Gauge Sector Research Articles

Strongly Interacting Dark Matter from Sp(4) Gauge Theory

The stable hadronic bound states in a hidden new non-Abelian gauge sector provide interesting candidates for strongly-interacting Dark Matter (DM). A particular example are theories in which DM is made up of dark pions which set the DM relic abundance through self-annihilation. One of the simplest realizations is Sp(4)c gauge theory with two Dirac fermions. We discuss its mesonic multiplets for degenerate and non-degenerate fermions, construct a low-energy effective theory and present lattice results for the pseudoscalar mesons and vector mesons.

Searching for dark matter signals in timing spectra at neutrino experiments

The sensitivity to dark matter signals at neutrino experiments is fundamentally challenged by the neutrino rates, as they leave similar signatures in their detectors. As a way to improve the signal sensitivity, we investigate a dark matter search strategy which utilizes the timing and energy spectra to discriminate dark matter from neutrino signals at low-energy, pulsed-beam neutrino experiments. This strategy was proposed in our companion paper Phys. Rev. Lett.124 (2020) 121802 [1], which we apply to potential searches at COHERENT, JSNS2, and CCM. These experiments are not only sources of neutrinos but also high intensity sources of photons. The dark matter candidate of interest comes from the relatively prompt decay of a dark sector gauge boson which may replace a Standard-Model photon, so the delayed neutrino events can be suppressed by keeping prompt events only. Furthermore, prompt neutrino events can be rejected by a cut in recoil energy spectra, as their incoming energy is relatively small and bounded from above while dark matter may deposit a sizable energy beyond it. We apply the search strategy of imposing a combination of energy and timing cuts to the existing CsI and LAr data of the COHERENT experiment as concrete examples, and report a mild excess beyond known backgrounds. We then investigate the expected sensitivity reaches to dark matter signals in our benchmark experiments.

Symplectic embeddings, homotopy algebras and almost Poisson gauge symmetry

We formulate general definitions of semi-classical gauge transformations for noncommutative gauge theories in general backgrounds of string theory, and give novel explicit constructions using techniques based on symplectic embeddings of almost Poisson structures. In the absence of fluxes the gauge symmetries close a Poisson gauge algebra and their action is governed by a P ∞-algebra which we construct explicitly from the symplectic embedding. In curved backgrounds they close a field dependent gauge algebra governed by an L ∞-algebra which is not a P ∞-algebra. Our technique produces new all orders constructions which are significantly simpler compared to previous approaches, and we illustrate its applicability in several examples of interest in noncommutative field theory and gravity. We further show that our symplectic embeddings naturally define a P ∞-structure on the exterior algebra of differential forms on a generic almost Poisson manifold, which generalizes earlier constructions of differential graded Poisson algebras, and suggests a new approach to defining noncommutative gauge theories beyond the gauge sector and the semi-classical limit based on A ∞-algebras.

Supersymmetric particle and Higgs boson masses from the landscape: Dynamical versus spontaneous supersymmetry breaking

Perturbative supersymmetry breaking on the landscape of string vacua is expected to favor large soft terms as a power-law or log distribution, but tempered by an anthropic veto of inappropriate vacua or vacua leading to too large a value for the derived weak scale -- a violation of the atomic principle. Indeed, scans of such vacua yield a statistical prediction for light Higgs boson mass m_h~ 125 GeV with sparticles (save possibly light higgsinos) typically beyond LHC reach. In contrast, models of dynamical SUSY breaking (DSB) -- with a hidden sector gauge coupling g^2 scanned uniformly -- lead to gaugino condensation and a uniform distribution of soft parameters on a log scale. Then soft terms are expected to be distributed as $m_{\rm soft}^{-1}$ favoring small values. A scan of DSB soft terms generally leads to $m_h\ll 125$ GeV and sparticle masses usually below LHC limits. Thus, the DSB landscape scenario seems excluded from LHC search results. An alternative is that the exponential suppression of the weak scale is set anthropically on the landscape via the atomic principle.

UPDATED CONSTRAINTS ON HEAVY RESONANCES USING THE RUN 2 DATA AT LHC

The full ATLAS and CMS Run 2 data set at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) with time- integrated luminosity of 139 fb −1 and 137 fb −1 , re- spectively, in the diboson channel is used to probe benchmark models with extended gauge sectors: theE 6 -motivated Grand Unification models, the left-right symmetric LR and the sequential standard model. These all predict neutral Z' and charged W' vector bosons, decaying into lepton or electroweak gauge boson pairs. We present constraints on the parameter space of the Z' and W' and compare them to those obtained from the previous analyses performed withLHC data collected at 7 and 8 TeV in Run 1 as well as at 13 TeV in Run 2 at time-integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb −1 . We show that proton-proton collision data at √ s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS and the CMS experiments allow to set the most stringent bounds to date on Z-Z' and W-W' mixing.

