can achieve significantly high values during the initial phase, thereby markedly preserving baryon asymmetry if the universe undergoes a first-order EWPT. In both cases, we delineate the relationship between the sphaleron energy and the parameters relevant to dark matter phenomenology.

The Standard Model extended with a complex singlet scalar (cxSM) can admit a strong first order electroweak phase transition (SFOEWPT) as needed for electroweak baryogenesis and provide a dark matter (DM) candidate. The presence of both a DM candidate and a singlet-like scalar that mixes with the Standard Model Higgs boson leads to the possibility of a $b\bar{b}+\text{MET}$ final state in $pp$ collisions. Focusing on this channel, we analyze the prospective reach at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for a heavy singlet-like scalar in regions of cxSM parameter space compatible with a SFOEWT and DM phenomenology. We identify this parameter space while implementing current constraints from electroweak precision observable and Higgs boson property measurements as well as those implied by LHC heavy resonance searches.

We investigate the prospects for resonant di-Higgs and heavy Higgs production searches at the 14 TeV HL-LHC in the combination of $bb\gamma\gamma$ and $4l$ channels, as a probe of a possible first order electroweak phase transition in real singlet scalar extension of the Standard Model. Event selection follows those utilized in the $bb\gamma\gamma$ and $4l$ searches by the ATLAS Collaboration, applied to simulation using benchmark parameters that realize a strong first order electroweak phase transition. The output of discriminant analysis is implemented by numerical calculation, optimised by the joint restriction from the two channels. The prospective reach for $bb\gamma\gamma$/$4l$ channel could be more competitive in probing the electroweak phase transition at lower/higher resonance masses. With 3 $ab^{-1}$ integrated luminosity, the combination of the $bb\gamma\gamma$ and $4l$ channels can discover/exclude a significant portion of %\mrmC{isn't it more accurate to say "a significant portion of" ?} of the viable parameter space that realizes a strong first order phase transition when the resonance mass is heavier than 500 GeV.

This is the Snowmass2021 Energy Frontier (EF) Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) report. It combines the EF topical group reports of EF08 (Model-specific explorations), EF09 (More general explorations), and EF10 (Dark Matter at Colliders). The report includes a general introduction to BSM motivations and the comparative prospects for proposed future experiments for a broad range of potential BSM models and signatures, including compositeness, SUSY, leptoquarks, more general new bosons and fermions, long-lived particles, dark matter, charged-lepton flavor violation, and anomaly detection., Comment: 108 pages + 38 pages references and appendix, 37 figures, Report of the Topical Group on Beyond the Standard Model Physics at Energy Frontier for Snowmass 2021. The first nine authors are the Conveners, with Contributions from the other authors

We investigate neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay rates in minimal left-right symmetric models in presence of relatively light right-handed neutrinos. By use of an effective field theory approach, we systematically include all contributions in the model as well as the dependence of the decay amplitude on the masses of right-handed neutrinos. In type-I and type-II seesaw scenarios, we analyze the impact of right-handed neutrinos heavier than about 10 MeV, showing that this effect can lead to a detection of $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay in the next-generation experiments even for the normal hierarchy and a relatively large right-handed scale set by the mass of hypothetical right-handed gauge bosons. Finally, we comment on a possible connection between light right-handed neutrinos and the strong CP problem., Comment: 36 pages, 7 figures

New mu-to-e conversion searches aim to advance limits on charged lepton flavor violation (CLFV) by four orders of magnitude. By considering P and CP selection rules and the structure of possible charge and current densities, we show that rates are governed by six nuclear responses. To generate a microscopic formulation of these responses, we construct in non-relativistic effective theory (NRET) the CLFV nucleon-level interaction, then embed it in a nucleus. We discuss previous work, noting the lack of a systematic treatment of the various small parameters. Because the momentum transfer is comparable to the inverse nuclear size, a full multipole expansion of the response functions is necessary, a daunting task with Coulomb-distorted electron partial waves. We perform such an expansion to high precision by introducing a simplifying local electron momentum, treating the full set of 16 NRET operators. Previous work has been limited to the simplest charge/spin operators, ignored Coulomb distortion (or alternatively truncated the partial wave expansion) and the nucleon velocity operator, which is responsible for three of the response functions. This generates inconsistencies in the treatment of small parameters. We obtain a "master formula" for mu-to-e conversion that properly treats all such effects and those of the muon velocity. We compute muon-to-electron conversion rates for a series of experimental targets, deriving bounds on the coefficients of the CLFV operators. We discuss the nuclear physics: two types of coherence enhance certain CLFV operators and selection rules blind elastic mu-to-e conversion to others. We discuss the matching of the NRET onto higher level EFTs, and the relation to mu-to-e conversion to other CLFV tests. Finally we describe a publicly available script that can be used to compute mu-to-e conversion rates in nuclear targets., Comment: 50 pages, 10 figures; a few typos fixed in v2, v3

