Flavor Violation Research Articles

On the IR/UV flavour connection in non-universal axion models

Non-universal axion models, with the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry acting on Standard Model (SM) fermions in a generation-dependent way, are typically accompanied by two different sources of flavour violation, dubbed here as infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV). The former is due to the flavour violating axion couplings to SM fermions, while the latter arises from the heavy degrees of freedom that UV complete the axion effective field theory. We point out that these two sources of flavour violation are directly related and exemplify this connection in a general class of non-universal axion model, based on a renormalizable DFSZ-like setup with two Higgs doublets (PQ-2HDM). We next discuss the interplay of axion flavour phenomenology with the signatures stemming from the heavy radial modes of the PQ-2HDM, including meson oscillation observables and charged lepton flavour violating decays. We emphasize the strong complementarity between flavour observables, LHC direct searches and standard axion physics.

Tri-bimaximal-Cabibbo mixing: flavour violations in the charged lepton sector

The well understood structure of U_{pmns} matrix mandates a Cabibbo mixing matrix in the first two generations of the charged lepton sector if we assume Tri-bimaximal mixing in the neutrino sector. This ansatz, called Tri-bimaximal-Cabibbo mixing, is ruled out immediately by the experiments searching for charged lepton flavour violating currents. In this article, we aim to show that the resurrection of the theoretically well motivated Tri-bimaximal mixing scenario comes naturally within Minimal Flavour Violation hypothesis in the lepton sector. We analyse the flavour violating currents mu rightarrow e e e, mu Ti rightarrow e Ti, mu rightarrow e gamma , pi ^0rightarrow e^+ mu ^{-} and K_L rightarrow mu ^+ e^- in this scenario and show that the New Physics that generates mixing among the charged lepton could lie within the reach of hadron colliders. In the minimal field content scenario, though the most stringent constrain on New Physics is gtrsim {mathcal {O}}(10 TeV) for maximal coupling, considering more natural couplings relaxes it to gtrsim {mathcal {O}}(4 TeV). On the other hand, New Physics with the extended field content is even more strongly constrained to gtrsim {mathcal {O}}(75 TeV) for maximal coupling, while it gets relaxed to gtrsim {mathcal {O}}(31 TeV) for natural scenario.

Neutrino phenomenology, W -mass anomaly, and muon ( g−2 ) in a minimal type-III seesaw model using a T′ modular symmetry

In this study, we attempt to introduce a model to illustrate neutrino phenomenology by incorporating two right-handed fermion triplet superfields, i.e., $\Sigma_{R_j}$, in the presence of the modular symmetry $\Gamma_3^\prime \simeq A_4^\prime$, a double cover of the $A_4$ modular symmetry. The motivation in utilizing double cover is, so far only even modular forms were considered for constructing modular invariant models, but, in this case, it is possible to extend the modular invariance approach to general integral weight modular forms, i.e., the odd weight modular forms. Hence, this type of amalgamation between $T^\prime$ modular symmetry and minimally extending the seesaw can correctly explain the neutrino phenomenology. Additionally, we have made an attempt to accommodate the most recent measurement of the $W$ boson mass, published by the CDF-II collaboration and shed some light on the recent results of muon $(g-2)$. Finally, we have discussed lepton flavor violation in order to establish a constraint on the mass of right-handed fermion.

Model-independent analysis of varvec{b rightarrow d} processes

We perform a model-independent analysis of |Delta b|=|Delta d|=1 processes to test the standard model and probe flavor patterns of new physics. Constraints on Wilson coefficients are obtained from global fits to B^+ rightarrow pi ^+ ,mu ^+mu ^-, B^0_srightarrow bar{K}^{*0}, mu ^+mu ^-, B^0rightarrow mu ^+mu ^-, and radiative B rightarrow X_d ,gamma decays data. The fits are consistent with the standard model but leave sizable room for new physics. Besides higher-statistics measurements and more data in theory-friendly bins of the dilepton mass, further complementary observables such as angular distributions of B_s^0 rightarrow bar{K}^{*0},ell ^+ ell ^-, B rightarrow rho ,ell ^+ ell ^- or the baryonic modes Xi _b rightarrow Sigma ,ell ^+ ell ^-, Omega _b^- rightarrow Xi ^- , ell ^+ ell ^- are necessary to resolve the significant degeneracy in the fit for the semileptonic four-fermion operators. Assuming minimal quark flavor violation, the b rightarrow s global fit implies tight constraints on the b rightarrow d couplings, and hence allows to test this paradigm with improved data. Another benefit from |Delta b|=|Delta d|=1 processes is to shed light on the B-anomalies in |Delta b|=|Delta s|=1 modes from a new angle. Specifically, studies of lepton flavor-specific and dineutrino modes are informative on the lepton flavor structure. Rare b rightarrow d , ell ell , nu bar{nu } decays can be studied at high luminosity flavor facilities LHCb, Belle II, and a future Z-factory.

