Fonseca, R. M., & Hirsch, M. (2017). Gauge vectors and double beta decay. Phys. Rev. D, 95(3), 035033–14pp.
Abstract: We discuss contributions to neutrinoless double beta (0 nu beta beta) decay involving vector bosons. The starting point is a list of all possible vector representations that may contribute to 0 nu beta beta decay via d = 9 or d = 11 operators at tree level. We then identify gauge groups which contain these vectors in the adjoint representation. Even though the complete list of vector fields that can contribute to 0 nu beta beta up to d = 11 is large (a total of 46 vectors), only a few of them can be gauge bosons of phenomenologically realistic groups. These latter cases are discussed in some more detail, and lower (upper) limits on gauge boson masses (mixing angles) are derived from the absence of 0 nu beta beta decay.
|
Arbelaez, C., Hirsch, M., & Restrepo, D. (2017). Fermionic triplet dark matter in an SO(10)-inspired left-right model. Phys. Rev. D, 95(9), 095034–9pp.
Abstract: We study a left right (LR) extension of the Standard Model (SM) where the Dark Matter(DM) candidate is composed of a set of fermionic Majorana triplets. The DM is stabilized by a remnant Z(2) symmetry from the breaking of the LR group to the SM. Two simple scenarios where the DM particles plus a certain set of extra fields lead to gauge coupling unification with a low LR scale are explored. The constraints from relic density and predictions for direct detection are discussed for both scenarios. The first scenario with a SUd(2)(R) vectorlike fermion triplet contains a DM candidate which is almost unconstrained by current direct detection experiments. The second scenario, with an additional SU(2)R triplet, opens up a scalar portal leading to direct detection constraints which are similar to collider limits for right gauge bosons. The DM parameter space consistent with phenomenological requirements can also lead to successful gauge coupling unification in a SO(10) setup.
|
Deppisch, F. F., Harz, J., & Hirsch, M. (2014). Falsifying High-Scale Leptogenesis at the LHC. Phys. Rev. Lett., 112(22), 221601–5pp.
Abstract: Measuring a nonzero value for the cross section of any lepton number violating (LNV) process would put a strong lower limit on the washout factor for the effective lepton number density in the early Universe at times close to the electroweak phase transition and thus would lead to important constraints on any high-scale model for the generation of the observed baryon asymmetry based on LNV. In particular, for leptogenesis (LG) models with masses of the right-handed neutrinos heavier than the mass scale observed at the LHC, the implied large washout factors would lead to a violation of the out-of-equilibrium condition and exponentially suppress the net lepton number produced in such LG models. We thus demonstrate that the observation of LNV processes at the LHC results in the falsification of high-scale LG models. However, no conclusions about the viability of LG models can be drawn from the nonobservation of LNV processes.
|
Deppisch, F. F., Harz, J., Huang, W. C., Hirsch, M., & Pas, H. (2015). Falsifying high-scale baryogenesis with neutrinoless double beta decay and lepton flavor violation. Phys. Rev. D, 92(3), 036005–6pp.
Abstract: Interactions that manifest themselves as lepton number violating processes at low energies in combination with sphaleron transitions typically erase any preexisting baryon asymmetry of the Universe. In this article, we discuss the constraints obtained from an observation of neutrinoless double beta decay in this context. If a new physics mechanism of neutrinoless double beta decay other than the standard light neutrino exchange is observed, typical scenarios of high-scale baryogenesis will be excluded unless the baryon asymmetry is stabilized via some new mechanism. We also sketch how this conclusion can be extended beyond the first lepton generation by incorporating lepton flavor violating processes.
|
Carquin, E., Neill, N. A., Helo, J. C., & Hirsch, M. (2019). Exotic colored fermions and lepton number violation at the LHC. Phys. Rev. D, 99(11), 115028–9pp.
Abstract: Majorana neutrino mass models with a scale of lepton number violation of order tem-electron-volts potentially lead to signals at the LHC. Here, we consider an extension of the standard model with a colored octet fermion and a scalar leptoquark. This model generates neutrino masses at two-loop order. We make a detailed Monte Carlo study of the lepton number violating signal at the LHC in this model, including a simulation of standard model backgrounds. Our forecast predicts that the LHC with 300/fb should be able to probe this model up to color-octet fermion masses in the range of (2.6-2.7) TeV, depending on the lepton flavor of the final state.
|
Hirsch, M., Staub, F., & Vicente, A. (2012). Enhancing l(i) -> 3l(j) with the Z(0)-penguin. Phys. Rev. D, 85(11), 113013–5pp.