The observation of neutrino oscillations and hence non-zero neutrino masses provided a milestone in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model. But even though we now know that neutrinos are massive, the nature of neutrino masses, i.e., whether they are Dirac or Majorana, remains an open question. A smoking-gun signature of Majorana neutrinos is the observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay, a process that violates the lepton-number conservation of the Standard Model. This white paper focuses on the theoretical aspects of the neutrinoless double-beta decay program and lays out a roadmap for future developments. The roadmap is a multi-scale path starting from high-energy models of neutrinoless double-beta decay all the way to the low-energy nuclear many-body problem that needs to be solved to supplement measurements of the decay rate. The path goes through a systematic effective-field-theory description of the underlying processes at various scales and needs to be supplemented by lattice quantum chromodynamics input. The white paper also discusses the interplay between neutrinoless double-beta decay, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider and results from astrophysics and cosmology in probing simplified models of lepton-number violation at the TeV scale, and the generation of the matter-antimatter asymmetry via leptogenesis. This white paper is prepared for the topical groups TF11 (Theory of Neutrino Physics), TF05 (Lattice Gauge Theory), RF04 (Baryon and Lepton Number Violating Processes), NF03 (Beyond the Standard Model) and NF05 (Neutrino Properties) within the Theory Frontier, Rare Processes and Precision Frontier, and Neutrino Physics Frontier of the U.S. Community Study on the Future of Particle Physics (Snowmass 2021)., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021

A strong first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT) can be induced by light new physics weakly coupled to the Higgs. This study focuses on a scenario in which the first-order EWPT is driven by a light scalar $s$ with a mass between 15-60 GeV. A search for exotic decays of the Higgs boson into a pair of spin-zero particles, $h \to ss$, where the $s$-boson decays into $b$-quarks promptly is presented. The search is performed in events where the Higgs boson is produced in association with a $Z$ boson, giving rise to a signature of two charged leptons (electrons or muons) and multiple jets from $b$-quark decays. The analysis is considering a scenario of analysing 5000 fb$^{-1}$ $e^+ e^-$ collision data at $\sqrt{s} = 240 $ GeV from the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC). This study with $4b$ final state conclusively tests the expected sensitivity of probing the light scalars in the CEPC experiment. The sensitivity reach is significantly larger than that can be achieved at the LHC., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021

Within a class of models in which lepton flavor violation is induced dominantly by scalar particle exchanges, we estimate the $\mu \to e$ conversion rate in several nuclei. We include next-to-leading order (NLO) terms in the one- and two-nucleon interactions in chiral effective theory, rectifying some incorrect results in the previous literature. We provide an uncertainty budget for the conversion rates and we find that NLO contributions affect the amplitudes at the level of $10\%$, which could be larger than the uncertainty on the leading order couplings, dominated by the strange and non-strange nucleon sigma terms. We study the implications of our results for testing Higgs-mediated CLFV in the future by combining results from various experimental searches, such as $\mu \to e$ conversion in multiple target nuclei and $\mu \to e \gamma$., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures

Detection of a gravitational-wave signal of non-astrophysical origin would be a landmark discovery, potentially providing a significant clue to some of our most basic, big-picture scientific questions about the Universe. In this white paper, we survey the leading early-Universe mechanisms that may produce a detectable signal -- including inflation, phase transitions, topological defects, as well as primordial black holes -- and highlight the connections to fundamental physics. We review the complementarity with collider searches for new physics, and multimessenger probes of the large-scale structure of the Universe., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021; 3 figures, 67 pages

