Abstract: Leptoquarks are ubiquitous in several extensions of the Standard Model and seem to be able to accommodate the universality-violation-driven B-meson-decay anomalies and the (g-2)(mu) discrepancy interpreted as deviations from the Standard Model predictions. In addition, the search for lepton-flavour violation in the charged sector is, at present, a major research program that could also be facilitated by the dynamics generated by leptoquarks. In this article, we consider a rather wide framework of both scalar and vector leptoquarks as the generators of lepton-flavour violation in processes involving the tau lepton. We single out its couplings to leptoquarks, thus breaking universality in the lepton sector, and we integrate out leptoquarks at tree level, generating the corresponding dimension-6 operators of the Standard Model Effective Field Theory. In ref. [1] we obtained model-independent bounds on the Wilson coefficients of those operators contributing to lepton-flavour-violating hadron tau decays and l-tau conversion in nuclei, with l = e, mu. Hence, we use those results to translate the bounds into the couplings of leptoquarks to the Standard Model fermions.

Abstract: We present global fits of an effective field theory description of real, and complex scalar dark matter candidates. We simultaneously take into account all possible dimension 6 operators consisting of dark matter bilinears and gauge invariant combinations of quark and gluon fields. We derive constraints on the free model parameters for both the real (five parameters) and complex (seven) scalar dark matter models obtained by combining Planck data on the cosmic microwave background, direct detection limits from LUX, and indirect detection limits from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We find that for real scalars indirect dark matter searches disfavour a dark matter particle mass below 100 GeV. For the complex scalar dark matter particle current data have a limited impact due to the presence of operators that lead to p-wave annihilation, and also do not contribute to the spin-independent scattering cross-section. Although current data are not informative enough to strongly constrain the theory parameter space, we demonstrate the power of our formalism to reconstruct the theoretical parameters compatible with an actual dark matter detection, by assuming that the excess of gamma rays observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope towards the Galactic centre is entirely due to dark matter annihilations. Please note that the excess can very well be due to astrophysical sources such as millisecond pulsars. We find that scalar dark matter interacting via effective field theory operators can in principle explain the Galactic centre excess, but that such interpretation is in strong tension with the non-detection of gamma rays from dwarf galaxies in the real scalar case. In the complex scalar case there is enough freedom to relieve the tension.

Abstract: We perform a general model-independent analysis of b -> c tau(nu) over bar (tau) transitions, including measurements of R-D, R-D*, their q(2) differential distributions, the recently measured longitudinal D* polarization F-L(D)*, and constraints from the B-c -> tau(nu) over bar (tau) lifetime, each of which has significant impact on the fit. A global fit to a general set of Wilson coefficients of an effective low-energy Hamiltonian is presented, the solutions of which are interpreted in terms of hypothetical new-physics mediators. From the obtained results we predict selected b -> c tau(nu) over bar (tau) observables, such as the baryonic transition Lambda(b) -> Lambda(c)tau(nu) over bar (tau), the ratio R-J/psi, the forward-backward asymmetries A(FB)(D()*()), the tau polarization asymmetries P-tau(D()*()), and the longitudinal D* polarization fraction F-L(D)*. The latter shows presently a slight tension with any new-physics model, such that an improved measurement could have an important impact. We also discuss the potential change due the very recently announced preliminary R-D(*) measurement by the Belle collaboration.

Abstract: Hadronic matrix elements of local four-quark operators play a central role in non-leptonic kaon decays, while vacuum matrix elements involving the same kind of operators appear in inclusive dispersion relations, such as those relevant in tau -decay analyses. Using an SU(3)(L) circle times SU(3)(R) decomposition of the operators, we derive generic relations between these matrix elements, extending well-known results that link observables in the two different sectors. Two relevant phenomenological applications are presented. First, we determine the electroweak-penguin contribution to the kaon CP-violating ratio epsilon '/epsilon, using the measured hadronic spectral functions in tau decay. Second, we fit our SU(3) dynamical parameters to the most recent lattice data on K -> pi pi matrix elements. The comparison of this numerical fit with results from previous analytical approaches provides an interesting anatomy of the Delta I = 1/2 enhancement, confirming old suggestions about its underlying dynamical origin.