Aristizabal Sierra, D., Tortola, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Vicente, A. (2014). Leptogenesis with a dynamical seesaw scale. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 07(7), 052–20pp.
Abstract: In the simplest type-I seesaw leptogenesis scenario right-handed neutrino annihilation processes are absent. However, in the presence of new interactions these processes are possible and can affect the resulting B – L asymmetry in an important way. A prominent example is provided by models with spontaneous lepton number violation, where the existence of new dynamical degrees of freedom can play a crucial role. In this context, we provide a model-independent discussion of the effects of right-handed neutrino annihilations. We show that in the weak washout regime, as long as the scattering processes remain slow compared with the Hubble expansion rate throughout the relevant temperature range, the efficiency can be largely enhanced, reaching in some cases maximal values. Moreover, the B – L asymmetry yield turns out to be independent upon initial conditions, in contrast to the “standard” case. On the other hand, when the annihilation processes are fast, the right-handed neutrino distribution tends to a thermal one down to low temperatures, implying a drastic suppression of the efficiency which in some cases can render the B – L generation mechanism inoperative.
|
Boucenna, M. S., Morisi, S., & Valle, J. W. F. (2014). The Low-Scale Approach to Neutrino Masses. Adv. High. Energy Phys., 2014, 831598–15pp.
Abstract: In this short review we revisit the broad landscape of low-scale SU(3)(C) circle times SU(2)(L) circle times U(1)(Y) models of neutrino mass generation, with view on their phenomenological potential. This includes signatures associated to direct neutrino mass messenger production at the LHC, as well as messenger-induced lepton flavor violation processes. We also briefly comment on the presence of WIMP cold dark matter candidates.
|
Boucenna, M. S., Morisi, S., Shafi, Q., & Valle, J. W. F. (2014). Inflation and majoron dark matter in the neutrino seesaw mechanism. Phys. Rev. D, 90(5), 055023–6pp.
Abstract: We propose that inflation and dark matter have a common origin, connected to the neutrino mass generation scheme. As a model we consider spontaneous breaking of global lepton number within the seesaw mechanism. We show that it provides an acceptable inflationary scenario consistent with the recent cosmic microwave background B-mode observation by the BICEP2 experiment. The scheme may also account for the baryon asymmetry of the Universe through leptogenesis for reasonable parameter choices.
|
Bonilla, C., Morisi, S., Peinado, E., & Valle, J. W. F. (2015). Relating quarks and leptons with the T-7 flavour group. Phys. Lett. B, 742, 99–106.
Abstract: In this letter we present a model for quarks and leptons based on T-7 as flavour symmetry, predicting a canonical mass relation between charged leptons and down-type quarks proposed earlier. Neutrino masses are generated through a Type-I seesaw mechanism, with predicted correlations between the atmospheric mixing angle and neutrino masses. Compatibility with oscillation results leads to lower bounds for the lightest neutrino mass as well as for the neutrinoless double beta decay rates, even for normal neutrino mass hierarchy.
|
Bonilla, C., Romao, J. C., & Valle, J. W. F. (2015). Neutrino mass and invisible Higgs decays at the LHC. Phys. Rev. D, 91(11), 113015–7pp.
Abstract: The discovery of the Higgs boson suggests that neutrinos also get their mass from spontaneous symmetry breaking. In the simplest ungauged lepton-number scheme, the Standard Model Higgs now has two other partners: a massive CP-even scalar, and the massless Nambu-Goldstone boson, called the Majoron. For weak-scale breaking of lepton number the invisible decays of the CP-even Higgs bosons to the Majoron lead to potentially copious sources of events with large missing energy. Using LHC results, we study how the constraints on invisible decays of the Higgs boson restrict the relevant parameters, substantially extending those previously derived from LEP and potentially shedding light on the scale of spontaneous lepton-number violation.
|