An essential goal of the Higgs physics program at the LHC and beyond is to explore the nature of the Higgs potential and shed light on the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking. An important class of models defining the strength and order of the electroweak phase transition is driven by the Higgs boson coupling to a light new state. This Snowmass white paper points out the existence of a region of parameter space where a strongly first order electroweak phase transition is compatible with exotic decays of the SM-like Higgs boson. A dedicated search for exotic Higgs decays can actively explore this framework at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), while future exotic Higgs decay searches at the high-luminosity LHC and future Higgs factories will be vital to conclusively probe the scenario., Comment: 10 pages + references, 4 figures, Contribution to Snowmass 2021

Static electric dipole moments of nondegenerate systems probe mass scales for physics beyond the Standard Model well beyond those reached directly at high energy colliders. Discrimination between different physics models, however, requires complementary searches in atomic-molecular-and-optical, nuclear and particle physics. In this report, we discuss the current status and prospects in the near future for a compelling suite of such experiments, along with developments needed in the encompassing theoretical framework., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021; updated with community edits and endorsements

We provide a roadmap for analyzing the interplay between hypothetical future collider observations and the detection of a gravitational wave signal produced by a strong first order electroweak phase transition in beyond the Standard Model (BSM) theories. A cornerstone of this roadmap is a combination of a dimensionally reduced, three-dimensional effective field theory and results of both perturbation theory and non-perturbative lattice simulations. For the first time we apply these state-of-the-art methods to a comprehensive parameter space scan of a BSM theory. Concretely, we study an extension with the real scalar triplet, which admits a possible two-step electroweak symmetry-breaking thermal history. We find that (1) a first order transition during the second step could generate a signal accessible to LISA generation detectors and (2) the gravitational wave signal displays a strong sensitivity to the portal coupling between the new scalar and the Higgs boson, and (3) the ability for future experiments to detect the produced gravitational waves depends decisively on the wall velocity of the bubbles produced during the phase transition. We illustrate how a combination of direct and indirect measurements of the new scalar properties, in combination with the presence or absence of a gravitational wave detection, could test the model and identify the values of the model parameters., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

In the context of the minimal left-right symmetric model, we study the interplay between current and future neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay experiments, long-lived particle searches at the LHC main detectors ATLAS/CMS, and the proposed far detector MATHUSLA. The heavy Majorana neutrino can be produced in association with an electron from the decay of $W$ boson for a non-zero left-right mixing and subsequently decays into another electron with the same charge and jets. Owing to the suppression of large right-handed charged gauge boson $W_R$ mass, the heavy neutrinos could be long-lived. We show that long-lived particle (LLP) searches for heavy Majorana neutrinos in the same-sign dilepton channel at the LHC can be used to extend $W_R$ boson mass reach relative to the reach of the Keung-Senjanovic (KS) process. Finally, we show that sensitivities of LLP searches at the high-luminosity LHC with main detectors ATLAS/CMS are competitive with those of future $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay searches., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables. Version accepted in the Physical Review D

$\Delta L =2$ lepton number violation (LNV) at the TeV scale could provide an alternative interpretation of positive signal(s) in future neutrinoless double beta $(0\nu\beta\beta)$ decay experiments. An interesting class of models from this point of view are those that at low energies give rise to dimension-9 vector operators and a dimension-7 operator, both of whose $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay rates are "chirally suppressed". We study and compare the sensitivities of $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments and LHC searches to a simplified model in this class of TeV-scale LNV that is also $SU(2)_L \times U(1)_Y$ gauge invariant. The searches for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay, which are here diluted by a chiral suppression of the vector operators, are found to be less constraining than LHC searches whose reach is increased by the assumed kinematic accessibility of the mediator particles. For the chirally suppressed dimension-7 operator generated by TeV-scale mediators, in contrast, $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay searches place strong constraints on the size of the new Yukawa coupling. Signals of this model at the LHC and $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments are entirely uncorrelated with the observed neutrinos masses, as these new sources of LNV give negligible contributions to the latter. We find the prospects for the high-luminosity LHC and ton-scale $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments to uncover the chirally-suppressed mechanism with TeV-scale LNV to be promising. We also comment on the sensitivity of the $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay lifetime to certain unknown low-energy constants that in the case of dimension-9 {\it scalar} operators are expected to be large due to non-perturbative renormalization., Comment: 38 pages, 14 figures; match the published version on JHEP

