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Helo, J. C., Kovalenko, S. G., & Hirsch, M. (2014). Heavy neutrino searches at the LHC with displaced vertices. Phys. Rev. D, 89(7), 073005–7pp.
Abstract: Sterile neutrinos with masses in the range of 1-100 GeV have been searched for in a variety of experiments. Here, we discuss the prospects of searching for sterile neutrinos at the LHC using displaced vertices. Two different cases are discussed: (i) the standard model extended with sterile neutrinos, and (ii) right-handed neutrinos in a left-right symmetric extension of the standard model. A dedicated displaced vertex search will allow us to probe parts of the parameter space not accessible to other searches, but both cases will require a large luminosity.
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Adolf, P., Hirsch, M., & Päs, H. (2023). Radiative neutrino masses and the Cohen-Kaplan-Nelson bound. J. High Energy Phys., 11(11), 078–14pp.
Abstract: Recently, an increasing interest in UV/IR mixing phenomena has drawn attention to the range of validity of standard quantum field theory. Here we explore the consequences of such a limited range of validity in the context of radiative models for neutrino mass generation. We adopt an argument first published by Cohen, Kaplan and Nelson that gravity implies both UV and IR cutoffs, apply it to the loop integrals describing radiative corrections, and demonstrate that this effect has significant consequences for the parameter space of radiative neutrino mass models.
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Arbelaez, C., Gonzalez, M., Hirsch, M., & Kovalenko, S. G. (2016). QCD corrections and long-range mechanisms of neutrinoless double beta decay. Phys. Rev. D, 94(9), 096014–5pp.
Abstract: Recently it has been demonstrated that QCD corrections are numerically important for short-range mechanisms (SRM) of neutrinoless double beta decay (0 nu beta beta) mediated by heavy particle exchange. This is due to the effect of color mismatch for certain effective operators, which leads to mixing between different operators with vastly different nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). In this note we analyze the QCD corrections for long-range mechanisms (LRM), due to diagrams with light-neutrino exchange between a Standard Model (V-A)chi(V-A) and a beyond the SM lepton number violating vertex. We argue that in contrast to the SRM in the LRM case, there is no operator mixing from color-mismatched operators. This is due to a combined effect of the nuclear short-range correlations and color invariance. As a result, the QCD corrections to the LRM amount to an effect no more than 60%, depending on the operator in question. Although less crucial, taken into account QCD running makes theoretical predictions for 0 nu beta beta-decay more robust also for LRM diagrams. We derive the current experimental constraints on the Wilson coefficients for all LRM effective operators.
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Dercks, D., Dreiner, H. K., Hirsch, M., & Wang, Z. S. (2019). Long-lived fermions at AL3X. Phys. Rev. D, 99(5), 055020–10pp.
Abstract: Recently Gligorov et al. [V. V. Gligorov et al., Phys. Rev. D 99, 015023 (2019)] proposed to build a cylindrical detector named AL3X close to the ALICE experiment at interaction point (IP) 2 of the LHC, aiming for discovery of long-lived particles (LLPs) during Run 5 of the HL-LHC. We investigate the potential sensitivity reach of this detector in the parameter space of different new-physics models with long-lived fermions namely heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) and light supersymmetric neutralinos, which have both not previously been studied in this context. Our results show that the AL3X reach can be complementary or superior to that of other proposed detectors such as CODEX-b, FASER, MATHUSLA and SHiP.
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Hirsch, M., & Wang, Z. S. (2020). Heavy neutral leptons at ANUBIS. Phys. Rev. D, 101(5), 055034–9pp.
Abstract: Recently Bauer et al. [arXiv:1909.13022] proposed ANUBIS, an auxiliary detector to be installed in one of the shafts above the ATLAS or CMS interaction point, as a tool to search for long-lived particles. Here, we study the sensitivity of this proposal for long-lived heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) in both minimal and extended scenarios. We start with the minimal HNL model where both production and decay of the HNLs are mediated by active-sterile neutrino mixing, before studying the case of right-handed neutrinos in a leftright symmetric model. We then consider a U(1)(B-L) extension of the Standard Model (SM). In this model HNLs are produced from the decays of the mostly SM-like Higgs boson, via mixing in the scalar sector of the theory. In all cases, we fmd that ANUBIS has sensitivity reach comparable to the proposed MATHUSLA detector. For the minimal HNL scenario, the contributions from W's decaying to HNLs are more important at ANUBIS than at MATHUSLA, extending the sensitivity to slightly larger HNL masses at ANUBIS.