UV physics from IR features: New prospects from top flavor violation

New physics in the rare top decays $t \to q \ell^+\ell^-$ is currently very weakly constrained. We show that in a large class of Standard Model extensions, existing experimental constraints on new physics in flavor-conserving processes imply strong indirect bounds on new physics contributions to flavor-violating processes of the form $t \to q \ell^+\ell^-$. These indirect bounds arise from basic principles of quantum field theory together with a few generic conditions on the UV structure of the theory, and are roughly an order of magnitude stronger than the present experimental bounds on the same processes. These constraints provide a theoretically-motivated target for experimental searches for $t \to q \ell^+\ell^-$: violation of these bounds would exclude a large class of new physics models, and would provide nontrivial insight into the UV behavior of the new physics.

Lepton-flavoured scalar dark matter in Dark Minimal Flavour Violation

We study a simplified model of lepton-flavoured complex scalar dark matter set up in the Dark Minimal Flavour Violation framework. In this model the Standard Model is extended by a scalar dark matter flavour triplet and a charged fermionic mediator, through which dark matter couples to the right-handed charged leptons of the Standard Model. This interaction is parameterized by a new 3 × 3 coupling matrix λ. Consistent with the field content of the model, also the Standard Model’s approximate flavour symmetry is extended to include an additional global U(3) associated with the dark matter flavour triplet. In addition to the Standard Model Yukawa couplings, the new coupling matrix λ is assumed to constitute the only source that violates this extended symmetry. We analyse the parameter space of this model by investigating constraints from collider searches, lepton flavour violating decays, the observed dark matter relic density, and direct as well as indirect dark matter detection experiments. By performing a combined analysis of all constraints we find that restrictions from lepton flavour violating decays, the observed relic density and dark matter nucleon scattering are dominant. The combination of the latter two renders limits from collider searches irrelevant while indirect detection constraints are weak due to a p-wave suppression of the annihilation rate. We conclude that lepton-flavoured scalar dark matter has a rich phenomenology and is a viable dark matter candidate.

Enhanced Bq→ℓℓ′ and B→(K,π)ℓℓ′ in light of (g−2)μ

We study lepton flavor violating (LFV) $B$ decays in a general two Higgs doublet model with sub-TeV exotic scalars. Two different parameter spaces are explored: one dominated by extra top Yukawa coupling $\rho_{tt}$, the other by LFV couplings relevant for the muon $g-2$ anomaly. In the first case, flavor constraints such as $\ell \to \ell^\prime\gamma$, $h \to \ell\ell^\prime$ imply LFV $B$ decays are far below experimental sensitivities. The second case needs to be close to the alignment limit, but $B_q \to \tau\mu$ and $B \to (K, \pi) \tau\mu$ rates can lie within the sensitivities of Belle II and LHCb Upgrade II. Neutral $B$ meson mixings and $B,\, K,\, \pi \to \ell \nu$ decays provide important flavor constraints on parameter space. $B$ decays involving $e$-$\tau$ violation are constrained by $\mu\to e$ processes.

Rare decay t→cγγ via scalar leptoquark doublets

A calculation of the one-loop contribution to the rare three-body flavor changing neutral current top quark decay $t\to c\gamma\gamma$ is presented in the framework of models with one or more scalar leptoquark $SU(2)$ doublets with hypercharge $7/6$. Analytical expressions for the invariant amplitude of the generic decay $f_i\to f_j\gamma\gamma$, with $f_{i,j}$ a lepton or quark, are presented in terms of Passarino-Veltman integral coefficients, from which the amplitudes for the processes $t\to c\gamma\gamma$ and $\ell_i\to \ell_j\gamma\gamma$ follow easily. An analysis of the current constraints on the parameter space is presented in the scenario with only one scalar LQ doublet and bounds on the LQ couplings are obtained from the muon $g-2$ anomaly, the lepton flavor violating (LFV) decay $\tau\to \mu\gamma$ and extra constraints meant to avoid tension between theory predictions and experimental data. For a LQ with a mass in the range of $1$--$1.5$ TeVs, the estimate ${\rm Br}(t\to c\gamma\gamma)\sim 10^{-11}$--$10^{-12}$ is obtained for the largest allowed values of the LQ coupling constants, which means that this decay would be below the reach of future experimental measurements. We also consider an scenario with three scalar doublets, which was recently proposed to explain the lepton flavor universality violation anomalies in $B$ decays as well as the muon $g-2$ anomaly. Although this scenario allows large LQ couplings to the tau lepton and the $c$ and $t$ quarks, the branching ratio of the $t\to c\gamma\gamma$ decay is also of the order of $10^{-11}$--$10^{-12}$ for LQ masses of 1.7 TeV.