A gauge-invariant framework for computing bubble nucleation rates at finite temperature in the presence of radiative barriers was presented and advocated for model-building and phenomenological studies in an accompanying article arXiv:2112.05472. Here, we detail this computation using the Abelian Higgs Model as an illustrative example. Subsequently, we recast this approach in the dimensionally-reduced high-temperature effective field theory for nucleation. This allows for including several higher order thermal resummations and furthermore delineate clearly the approach's limits of validity. This approach provides for robust perturbative treatments of bubble nucleation during possible first-order cosmic phase transitions, with implications for electroweak baryogenesis and production of a stochastic gravitational wave background. Furthermore, it yields a sound comparison between results of perturbative and non-perturbative computations., Comment: 64 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; v2: Journal version, added figures 1 and 2, extended sections 1 and 3.4

We present a gauge-invariant framework for bubble nucleation in theories with radiative symmetry breaking at high temperature. As a procedure, this perturbative framework establishes a practical, gauge-invariant computation of the leading order nucleation rate, based on a consistent power counting in the high-temperature expansion. In model building and particle phenomenology, this framework has applications such as the computation of the bubble nucleation temperature and the rate for electroweak baryogenesis and gravitational wave signals from cosmic phase transitions., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, updated funding information for v2

We study the complementary tests of lepton number violation in $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments, long-lived particle (LLP) searches at the LHC main detectors ATLAS/CMS, and a proposed far detector MATHUSLA. In the context of a simplified model with a scalar doublet $S$ and a Majorana fermion $F$, we show that while the $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments can probe a larger portion of parameter space, the LLP searches can uniquely probe the region of smaller couplings and masses if $S$ is at TeV scale while $F$ is at or below the electroweak scale. We also investigate constraints on the parameter space from the existing searches that are insensitive to lepton number violation., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; v2: match the published version in PRD, minor changes

In the context of TeV-scale lepton number violating (LNV) interactions, we illustrate the interplay between leptogenesis, neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay, and LNV searches at proton-proton colliders. Using a concrete model for illustration, we identify the parameter space where standard thermal leptogenesis is rendered unviable due to washout processes and show how $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay and $pp$ collisions provide complementary probes. We find that the new particle spectrum can have a decisive impact on the relative sensitivity of these two probes., Comment: 31 pages + appendix (5 pages), 16 figures, and 5 tables. v5: missing reference in TeX file

We formulate a procedure to obtain a gauge-invariant tunneling rate at zero temperature using the recently developed tunneling potential approach. This procedure relies on a consistent power counting in gauge coupling and a derivative expansion. The tunneling potential approach, while numerically more efficient than the standard bounce solution method, inherits the gauge-dependence of the latter when naively implemented. Using the Abelian Higgs model, we show how to obtain a tunneling rate whose residual gauge-dependence arises solely from the polynomial approximations adopted in the tunneling potential computation., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures; typos corrected

The hypothetical dark photon portal connecting the visible and dark sectors of the Universe has received considerable attention in recent years, with a focus on CP-conserving kinetic mixing between the Standard Model (SM) hypercharge gauge boson and a new U(1)$_X$ gauge boson. In the effective field theory context, one may write down non-renormalizable CP-violating kinetic mixing interactions involving the $X$ and SU(2)$_L$ gauge bosons. We construct for the first time a renormalizable model for CP-violating kinetic mixing that induces CP-violating non-Abelian kinetic mixing at mass dimension five. The model grows out of the type-III seesaw model, with the lepton triplets containing right-handed neutrinos playing a crucial role in making the model renormalizable and providing a bridge to the origin of neutrino mass. This scenario also accommodates electron electric dipole moments (EDM) as large as current experimental bound, making future EDM searches an important probe of this scenario., Comment: To appear in PRD

We compute the one-loop corrections to $\sigma(e^+ e^- \to Z h)$ arising from representative extended Standard Model scalar sector scenarios. According to the new scalar $\mathrm{SU(2)_L}$ representations, we consider the inert doublet, real and complex triplet, quintuplet, and septuplet models. With the sub-percent level precision expected for prospective future $e+e-$ collider measurements of $\sigma(e^+ e^- \to Z h)$, studies of the Higgsstrahlung process will probe extended scalar sector particle spectrum and interactions in a manner complementary to direct searches at the Large Hadron Collider and possible future $pp$ colliders. We also compare with the sensitivity of future Higgs diphoton decay rate measurements. We find that the $\sigma(e^+ e^- \to Z h)$ and $\Gamma(h\to\gamma\gamma)$ complementarity is particularly pronounced for the complex triplet model., Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures; v3: major revision requested by editor

