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Alves, J. M., Botella, F. J., Miro, C., & Nebot, M. (2023). Spontaneous CP violation and μ-τ symmetry intwo-Higgs-doublet models with flavour conservation. Eur. Phys. J. C, 83(10), 940–12pp.
Abstract: In multi-Higgs-doublet models, requiring simultaneously that (i) CP violation only arises spontaneously, (ii)tree level scalar flavour changing couplings are absent and (iii) the fermion mixing matrix is CP violating, can only be achieved in a very specific manner. A general approach with new clarifying insights on the question is presented. Considering the quark sector, that peculiar possibility is not viable on phenomenological grounds. We show that, considering the lepton sector, it is highly interesting and leads to viable models with mu-tau symmetric PMNS matrices. Phenomenological implications of the models, both for Dirac and Majorana (in a type I seesaw scenario) neutrinos, are analysed.
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Sanjuan, R., Nebot, M., Chirico, N., Mansky, L. M., & Belshaw, R. (2010). Viral Mutation Rates. J. Virol., 84(19), 9733–9748.
Abstract: Accurate estimates of virus mutation rates are important to understand the evolution of the viruses and to combat them. However, methods of estimation are varied and often complex. Here, we critically review over 40 original studies and establish criteria to facilitate comparative analyses. The mutation rates of 23 viruses are presented as substitutions per nucleotide per cell infection (s/n/c) and corrected for selection bias where necessary, using a new statistical method. The resulting rates range from 10(-8) to 10(-6) s/n/c for DNA viruses and from 10(-6) to 10(-4) s/n/c for RNA viruses. Similar to what has been shown previously for DNA viruses, there appears to be a negative correlation between mutation rate and genome size among RNA viruses, but this result requires further experimental testing. Contrary to some suggestions, the mutation rate of retroviruses is not lower than that of other RNA viruses. We also show that nucleotide substitutions are on average four times more common than insertions/deletions (indels). Finally, we provide estimates of the mutation rate per nucleotide per strand copying, which tends to be lower than that per cell infection because some viruses undergo several rounds of copying per cell, particularly double-stranded DNA viruses. A regularly updated virus mutation rate data set will be available at www.uv.es/rsanjuan/virmut.
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Morisi, S., Nebot, M., Patel, K. M., Peinado, E., & Valle, J. W. F. (2013). Quark-lepton mass relation and CKM mixing in an A(4) extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. Phys. Rev. D, 88(3), 036001–8pp.
Abstract: An interesting mass relation between down-type quarks and charged leptons has been recently predicted within a supersymmetric SU(3)(c) circle times SU(2)(L) circle times U(1)(Y) model based on the A(4) flavor symmetry. Here we propose a simple extension which provides an adequate full description of the quark sector. By adding a pair of vectorlike up quarks, we show how the CKM entries V-ub, V-cb, V-td and V-ts arise from deviations of the unitarity. We perform an analysis including the most relevant observables in the quark sector, such as oscillations and rare decays of kaons, B-d and B-s mesons. In the lepton sector, the model predicts an inverted hierarchy for the neutrino masses, leading to a potentially observable rate of neutrinoless double beta decay.
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Botella, F. J., Branco, G. C., Nebot, M., & Sanchez, A. (2015). Mixing asymmetries in B meson systems, the D0 like-sign dimuon asymmetry, and generic new physics. Phys. Rev. D, 91(3), 035013–14pp.
Abstract: The measurement of a large like-sign dimuon asymmetry A(SL)(b) by the D0 experiment at the Tevatron departs noticeably from Standard Model (SM) expectations and it may be interpreted as a hint of physics beyond the Standard Model contributing to Delta B not equal 0 transitions. In this work we analyze how the natural suppression of A(SL)(b) in the SM can be circumvented by new physics. We consider generic Standard Model extensions where the charged current mixing matrix is enlarged with respect to the usual 3 x 3 unitary Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix, and show how, within this framework, a significant enhancement over Standard Model expectations for Ab SL is easily reachable through enhancements of the semileptonic asymmetries A(SL)(d) and A(SL)(s) of both B-d(0)- (B) over bar (0)(d) and B-s(0)- (B) over bar (0)(s) systems. Despite being insufficient to reproduce the D0 measurement, such deviations from SM expectations may be probed by the LHCb experiment.
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Bonilla, C., Nebot, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Srivastava, R. (2016). Flavor physics scenario for the 750 GeV diphoton anomaly. Phys. Rev. D, 93(7), 073009–5pp.
Abstract: A simple variant of a realistic flavor symmetry scheme for fermion masses and mixings provides a possible interpretation of the diphoton anomaly as an electroweak singlet “flavon.” The existence of TeV scale vectorlike T-quarks required to provide adequate values for Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) parameters can also naturally account for the diphoton anomaly. Correlations between V-ub and V-cb with the vectorlike T-quark mass can be predicted. Should the diphoton anomaly survive in a future run, our proposed interpretation can also be tested in upcoming B and LHC studies.
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