Linking continuum and lattice quark mass functions via an effective charge

The quark mass function is computed both by solving the quark propagator Dyson-Schwinger equation and from lattice simulations implementing overlap and Domain-Wall fermion actions for valence and sea quarks, respectively. The results are confronted and seen to produce a very congruent picture, showing a remarkable agreement for the explored range of current-quark masses. The effective running-interaction is based on a process-independent charge rooted on a particular truncation of the Dyson-Schwinger equations in the gauge sector, establishing thus a link from there to the quark sector and inspiring a correlation between the emergence of gluon and hadron masses.

Polarized Z bosons from the decay of a Higgs boson produced in association with two jets at the LHC

Investigating the polarization of weak bosons provides an important probe of the scalar and gauge sector of the Standard Model. This can be done in the Higgs decay to four leptons, whose Standard-Model leading-order amplitude enables to generate polarized observables from unpolarized ones via a fully-differential reweighting method. We study the text {Z} -boson polarization from the decay of a Higgs boson produced in association with two jets, both in the gluon-fusion and in the vector-boson fusion channel. We also address the possibility of extending the results of this work to higher orders in perturbation theory.

Dark sector to restore cosmological concordance

We develop a new phenomenological model that addresses current tensions between observations of the early and late Universe. Our scenario features: (i) a decaying dark energy fluid (DDE), which undergoes a transition at $z \sim 5,000$, to raise today's value of the Hubble parameter -- addressing the $H_0$ tension, and (ii) an ultra-light axion (ULA), which starts oscillating at $z\gtrsim 10^4$, to suppress the matter power spectrum -- addressing the $S_8$ tension. Our Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses show that such a Dark Sector model fits a combination of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), Baryon Acoustic Oscillations, and Large Scale Structure (LSS) data slightly better than the $\Lambda$CDM model, while importantly reducing both the $H_0$ and $S_8$ tensions with late universe probes ($\lesssim 3\sigma$). Combined with measurements from cosmic shear surveys, we find that the discrepancy on $S_8$ is reduced to the $1.4\sigma$ level, and the value of $H_0$ is further raised. Adding local supernovae measurements, we find that the $H_0$ and $S_8$ tensions are reduced to the $1.4\sigma$ and $1.2\sigma$ level respectively, with a significant improvement $\Delta\chi^2\simeq -18$ compared to the $\Lambda$CDM model. With this complete dataset, the DDE and ULA are detected at $\simeq 4\sigma$ and $\simeq2\sigma$, respectively. We discuss a possible particle physics realization of this model, with a dark confining gauge sector and its associated axion, although embedding the full details within microphysics remains an urgent open question. Our scenario will be decisively probed with future CMB and LSS surveys.

Restricting loop expansions in gauge theories coupled to matter

Quantizing any model in which a Lagrange multiplier (LM) field is used to restrict field configurations to those that satisfy the classical equations of motion, leads to at most one-loop radiative corrections. This approach can be used with both the Yang–Mills (YM) and Einstein–Hilbert (EH) action; the resulting theory is both renormalizable and unitary, has a positive energy spectrum and has no negative norm states contributing to physical processes. Although this approach cannot be consistently used with scalar fields alone, scalar fields can be coupled to gauge fields so that loop effects in the gauge sector are restricted to one-loop order in a way that satisfies the usual criterion for a consistent quantum field theory. The tree-level diagrams are those of the classical theory in which the metric couples to the energy–momentum tensor.