We demonstrate how probes of CP-violating observables in Higgs di-tau decays at prospective future lepton colliders could provide a test of weak scale baryogenesis with significant discovery potential. Measurements at the Circular Electron Positron Collider, for example, could exclude a CP phase larger than $2.9^\circ$ ($5.6^\circ$) at 68% (95%) C.L. assuming the Standard Model value for magnitude of the tau lepton Yukawa coupling. Conversely, this sensitivity would allow for a $5\,\sigma$ discovery for 82% of the CP phase range $[0,2\pi)$. The reaches of the Future Circular Collider - ee and International Linear Collider are comparable. As a consequence, future lepton colliders could establish the presence of CP violation required by lepton flavored electroweak baryogenesis with at least $3\,\sigma$ sensitivity. Our results illustrate that Higgs factories are not just precision machines but can also make $\mathcal O(1)$ measurement of the new physics beyond the Standard Model., Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures

We perform a global fit using results of searches for electric dipole moments (EDM) of diamagnetic systems within the context of the minimal left-right symmetric model. In this way, we disentangle the new "left-right" electroweak and $\bar{\theta}$ contributions that cannot be separated using a single EDM system. Although the fit is done for a specific model, the approach can be applied to any particle physics model. Finally, we revisit the constraint on the $D$ coefficient in $\beta$-decay and find that current EDM bounds do not preclude observation of this T-violating effect in a possible next generation $\beta$-decay experiment., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

We examine the collider and dark matter phenomenology of the Standard Model extended by a hypercharge-zero SU(2) triplet scalar and gauge singlet scalar. In particular, we study the scenario where the singlet and triplet are both charged under a single $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry. We find that such an extension is capable of generating the observed dark matter density, while also modifying the collider phenomenology such that the lower bound on the mass of the triplet is smaller than in minimal triplet scalar extensions to the Standard Model. A high triplet mass is in tension with the parameter space that leads to novel electroweak phase transitions in the early universe. Therefore, the lower triplet masses that are permitted in this extended model are of particular importance for the prospects of successful electroweak baryogenesis and the generation of gravitational waves from early universe phase transitions., Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures. Updated to match version published in JHEP

We study the impact of the mixing (LR mixing) between the standard model $W$ boson and its hypothetical, heavier right-handed parter $W_R$ on the neutrinoless double beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$-decay) rate. Our study is done in the minimal left-right symmetric model assuming type-II dominance scenario with charge conjugation as the left-right symmetry. We then show that the $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay rate may be dominated by the contribution proportional to this LR mixing, which at the hadronic level induces the leading-order contribution to the interaction between two pions and two charged leptons. The resulting long-range pion exchange contribution can significantly enhance the decay rate compared to previously considered short-range contributions. Finally, we find that even if future cosmological experiments rule out the inverted hierarchy for neutrino masses, there are still good prospects for a positive signal in the next generation of $0\nu\beta\beta$-decay experiments., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

New field content beyond that of the Standard Model of particle physics can alter the thermal history of electroweak symmetry breaking in the early universe. In particular, the symmetry breaking may have occurred through a sequence of successive phase transitions. We study the thermodynamics of such scenario in a real triplet extension of the Standard Model, using nonperturbative lattice simulations. Two-step electroweak phase transition is found to occur in a narrow region of allowed parameter space with the second transition always being first order. The first transition into the phase of non-vanishing triplet vacuum expectation value is first order in a non-negligible portion of the two-step parameter space. A comparison with 2-loop perturbative calculation is provided and significant discrepancies with the nonperturbative results are identified.