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Anamiati, G., De Romeri, V., Hirsch, M., Ternes, C. A., & Tortola, M. (2019). Quasi-Dirac neutrino oscillations at DUNE and JUNO. Phys. Rev. D, 100(3), 035032–12pp.
Abstract: Quasi-Dirac neutrinos are obtained when the Lagrangian density of a neutrino mass model contains both Dirac and Majorana mass terms, and the Majorana terms are sufficiently small. This type of neutrino introduces new mixing angles and mass splittings into the Hamiltonian, which will modify the standard neutrino oscillation probabilities. In this paper, we focus on the case where the new mass splittings are too small to be measured, but new angles and phases are present. We perform a sensitivity study for this scenario for the upcoming experiments DUNE and JUNO, finding that they will improve current bounds on the relevant parameters. Finally, we also explore the discovery potential of both experiments, assuming that neutrinos are indeed quasi-Dirac particles.
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Helo, J. C., Hirsch, M., & Ota, T. (2019). Proton decay at one loop. Phys. Rev. D, 99(9), 095021–14pp.
Abstract: Proton decay is usually discussed in the context of grand unified theories. However, as is well known, in the standard model effective theory proton decay appears in the form of higher-dimensional non-renormalizable operators. Here, we study systematically the one-loop decomposition of the d = 6 B + L violating operators. We exhaustively list the possible one-loop ultraviolet completions of these operators and discuss that, in general, two distinct classes of models appear. Models in the first class need an additional symmetry in order to avoid tree-level proton decay. These models necessarily contain a neutral particle, which could act as a dark matter candidate. For models in the second class the loop contribution dominates automatically over the tree-level proton decay, without the need for additional symmetries. We also discuss possible phenomenology of two example models, one from each class, and their possible connections to neutrino masses, LHC searches and dark matter.
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Alimena, J. et al, Hirsch, M., Mamuzic, J., Mitsou, V. A., & Santra, A. (2020). Searching for long-lived particles beyond the Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider. J. Phys. G, 47(9), 090501–226pp.
Abstract: 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.
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Deppisch, F. F., Hirsch, M., & Pas, H. (2012). Neutrinoless double-beta decay and physics beyond the standard model. J. Phys. G, 39(12), 124007–23pp.
Abstract: Neutrinoless double-beta decay is the most powerful tool to probe not only for Majorana neutrino masses but for lepton number violating physics in general. We discuss relations between lepton number violation, double-beta decay and neutrino mass, review a general Lorentz-invariant parametrization of the double-beta decay rate, highlight a number of different new physics models showing how different mechanisms can trigger double-beta decay and, finally, discuss possibilities of discriminating and testing these models and mechanisms in complementary experiments.
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Helo, J. C., Hirsch, M., Ota, T., & Pereira dos Santos, F. A. (2015). Double beta decay and neutrino mass models. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 092–40pp.
Abstract: Neutrinoless double beta decay allows to constrain lepton number violating extensions of the standard model. If neutrinos are Majorana particles, the mass mechanism will always contribute to the decay rate, however, it is not a priori guaranteed to be the dominant contribution in all models. Here, we discuss whether the mass mechanism dominates or not from the theory point of view. We classify all possible (scalar-mediated) short-range contributions to the decay rate according to the loop level, at which the corresponding models will generate Majorana neutrino masses, and discuss the expected relative size of the different contributions to the decay rate in each class. Our discussion is general for models based on the SM group but does not cover models with an extended gauge. We also work out the phenomenology of one concrete 2-loop model in which both, mass mechanism and short-range diagram, might lead to competitive contributions, in some detail.
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