Gauge-Symmetry Protection Using Single-Body Terms

Quantum-simulator hardware promises new insights into problems from particle and nuclear physics. A major challenge is to reproduce gauge invariance, as violations of this quintessential property of lattice gauge theories can have dramatic consequences, e.g., the generation of a photon mass in quantum electrodynamics. Here, we introduce an experimentally friendly method to protect gauge invariance in $\mathrm{U}(1)$ lattice gauge theories against coherent errors in a controllable way. Our method employs only single-body energy-penalty terms, thus enabling practical implementations. As we derive analytically, some sets of penalty coefficients render undesired gauge sectors inaccessible by unitary dynamics for exponentially long times, and, for few-body error terms, with resources independent of system size. These findings constitute an exponential improvement over previously known results from energy-gap protection or perturbative treatments. In our method, the gauge-invariant subspace is protected by an emergent global symmetry, meaning it can be immediately applied to other symmetries. In our numerical benchmarks for continuous-time and digital quantum simulations, gauge protection holds for all calculated evolution times (up to $t>10^{10}/J$ for continuous time, with $J$ the relevant energy scale). Crucially, our gauge-protection technique is simpler to realize than the associated ideal gauge theory, and can thus be readily implemented in current ultracold-atom analog simulators as well as digital noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) devices.

Scalar and gauge sectors in the 3-Higgs Doublet Model under the S_3 symmetry

We analyse the Higgs sector of an S_3 model with three Higgs doublets and no CP violation. After electroweak breaking there are nine physical Higgs bosons, one of which corresponds to the Standard Model one. We study the scalar and gauge sectors of this model, taking into account the conditions set by the minimisation and stability of the potential. We calculate the masses, trilinear and quartic Higgs-Higgs, and Higgs-gauge couplings. We consider two possible alignment scenarios, where only one of the three neutral scalars has couplings to the gauge bosons and corresponds to the SM Higgs, and whose trilinear and quartic couplings reduce exactly to the SM ones. We also obtain numerically the allowed parameter space for the scalar masses in each of the alignment scenarios. We use the calculated trilinear and quartic couplings to find the analytical structure of the one-loop neutral scalar mass matrix, without fermionic contributions. We show that it is possible to have a compact mass spectrum where the contribution to the oblique parameters might be small. We explore some scenarios for the loop contributions to the neutral scalar masses.

Investigation of the FCNC Processes in the 3-4-1-1 Model

We study the FCNC problems in 3-4-1-1 model in a way different from the previous work. The sources of FCNC at the tree-level in the 3-4-1-1 model come from both the gauge and scalar sectors. We show that the most stringently bound on the tree-level FCNC interactions comes from the meson oscillations. The lower bound on the new physics scale is imposed more tightly than in the previous work, \(M_{new} > 22\) TeV. On the allowed value domain of the new physical scale, we show that the contribution of the tree-level FCNC interactions to the BrB\(_s \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-)\) is negligible.

Muon g − 2 in U(1)μ−τ symmetric gauged radiative neutrino mass model

We explore muon anomalous magnetic moment (muon g−2) in a scotogenic neutrino model with a gauged lepton number symmetry U(1)μ−τ. In this model, a dominant muon g−2 contribution comes not from an additional gauge sector but from a Yukawa sector. In our numerical Δχ2 analysis, we show that our model is in favor of normal hierarchy with some features. We demonstrate one benchmark point, satisfying muon g−2 at the best fit value 25.1×10−10.

Radiative interactions between new non-Abelian gauge sector and the standard model

We discuss one loop generation of the term connecting gauge fields from a local hidden SU(2)H and the standard model U(1)Y introducing an SU(2)H doublet fermion with non-zero hypercharge and a scalar field in adjoint representation. Then we obtain a kinetic mixing term between SU(2)H and U(1)Y gauge fields after the adjoint scalar field developing vacuum expectation value. We illustrate such a concrete scenario introducing a dark matter model in an ultraviolet (UV) completion with local SU(2)H symmetry where the scalar doublet is our dark matter candidate and its stability is guaranteed by remnant Z2 symmetry from SU(2)H. Relic density of dark matter is calculated focusing on the case in which dark matter annihilate into known particles via SU(2)H gauge interactions with radiatively induced kinetic mixing.

New heavy gauge bosons decaying to pair of electroweak bosons: prospect studies at Run 3 and HL-LHC with ATLAS

The expected ATLAS Run 3 data set with time-integrated luminosity of 300 fb-1 and HL-LHC option of the LHC with L = 3000 fb-1 in the diboson channels in semileptonic final states are used to probe a simple benchmark model with an extended gauge sector, proposed by Altarelli et al. This model accommodates new charged W' and neutral Z' vector bosons with modified trilinear Standard Model gauge couplings, decaying into electroweak gauge boson pairs WZ or WW , where W / Z decay semileptonically. We present upper limits on the mixing parameters, W - W' and Z- Z ' , by using the expected Run 3 data and HL-LHC options of the LHC.