We study discovery prospects for a real triplet extension of the Standard Model scalar sector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and a possible future 100 TeV $pp$ collider. We focus on the scenario in which the neutral triplet scalar is stable and contributes to the dark matter relic density. When produced in $pp$ collisions, the charged triplet scalar decays to the neutral component plus a soft pion or soft lepton pair, yielding a disappearing charged track in the detector. We recast current 13TeV LHC searches for disappearing tracks, and find that the LHC presently excludes a real triplet scalar lighter than 248 (275) GeV, for a mass splitting of 172 (160) MeV with $\mathcal{L}=\rm36\,$fb$^{-1}$. The reach can extend to 497 (520) GeV with the collection of $3000\,$fb$^{-1}$. We extrapolate the 13 TeV analysis to a prospective 100 TeV $pp$ collider, and find that a $\sim3$ TeV triplet scalar could be discoverable with $\mathcal{L}=30$ ab$^{-1}$, depending on the degree to which pile up effects are under control. We also investigate the dark matter candidate in our model and corresponding present and prospective constraints from dark matter direct detection. We find that currently XENON1T can exclude a real triplet dark matter lighter than $\sim3$ TeV for a Higgs portal coupling of order one or larger, and the future XENON20T will cover almost the entire dark matter viable parameter space except for vanishingly small portal coupling., Comment: 27 pages, 8 plots; match the published version

We study the phenomenology of a hypercharge-zero SU(2) triplet scalar whose existence is motivated by two-step electroweak symmetry-breaking. We consider both the possibility that the triplets are stable and contribute to the dark matter density, or that they decay via mixing with the standard model Higgs boson. The former is constrained by disappearing charged track searches at the LHC and by dark matter direct detection experiments, while the latter is constrained by existing multilepton collider searches. We find that a two-step electroweak phase transition involving a stable triplet with a negative quadratic term is ruled out by direct detection searches, while an unstable triplet with a mass less than $230\ \mathrm{GeV}$ is excluded at $95\%$ confidence level., Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures. Updated to match version published in JHEP

A complete, gauge-invariant computation of two loop virtual corrections involving closed fermion loops to the polarized M{\o}ller scattering asymmetry is presented. The set of contributions involving two closed fermion loops and the set involving one closed fermion loop are numerically similar in magnitude to the one-loop bosonic corrections and yield an overall correction of 1.3% relative to the tree-level asymmetry. We estimate sizes of remaining two-loop contributions and discuss implications for the upcoming MOLLER experiment., Comment: 6 pages; v2: numerical error and few typos corrected, published version

Determining the thermal history of electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) is an important challenge for particle physics and cosmology. Lattice simulations indicate that EWSB in the Standard Model (SM) occurs through a crossover transition, while the presence of new physics beyond the SM could alter this thermal history. The occurrence of a first order EWSB transition would be particularly interesting, providing the needed pre-conditions for generation of the cosmic matter-antimatter asymmetry and sources for potentially observable gravitational radiation. I provide simple, generic arguments that if such an alternate thermal history exists, the new particles involved cannot be too heavy with respect to the SM electroweak temperature, nor can they interact too feebly with the SM Higgs boson. These arguments do not rely on the decoupling limit. I derive corresponding quantitative expectations for masses and interaction strengths which imply that their effects could in principle be observed (or ruled out) by prospective next generation high energy colliders. The simple, generic arguments provide a quantitative, parametric understanding of results obtained in a wide range of explicit model studies; relate them explicitly to the electroweak temperature; and delineate broad contours of collider phenomenology pertaining to a non-standard history of EWSB., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures; references and discussion added; accepted for publication in JHEP

Light new physics weakly coupled to the Higgs can induce a strong first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT). Here, we argue that scenarios in which the EWPT is driven first-order by a light scalar with mass between $\sim 10$ GeV - $m_h/2$ and small mixing with the Higgs will be conclusively probed by the high-luminosity LHC and future Higgs factories. Our arguments are based on analytic and numerical studies of the finite-temperature effective potential and provide a well-motivated target for exotic Higgs decay searches at the LHC and future lepton colliders., Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures. Happy Thanksgiving!

