Abstract: We explore a common symmetrical origin for two long standing problems in particle physics: the strong CP and the fermion mass hierarchy problems. The Peccei-Quinn mechanism solves the former one with an anomalous global U(1)(PQ) symmetry. Here we investigate how this U(1)(PQ) could at the same time explain the fermion mass hierarchy. We work in the context of a four-Higgs-doublet model which explains all quark and charged fermion masses with natural, i.e. order 1, Yukawa couplings. Moreover, the axion of the model constitutes a viable dark matter candidate and neutrino masses are incorporated via the standard type-I seesaw mechanism. A simple extension of the model allows for Dirac neutrinos.

Abstract: We study systematically the decomposition of the Weinberg operator at three-loop order. There are more than four thousand connected topologies. However, the vast majority of these are infinite corrections to lower order neutrino mass diagrams and only a very small percentage yields models for which the three-loop diagrams are the leading order contribution to the neutrino mass matrix. We identify 73 topologies that can lead to genuine three-loop models with fermions and scalars, i.e. models for which lower order diagrams are automatically absent without the need to invoke additional symmetries. The 73 genuine topologies can be divided into two sub-classes: normal genuine ones (44 cases) and special genuine topologies (29 cases). The latter are a special class of topologies, which can lead to genuine diagrams only for very specific choices of fields. The genuine topologies generate 374 diagrams in the weak basis, which can be reduced to only 30 distinct diagrams in the mass eigenstate basis. We also discuss how all the mass eigenstate diagrams can be described in terms of only five master integrals. We present some concrete models and for two of them we give numerical estimates for the typical size of neutrino masses they generate. Our results can be readily applied to construct other d = 5 neutrino mass models with three loops.

Abstract: We study the phenomenology of d = 7 1-loop neutrino mass models. All models in this particular class require the existence of several new SU(2)(L) multiplets, both scalar and fermionic, and thus predict a rich phenomenology at the LHC. The observed neutrino masses and mixings can easily be fitted in these models. Interestingly, despite the smallness of the observed neutrino masses, some particular lepton number violating (LNV) final states can arise with observable branching ratios. These LNV final states consists of leptons and gauge bosons with high multiplicities, such as 4/ + 4W, 6/ + 2W etc. We study current constraints on these models from upper bounds on charged lepton flavour violating decays, existing lepton number conserving searches at the LHC and discuss possible future LNV searches.

Abstract: The main aim of the ESSSB proposal is the discovery of the leptonic CP phase (CP) with a high significance (5 sigma for 50% values of (CP)) by utilizing the physics at the second oscillation maxima of the P-e channel. It can achieve 3 sigma sensitivity to hierarchy for all values of (CP). In this work, we concentrate on the hierarchy and octant sensitivity of the ESSSB experiment. We show that combining the ESSSB experiment with the atmospheric neutrino data from the proposed India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) experiment can result in an increased sensitivity to mass hierarchy. In addition, we also combine the results from the ongoing experiments T2K and NOa assuming their full run-time and present the combined sensitivity of ESSSB + ICAL@INO + T2K + NOA. We show that while by itself ESSSB can have up to 3 sigma hierarchy sensitivity, the combination of all the experiments can give up to 5 sigma sensitivity depending on the true hierarchy-octant combination. The octant sensitivity of ESSSB is low by itself. However the combined sensitivity of all the above experiments can give up to 3 sigma sensitivity depending on the choice of true hierarchy and octant. We discuss the various degeneracies and the synergies that lead to the enhanced sensitivity when combining different experimental data.

Abstract: Motivated by the measured large branching ratio of (B) over bar (0) --> pi(0)pi(0) (the so-called pi pi puzzle), we investigate the effects of a family nonuniversal Z' model on the tree-dominated B --> pi pi decays. We find that the Z' coupling parameter zeta(LR)(d) similar to 0.05 with a nontrivial new weak phase phi(L)(d) similar to -50 degrees, which is relevant to the Z' contributions to the QCD penguin sector Delta C-5, is needed to reconcile the observed discrepancy. Combined with the recent fitting results from B --> pi K, pi K* and rho K decays, the Z' parameter spaces are severely reduced but still not excluded entirely, implying that both the “pi pi” and “pi K” puzzles could be accommodated simultaneously within such a family nonuniversal Z' model.