Physical constraints derived from FCNC in the 3-3-1-1 model

We investigate several phenomena related to FCNCs in the text {3-3-1-1} model. The sources of FCNCs at the tree-level from both the gauge and Higgs sectors are clarified. Experiments on the oscillation of mesons most stringently constrain the tree-level FCNCs. The lower bound on the new physics scale is imposed more tightly than in the previous, text {M}_{text {new}}>12 TeV. Under this bound, the tree-level FCNCs make a negligible contribution to the text {Br}(B_s rightarrow mu ^+ mu ^-), text {Br}(B rightarrow K^{*} mu ^+ mu ^-) and text {Br}(B^{+}rightarrow K^{+}mu ^{+}mu ^{-}). The branching ratio of radiative decay b rightarrow s gamma is enhanced by the ratio frac{v}{u} via diagrams with the charged Higgs mediation. In contrast, the charged currents of new gauge bosons significantly contribute to the decay process mu rightarrow e gamma .

A decaying neutralino as dark matter and its gamma ray spectrum

It is shown that a decaying neutralino in a supergravity unified framework is a viable candidate for dark matter. Such a situation arises in the presence of a hidden sector with ultraweak couplings to the visible sector where the neutralino can decay into the hidden sector’s lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) with a lifetime larger than the lifetime of the universe. We present a concrete model where the MSSM/SUGRA is extended to include a hidden sector comprised of U(1)_{X_1} times U(1)_{X_2} gauge sector and the LSP of the hidden sector is a neutralino which is lighter than the LSP neutralino of the visible sector. We compute the loop suppressed radiative decay of the visible sector neutralino into the neutralino of the hidden sector and show that the decay can occur with a lifetime larger than the age of the universe. The decaying neutralino can be probed by indirect detection experiments, specifically by its signature decay into the hidden sector neutralino and an energetic gamma ray photon. Such a gamma ray can be searched for with improved sensitivity at Fermi-LAT and by future experiments such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). We present several benchmarks which have a natural suppression of the hadronic channels from dark matter annihilation and decays and consistent with measurements of the antiproton background.

Charge-4e Superconductivity from Multicomponent Nematic Pairing: Application to Twisted Bilayer Graphene.

We show that unconventional nematic superconductors with multicomponent order parameter in lattices with three- and sixfold rotational symmetries support a charge-4e vestigial superconducting phase above T_{c}. The charge-4e state, which is a condensate of four-electron bound states that preserve the rotational symmetry of the lattice, is nearly degenerate with a competing vestigial nematic state, which is nonsuperconducting and breaks the rotational symmetry. This robust result is the consequence of a hidden discrete symmetry in the Ginzburg-Landau theory, which permutes quantities in the gauge sector and in the crystalline sector of the symmetry group. We argue that random strain generally favors the charge-4e state over the nematic phase, as it acts as a random mass to the former but as a random field to the latter. Thus, we propose that two-dimensional inhomogeneous systems displaying nematic superconductivity, such as twisted bilayer graphene, provide a promising platform to realize the elusive charge-4e superconducting phase.

On M-theory on real toric fibrations

Borrowing ideas from elliptic complex geometry, we approach M-theory compactifications on real fibrations. Precisely, we explore real toric equations rather than complex ones exploited in F-theory and related dual models. These geometries have been built by moving real toric manifolds over real bases. Using topological changing behaviors, we unveil certain data associated with gauge sectors relying on affine lie symmetries.

Fighting off field dependence in MSSM Higgs-mass corrections of order alpha _t,alpha _s and alpha _t^2

The connection between gauge and Higgs sectors makes supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model predictive frameworks for the derivation of Higgs masses. In this paper, we study the contamination of such predictions by field-renormalization constants, in the MSSM with two-loop gaugeless corrections of mathcal {O}big (alpha _{t,b},alpha _s,,alpha _{t,b}^2big ) and full momentum dependence, and demonstrate how strict perturbative expansions allow to systematically neutralize the dependence on such unphysical objects. On the other hand, the popular procedure consisting in an iterative pole search remains explicitly dependent on field counterterms. We then analyze the magnitude of the intrinsic uncertainty that this feature implies for the iterative method, both in non-degenerate and near-degenerate regimes, and conclude that this strategy does not improve on the predictions of the more straightforward expansion. We also discuss several features related to the inclusion of the orders alpha _{t,b},alpha _s and alpha _{t,b}^2 in the so-called ‘fixed-order’ approach, such as the resummation of UV-logarithms for heavy supersymmetric spectra.