We investigate the prospective reach of the 14 TeV HL-LHC for resonant production of a heavy Higgs boson that decays to two SM-like Higgs bosons in the $4b$ final state in the scalar singlet extended Standard Model. We focus on the reach for choices of parameters yielding a strong first order electroweak phase transition. The event selection follows the $4b$ analysis by the ATLAS Collaboration, enhanced with the use of a boosted decision tree method to optimize the discrimination between signal and background events. The output of the multivariate discriminant is used directly in the statistical analysis. The prospective reach of the $4b$ channel is compatible with previous projections for the $bb\gamma\gamma$ and $4\tau$ channels for heavy Higgs boson mass $m_2$ below 500 GeV and superior to these channels for $m_2 > 500$ GeV. With 3 ab$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity, it is possible to discover the heavy Higgs boson in the $4b$ channel for $m_2< 500$ GeV in regions of parameter space yielding a strong first order electroweak phase transition and satisfying all other phenomenological constraints., Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, 2 appendices

We present the first end-to-end nonperturbative analysis of the gravitational wave power spectrum from a thermal first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT), using the framework of dimensionally reduced effective field theory and pre-existing nonperturbative simulation results. We are able to show that a first-order EWPT in any beyond the Standard Model (BSM) scenario that can be described by a Standard Model-like effective theory at long distances will produce gravitational wave signatures too weak to be observed at existing and planned detectors. This implies that colliders are likely to provide the best chance of exploring the phase structure of such theories, while transitions strong enough to be detected at gravitational wave experiments require either previously neglected higher-dimension operators or light BSM fields to be included in the dimensionally reduced effective theory and therefore necessitate dedicated nonperturbative studies. As a concrete application, we analyze the real singlet-extended Standard Model and identify regions of parameter space with single-step first-order transitions, comparing our findings to those obtained using a fully perturbative method. We discuss the prospects for exploring the electroweak phase diagram in this model at collider and gravitational wave experiments in light of our nonperturbative results., Comment: 18 pages + references, 6 figures

We investigate the viability of electroweak baryogenesis in a model with a first order electroweak phase transition induced by the addition of two gauge singlet scalars. A vector-like lepton doublet is introduced in order to provide CP violating interactions with the singlets and Standard Model leptons, and the asymmetry generation dynamics are examined using the vacuum expectation value insertion approximation. We find that such a model is readily capable of generating sufficient baryon asymmetry while satisfying electron electric dipole moment and collider phenomenology constraints., Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures. Citations added. Benchmarks, figures and tables updated, error fixed in calculations. Matches version published in JHEP

Particles beyond the Standard Model (SM) can generically have lifetimes that are long compared to SM particles at the weak scale. When produced at experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, these long-lived particles (LLPs) can decay far from the interaction vertex of the primary proton-proton collision. Such LLP signatures are distinct from those of promptly decaying particles that are targeted by the majority of searches for new physics at the LHC, often requiring customized techniques to identify, for example, significantly displaced decay vertices, tracks with atypical properties, and short track segments. Given their non-standard nature, a comprehensive overview of LLP signatures at the LHC is beneficial to ensure that possible avenues of the discovery of new physics are not overlooked. Here we report on the joint work of a community of theorists and experimentalists with the ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb experiments --- as well as those working on dedicated experiments such as MoEDAL, milliQan, MATHUSLA, CODEX-b, and FASER --- to survey the current state of LLP searches at the LHC, and to chart a path for the development of LLP searches into the future, both in the upcoming Run 3 and at the High-Luminosity LHC. The work is organized around the current and future potential capabilities of LHC experiments to generally discover new LLPs, and takes a signature-based approach to surveying classes of models that give rise to LLPs rather than emphasizing any particular theory motivation. We develop a set of simplified models; assess the coverage of current searches; document known, often unexpected backgrounds; explore the capabilities of proposed detector upgrades; provide recommendations for the presentation of search results; and look towards the newest frontiers, namely high-multiplicity "dark showers", highlighting opportunities for expanding the LHC reach for these signals.

We introduce a scenario for CP-violating (CPV) dark photon interactions in the context of non-abelian kinetic mixing. Assuming an effective field theory that extends the Standard Model (SM) field content with an additional $U(1)$ gauge boson ($X$) and a $SU(2)_L$ triplet scalar, we show that there exist both CP-conserving and CPV dimension five operators involving these new degrees of freedom and the SM $SU(2)_L$ gauge bosons. The former yields kinetic mixing between the $X$ and the neutral $SU(2)_L$ gauge boson (yielding the dark photon), while the latter induces CPV interactions of the dark photon with the SM particles. We discuss experimental probes of these interactions using searches for permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) and di-jet correlations in high-energy $pp$ collisions. It is found that the experimental limit on the electron EDM currently gives the strongest restriction on the CPV interaction. In principle, high energy $pp$ collisions provide a complementary probe through azimuthal angular correlations of the two forward tagging jets in vector boson fusion. In practice, observation of the associated CPV asymmetry is likely to be challenging.