Abstract: Lepton flavor violation has been observed in neutrino oscillations. For charged lepton flavor violation decays only upper limits are known, but sizable branching ratios are expected in many neutrino mass models. High-scale models, such as the classical supersymmetric seesaw, usually predict that decays l(i) -> 3l(j) are roughly a factor alpha smaller than the corresponding decays l(i) -> l(j)gamma. Here we demonstrate that the Z(0)-penguin diagram can give an enhancement for decays l(i) -> 3l(j) in many extensions of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM). We first discuss why the Z(0)-penguin is not dominant in the MSSM with seesaw and show that much larger contributions from the Z(0)-penguin are expected in general. We then demonstrate the effect numerically in two example models, namely, the supersymmetric inverse seesaw and R-parity violating supersymmetry.
|
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.
|
Cottin, G., Helo, J. C., & Hirsch, M. (2018). Displaced vertices as probes of sterile neutrino mixing at the LHC. Phys. Rev. D, 98(3), 035012–6pp.
Abstract: We investigate the reach at the LHC to probe light sterile neutrinos with displaced vertices. We focus on sterile neutrinos N with masses m(N) similar to (5-30) GeV that are produced in rare decays of the standard model gauge bosons and decay inside the inner trackers of the LHC detectors. With a strategy that triggers on the prompt lepton accompanying the N displaced vertex and considers charged tracks associated with it, we show that the 13 TeV LHC with 3000/fb is able to probe active-sterile neutrino mixings down to vertical bar V-lN vertical bar(2) approximate to 10(-9), with l = e, mu, which is an improvement of up to 4 orders of magnitude when comparing with current experimental limits from trileptons and proposed lepton-jets searches. In the case when tau mixing is present, mixing angles as low as vertical bar V-tau N vertical bar(2) approximate to 10(-8) can be accessed.
|
Hirsch, M., Morisi, S., Peinado, E., & Valle, J. W. F. (2010). Discrete dark matter. Phys. Rev. D, 82(11), 116003–5pp.
Abstract: We propose a new motivation for the stability of dark matter (DM). We suggest that the same non-Abelian discrete flavor symmetry which accounts for the observed pattern of neutrino oscillations, spontaneously breaks to a Z(2) subgroup which renders DM stable. The simplest scheme leads to a scalar doublet DM potentially detectable in nuclear recoil experiments, inverse neutrino mass hierarchy, hence a neutrinoless double beta decay rate accessible to upcoming searches, while theta(13) = 0 gives no CP violation in neutrino oscillations.
|
Hirsch, M., Maselek, R., & Sakurai, K. (2021). Detecting long-lived multi-charged particles in neutrino mass models with MoEDAL. Eur. Phys. J. C, 81(8), 697–19pp.
Abstract: A certain class of neutrino mass models predicts long-lived particles whose electric charge is four or three times larger than that of protons. Such particles, if they are light enough, may be produced at the LHC and detected. We investigate the possibility of observing those long-lived multi-charged particles with the MoEDAL detector, which is sensitive to long-lived particles with low velocities (beta) and a large electric charge (Z) with Theta equivalent to beta /Z less than or similar to 0.15. We demonstrate that multi-charged scalar particles with a large Z give three-fold advantage for MoEDAL; reduction of Theta due to strong interactions with the detector, and enhancement of the photon-fusion process, which not only increases the production cross-section but also lowers the average production velocity, reducing Theta further. To demonstrate the performance of MoEDAL on multi-charged long-lived particles, two concrete neutrino mass models are studied. In the first model, the new physics sector is non-coloured and contains long-lived particles with electric charges 2, 3 and 4. A model-independent study finds MoEDAL can expect more than 1 signal event at the HL-LHC (L=300fb-1) if these particles are lighter than 600, 1100 and 1430 GeV, respectively. These compare with the current ATLAS limits 650, 780 and 920 GeV for L=36fb-1. The second model has a coloured new physics sector, which possesses long-lived particles with electric charges 4/3, 7/3 and 10/3. The corresponding MoEDAL's mass reaches at the HL-LHC are 1400, 1650 and 1800 GeV, respectively, which compare with the current CMS limits 1450, 1480 and 1510 GeV for L=36fb-1. In a model-specific study we explore the parameter space of neutrino mass generation models and identify the regions that can be probed with MoEDAL at the end of Run-3 and the High-Luminosity LHC.
|
