Ardu, M., Davidson, S., & Lavignac, S. (2024). Constraining new physics models from μ → e observables in bottom-up EFT. Eur. Phys. J. C, 84(5), 458–36pp.
Abstract: Upcoming experiments will improve the sensitivity to μ-> e processes by several orders of magnitude, and could observe lepton flavour-changing contact interactions for the first time. In this paper, we investigate what could be learned about New Physics from the measurements of these μ-> e observables, using a bottom-up effective field theory (EFT) approach and focusing on three popular models with new particles around the TeV scale (the type II seesaw, the inverse seesaw and a scalar leptoquark). We showed in a previous publication that μ-> e observables have the ability to rule out these models because none can fill the whole experimentally accessible parameter space. In this work we give more details on our EFT formalism and present more complete results. We discuss the impact of some observables complementary to μ-> e transitions (such as the neutrino mass scale and ordering, and LFV tau decays) and draw attention to the interesting appearance of Jarlskog-like invariants in our expressions for the low-energy Wilson coefficients.
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Magalhaes, R. B., Ribeiro, G. P., Lima, H. C. D. J., Olmo, G. J., & Crispino, L. C. B. (2024). Singular space-times with bounded algebraic curvature scalars. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 05(5), 114–34pp.
Abstract: We show that the absence of unbounded algebraic curvature invariants constructed from polynomials of the Riemann tensor cannot guarantee the absence of strong singularities. As a consequence, it is not sufficient to rely solely on the analysis of such scalars to assess the regularity of a given space-time. This conclusion follows from the analysis of incomplete geodesics within the internal region of asymmetric wormholes supported by scalar matter which arise in two distinct metric-affine gravity theories. These wormholes have bounded algebraic curvature scalars everywhere, which highlights that their finiteness does not prevent the emergence of pathologies (singularities) in the geodesic structure of space-time. By analyzing the tidal forces in the internal wormhole region, we find that the angular components are unbounded along incomplete radial time-like geodesics. The strength of the singularity is determined by the evolution of Jacobi fields along such geodesics, finding that it is of strong type, as volume elements are torn apart as the singularity is approached. Lastly, and for completeness, we consider the wormhole of the quadratic Palatini theory and present an analysis of the tidal forces in the entire space-time.
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Mata, R., Cros, A., Gimeno, B., & Raboso, D. (2024). Secondary electron emission yield in thick dielectric materials: a comparison between Kelvin probe and capacitive methods. J. Phys. D, 57(40), 405302–9pp.
Abstract: The recent high demand of secondary electron emission yield (SEY) measurements in dielectric materials from space industry has driven SEY laboratories to improve their facilities and measurement techniques. SEY determination by the common capacitive method, also known as pulsed method, is well accepted and has given satisfactory results in most cases. Nevertheless, the samples under study must be prepared according to the experimental limitations of the technique, i.e. they should be manufactured separated from the devices representing faithfully the surface state of the own device and be as thin as possible. A method based on the Kelvin probe (KP) is proposed here to obtain the SEY characteristics of electrically floating Platinum, Kapton and Teflon placed over dielectric spacers with thicknesses ranging from 1.6 to 12.1 mm. The results are compared with those of the capacitive method and indicate that KP SEY curves are less sensitive to spacer thickness. An explanation based on the literature is also given. In all, we have established that KP is better suited for the analysis of dielectric samples thicker than 3 mm.
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Ferreiro, A., Monin, S., & Torrenti, F. (2024). Physical scale adiabatic regularization in cosmological spacetimes. Phys. Rev. D, 109(4), 045015–16pp.
Abstract: We develop a new regularization method for the stress -energy tensor and the two -point function of free quantum scalar fields propagating in cosmological spacetimes. We proceed by extending the adiabatic regularization scheme with the introduction of two additional mass scales. By setting them to the order of the physical scale of the studied scenario, we obtain ultraviolet -regularized quantities that do not distort the power spectra amplitude at the infrared scales amplified by the expansion of the Universe. This is not ensured by the standard adiabatic approach. We also show how our proposed subtraction terms can be interpreted as a renormalization of coupling constants in the Einstein equations. We finally illustrate our proposed regularization method in two scenarios of cosmological interest: de Sitter inflation and geometric reheating.
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Maso-Ferrando, A., Sanchis-Gual, N., Font, J. A., & Olmo, G. J. (2024). Numerical evolutions of boson stars in Palatini f(R) gravity. Phys. Rev. D, 109(4), 044042–14pp.
Abstract: We investigate the time evolution of spherically symmetric boson stars in Palatini f(R) gravity through numerical relativity computations. Employing a novel approach that establishes a correspondence between modified gravity with scalar matter and general relativity with modified scalar matter, we are able to use the techniques of numerical relativity to simulate these systems. Specifically, we focus on the quadratic theory f(R) = R + xi R2 and compare the obtained solutions with those in general relativity, exploring both positive and negative values of the coupling parameter xi. Our findings reveal that boson stars in Palatini f(R) gravity exhibit both stable and unstable evolutions. The latter give rise to three distinct scenarios: migration toward a stable configuration, complete dispersion, and gravitational collapse leading to the formation of a baby universe structure.
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