Search for leptophilic dark matter at the LHeC

The Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) has been designed to push the field of deep inelastic scattering to the high energy and intensity frontier using an intense electron beam with a proton beam from the High Luminosity–Large Hadron Collider. However, LHeC is also a great laboratory for new physics. In this work, we propose a search for dark matter that couples with leptons. This may yield and signals that can be potentially observed through simple missing-energy cuts that suppress the Standard Model background. Considering direct dark matter detection and LHC constraints, we show that LHeC offers a complementary probe for a weak scale dark matter fermion for masses up to 350 GeV, which reproduces the correct relic density, and has interesting implications for lepton flavor violation.

Riding the Seesaw: what Higgsstrahlung may reveal about massive neutrinos

We investigate if the projected high-precision measurements of the cross section of the Higgsstrahlung process e^+ e^- rightarrow Zh at a future electron–positron collider can be utilised to indirectly probe the fermionic Seesaw models. We consider the two centre-of-mass energies sqrt{s}=240 GeV and 365 GeV, and compare the collider reaches to constraints from electroweak observables, probes of lepton flavour universality and the existing and prospective bounds from searches for lepton flavour violation. For the analysis we assume the limit of an exactly conserved lepton-number symmetry. We find that while any appreciable correction to the Higgsstrahlung cross section is already strictly constrained in the Type-I Seesaw model, effects of up to {mathcal {O}}(10%) are possible within Type-III Seesaw.

Axion dark matter from lepton flavor-violating decays

We propose simple scenarios where lepton flavor-violating couplings generate the observed dark matter abundance through freeze-in of an axion-like particle with mass in the few keV range. Compared to flavor-diagonal freeze-in, this mechanism enhances dark matter stability, softens stellar cooling constraints and improves the experimental sensitivity of accelerator-based searches. These scenarios can be tested by future X-ray telescopes, and in some cases will be almost entirely probed by new searches for lepton flavor violation at high-intensity experiments such as Mu3e and MEG II.

Constraining lepton flavor violating Higgs couplings at the HL-LHC in the vector boson fusion channel

We explore the parameter space of lepton flavor violating (LFV) neutral Higgs Yukawa couplings with the muon and tau leptons that can be probed at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) via the vector boson fusion (VBF) Higgs production process. Our projected sensitivities for the Standard Model Higgs ($h$) LFV branching ratio $\text{Br}(h\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\tau})$ in the $pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}hjj\ensuremath{\rightarrow}(h\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\tau})jj$ channel at the HL-LHC are contrasted with the current and future low-energy constraints from the anomalous magnetic moment and electric dipole moment of the muon, as well as with other LFV observables, such as $\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3\ensuremath{\mu}$ and $\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\gamma}$. We also study the LFV prospects of a generic beyond the Standard Model neutral Higgs boson ($H$) with a mass in the range of ${m}_{H}\ensuremath{\in}[20,800]\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ and give the projected model-independent upper limits on the VBF production cross section of $Hjj$ times the branching ratio of $H\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\tau}$ at the HL-LHC. We interpret these results in the context of a two-Higgs doublet model as a case study.

Variant Nelson-Barr mechanism with minimal flavor violation

Within the general framework of using spontaneous CP violation to solve the strong CP problem, we construct a variant Nelson-Barr model in which the Standard Model (SM) quark contribution to the strong CP phase is cancelled by new heavy QCD-charged fermions. This cancellation is ensured by choosing conjugate representations for the new colored states under the same global flavor symmetry of SM quarks. Choosing the global flavor symmetry to be that of minimal flavor violation, we suppress higher-order corrections to the strong CP phase to well below current experimental constraints. More than two dozen massless Goldstone bosons emerge from spontaneous flavor symmetry breaking, which yield strong astrophysical constraints on the symmetry breaking scale. In the early universe, the Goldstone bosons can be thermally produced from their interactions with the heavy colored fermions and contribute to ∆Neff at a measurable level. As a function of reheating temperature, the predicted ∆Neff shows an interesting plateau behavior we dub the “flavor stairway”, which encodes information about the SM quark flavor structure.

