Abstract: We propose a new interpretation of Peccei-Quinn symmetry within the Standard Model, identifying it with the axial B+L symmetry i.e. U (1)(PQ) equivalent to U (1)(gamma 5)(B+L). This new interpretation retains all the attractive features of Peccei-Quinn solution to strong CP problem but in addition also leads to several other new and interesting consequences. Owing to the identification U (1)(PQ) equivalent to U (1)(gamma 5)(B+L) the axion also behaves like Majoron inducing small seesaw masses for neutrinos after spontaneous symmetry breaking. Another novel feature of this identification is the phenomenon of spontaneous (and also chiral) proton decay with its decay rate associated with the axion decay constant. Low energy processes which can be used to test this interpretation are pointed out.

Abstract: This work establishes a relation between chiral anomalies in curved spacetimes and the radiative content of the gravitational field. In particular, we show that a flux of circularly polarized gravitational waves triggers the spontaneous creation of photons with net circular polarization from the quantum vacuum. Using waveform catalogs, we identify precessing binary black holes as astrophysical configurations that emit such gravitational radiation and then solve the fully nonlinear Einstein's equations with numerical relativity to evaluate the net effect. The quantum amplitude for a merger is comparable to the Hawking emission rate of the final black hole and small to be directly observed. However, the implications for the inspiral of binary neutron stars could be more prominent, as argued on symmetry grounds.

Abstract: We show that if global lepton number symmetry is spontaneously broken in a postinflation epoch, then it can lead to the formation of cosmological domain walls. This happens in the well-known “Majoron paradigm” for neutrino mass generation. We propose some realistic examples that allow spontaneous lepton number breaking to be safe from such domain walls.

Abstract: We study the possibility that Dark Matter (DM) particles of spin 0, 1/2 or 1 may interact gravitationally with Standard Model (SM) particles within the framework of a warped Randall-Sundrum (RS) model. Both the Dark Matter and the Standard Model particles are assumed to be confined to the infra-red (IR) brane and only interchange Kaluza-Klein excitations of the graviton and the radion (adopting the Goldberger-Wise mechanism to stabilize the size of the extra-dimension). We analyze the different DM annihilation channels and find that the presently observed Dark Matter relic abundance, Omega DM, can be obtained within the freeze-out mechanism for DM particles of all considered spins. This extends our first work concerning scalar DM in RS scenarios (Folgado et al., in JHEP 01:161. https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP01(2020)161, 2020) and put it on equal footing with our second work in which we studied DM particles of spin 0, 1/2 and 1 in the framework of the Clockwork/Linear Dilaton (CW/LD) model (Folgado et al., in JHEP 20:036. https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2020)036, 2020). We study the region of the model parameter space for which Omega DM is achieved and compare it with the different experimental and theoretical bounds. We find that, for DM particles mass mDM is an element of [1,15] TeV, most of the parameter space is excluded by the current constraints or will be excluded by the LHC Run III or by the LHC upgrade, the HL-LHC. The observed DM relic abundance can still be achieved for DM masses mDM is an element of [4,15] TeV and mG1<10 TeV for scalar and vector boson Dark Matter. On the other hand, for spin 1/2 fermion Dark Matter, only a tiny region with mDM<is an element of>[4,15] TeV, mG1 is an element of [5,10] TeV and Lambda >mG1 is compatible with theoretical and experimental bounds. We have also studied the impact of the radion in the phenomenology, finding that it does not modify significantly the allowed region for DM particles of any spin (differently from the CW/LD case, where its impact was quite significant in the case of scalar DM). We, eventually, briefly compare results in RS with those obtained in the CW/LD model.

Abstract: We present the first full-fledged study of the flavor-exotic isoscalar T-bb(-) equivalent to bb (u) over bar(d) over bar tetraquark with spin and parity J(P) = 1(+). We report accurate solutions of the four-body problem in a quark model, characterizing the structure of the state as a function of the ratio M-Q/m(q) of the heavy to light quark masses. For such a standard constituent model, T-bb(-) lies approximately 150 MeV below the strong decay threshold B- (B) over bar*(0) and 105 MeV below the electromagnetic decay threshold B- (B) over bar (0)gamma. We evaluate the lifetime of T-bb(-), identifying the promising decay modes where the tetraquark might be looked for in future experiments. Its total decay width is Gamma approximate to 87 x 10(-15) GeV and therefore its lifetime tau approximate to 7.6 ps. The promising final states are B*(-) D*(+) l (v) over bar (l) and (B) over bar*(0) l (v) over bar (l) among the semileptonic decays, and B*(-) D*(+) D-s*(-), (B) over bar*(0) D*(0) D-s*(-), and B*(-) D*(+) rho(-) among the nonleptonic ones. The semileptonic decay to the isoscalar J(P) = 0(+) tetraquark T-bc(0) is also relevant but it is not found to be dominant. There is a broad consensus about the existence of this tetraquark, and its detection will validate our understanding of the low-energy realizations of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) in the multiquark sector.