We revisit the theory and phenomenology of scalar electroweak multiplet thermal dark matter. We derive the most general, renormalizable scalar potential, assuming the presence of the Standard Model Higgs doublet, $H$, and an electroweak multiplet $\Phi$ of arbitrary SU(2$)_L$ rank and hypercharge, $Y$. We show that, in general, the $\Phi$-$H$ Higgs portal interactions depend on three, rather than two independent couplings as has been previously considered in the literature. For the phenomenologically viable case of $Y=0$ multiplets, we focus on the septuplet and quintuplet cases, and consider the interplay of relic density and spin-independent direct detection cross section. We show that both the relic density and direct detection cross sections depend on a single linear combination of Higgs portal couplings, $\lambda_{\rm eff}$. For $\lambda_{\rm eff}\sim \mathcal{O}(1)$, present direct detection exclusion limits imply that the neutral component of a scalar electroweak multiplet would comprise a subdominant fraction of the observed DM relic density., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures

We propose a novel dispersive treatment of the so-called inner radiative correction to the neutron and nuclear $\beta$-decay. We show that it requires knowledge of the parity-violating structure function $F_3^{(0)}$ that arises from the interference of the axial vector charged current and the isoscalar part of the electromagnetic current. By isospin symmetry, we relate this structure function to the charged current inelastic scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos. Applying this new data-driven analysis we obtain a new, more precise evaluation for the universal radiative correction $\Delta_{R}^{V,\,new}=0.02467(22)$ that supersedes the previous estimate by Marciano and Sirlin, $\Delta_R^V=0.02361(38)$. The substantial shift in the central value of $\Delta_R^V$ reflects in a respective shift of $V_{ud}$ and a considerable tension in the unitarity constraint on the first row of the CKM matrix which is used as one of the most stringent constraints on New Physics contributions in the charged current sector. We also point out that dispersion relations offer a unifying tool for treating hadronic and nuclear corrections within the same framework. We explore the potential of the dispersion relations for addressing the nuclear structure corrections absorbed in the ${\cal F}t$ values, a crucial ingredient alongside $\Delta_R^V$ in extracting $V_{ud}$ from superallowed nuclear decays., Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures; Version accepted to Phys. Rev. D

We assess the sensitivity of the LHC, its high energy upgrade, and a prospective 100 TeV hadronic collider to the Dirac Yukawa coupling of the heavy neutrinos in left-right symmetric models (LRSMs). We focus specifically on the trilepton final state in regions of parameter space yielding prompt decays of the right-handed gauge bosons ($W_R$) and neutrinos ($N_R$). In the minimal LRSM, the Dirac Yukawa couplings are completely fixed in terms of the mass matrices for the heavy and light neutrinos. In this case, the trilepton signal provides a direct probe of the Dirac mass term for a fixed $W_R$ and $N_R$ mass. We find that while it is possible to discover the $W_R$ at the LHC, probing the Dirac Yukawa couplings will require a 100 TeV $pp$ collider. We also show that the observation of the trilepton signal at the LHC would indicate the presence of a non-minimal LRSM scenario., Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, references added

We investigate the collider phenomenology of the scalar triplet particles in the Type-II seesaw model at a 100 TeV $pp$ collider. Depending on triplet vacuum expectation value $v_\Delta$, the dominant discovery channels could be $H^{++} H^{--}$ and $H^{\pm\pm}H^\mp$. We find the $H^{\pm\pm}H^\mp\to W^\pm W^\pm h W^\mp/\ell^\pm \ell^\pm h W^\mp$ channels are promising for both model discovery at relatively large $v_\Delta$ and determination of the Higgs portal couplings $\lambda_4$ and $\lambda_5$. We also find that these two channels are complementary to indirect determination of $\lambda_4$ from future precise measurements on $h\to\gamma\gamma$ decay rate. Together with pair production of the doubly-charged Higgs subsequently decaying into same-sign di-leptons, the $H^{\pm\pm}H^\mp$ channels have the potential to cover a significant portion of the parameter space of the Type-II seesaw complex scalar triplet model., Comment: 35 pages, 13 figures