HighPT: A tool for high-pT Drell-Yan tails beyond the standard model

HighPT is a Mathematica package for the analysis of high-energy data of semileptonic transitions at hadron colliders. It allows to compute high-pT tail observables for semileptonic processes, i.e. Drell-Yan cross sections, for dilepton and monolepton final states at the LHC. These observables can be calculated at tree level within the Standard Model Effective Field Theory, including the relevant operators up to dimension eight to ensure a consistent description of the cross section including terms of O(Λ−4) in the cutoff scale Λ. For New Physics models with new mediators that can be resolved at LHC energies, HighPT can also account for the full propagation effects of these new bosonic states at tree level. Using the available data from the high-pT tails in the relevant LHC run-II searches by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations, HighPT can also construct the corresponding likelihoods for all possible flavors of the leptonic final states. As an illustration, we derive and compare constraints on Wilson coefficients at different orders in the Effective Field Theory expansion, and we investigate lepton flavor violation for the S3 leptoquark model. The HighPT code is publicly available at ▪. Program summaryProgram title:HighPTCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/zh5yx6j4xj.1Developer's repository link:https://github.com/HighPT/HighPTLicensing provisions: MIT licenseProgramming language: MathematicaNature of problem: Constraining New Physics scenarios with high-pT Drell-Yan data.Solution method: We present the first tool allowing to extract bounds, computed at leading order, on semileptonic transitions in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory, including operators up to dimension eight, and in explicit New Physics models.

Zee-model predictions for lepton flavor violation

The Zee model provides a simple model for one-loop Majorana neutrino masses. The new scalars can furthermore explain the long-standing deviation in the muon's magnetic moment and the recent CDF measurement of the W-boson mass. Together, these observations yield predictions for lepton flavor violating processes that are almost entirely testable in the near future. The remaining parameter space makes testable predictions for neutrino masses.

Searches for heavy neutrinos at multi-TeV muon collider: a resonant leptogenesis perspective

In this work, the Standard Model (SM) is extended with two right-handed (RH) neutrinos and two singlet neutral fermions to yield active neutrino masses via (2,2) inverse see-saw mechanism. We first validate the multi-dimensional model parameter space with neutrino oscillation data, obeying the experimental bounds coming from the lepton flavor violating (LFV) decays: mu rightarrow e gamma ,~ tau rightarrow e gamma , ~ tau rightarrow mu gamma . Besides we also search for the portion of the parameter space which yield the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe via resonant leptogenesis. Further, we pick up a few benchmark points from the aforementioned parameter space with TeV scale heavy neutrinos and perform an exhaustive collider analysis of the final states: 2l + E_T !!!!!!/;, and 1,l + 2j + not ! E_T in multi-TeV muon collider.

Commissioning the Muon Campus external beamline: first beam optics measurement

The Fermilab Mu2e experiment aims to observe charged lepton flavor violation through the direct conversion of a muon to an electron. This can be accomplished with the considerable challenge of manipulating and transporting large numbers of protons confined to a narrow phase space region without significant particle losses or deterioration of beam quality before reaching the production target. In this paper we report the first results from the commissioning the beamline upstream the Mu2e production target. We first discuss the evolution of the beam distribution in x-y plane after collecting a series of beam profiles along the line. Then, we discuss the beam evolution in phase-space by measuring the beam's Twiss parameters using two independent techniques. Finally, with the aid of numerical simulations we compare our measured data with design parameters and discuss similarities and differences observed.

Muon g−2 anomaly in a left-right model with an inverse seesaw mechanism

We investigate the possibility of explanation for the muon anomalous magnetic moment ${g}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{-}2$ in a left-right model with an inverse seesaw mechanism. We emphasize that the observed deviation from the Standard Model predictions can be accommodated in a large part of the parameter space of this class of models, where loops with massive neutrinos and charged Higgs boson as well as the weak $W$ boson contribute significantly to ${g}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{-}2$. Stringent constraints due to lepton flavor violation $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e\ensuremath{\gamma}$, $\ensuremath{\mu}\text{\ensuremath{-}}e$ conversion and the electron anomalous magnetic moment ${g}_{e}\ensuremath{-}2$ are considered, and the results are compatible.

Nuclear-level effective theory of μ→e conversion: Formalism and applications

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.

Nuclear-Level Effective Theory of μ→e Conversion.

The Mu2e and COMET μ→e conversion experiments are expected to significantly advance limits on new sources of charged lepton flavor violation. Almost all theoretical work in the field has focused on just two operators. However, general symmetry arguments lead to a μ→e conversion rate with six response functions, each of which, in principle, is observable by varying nuclear properties of targets. We construct a nucleon-level nonrelativistic effective theory (NRET) to clarify the microscopic origin of these response functions and to relate rate measurements in different targets. This exercise identifies three operators and their small parameters that control the NRET operator expansion. We note inconsistencies in past treatments of these parameters. The NRET is technically challenging, involving 16 operators, several distorted electron partial waves, bound muon upper and lower components, and an exclusive nuclear matrix element. We introduce a trick for treating the electron Coulomb effects accurately, which enables us to include all of these effects while producing transition densities whose one-body matrix elements can be evaluated analytically, greatly simplifying the nuclear physics. We derive bounds on operator coefficients from existing and anticipated μ→e conversion experiments. We discuss how similar NRET formulations have impacted dark matter phenomenology, noting that the tools this community has developed could be adapted for charged lepton flavor violation studies.