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Babu, K. S., Berbig, M., Goswami, S., & Vatsyayan, D. (2026). Universal Seesaw leptogenesis. J. High Energy Phys., 06(6), 020–44pp.
Abstract: We study the implications for leptogenesis in a class of left-right symmetric model, where all fermion masses are induced through the Universal Seesaw mechanism. Unlike conventional analyses, we do not use the decays of the neutrino embedded in the right-chiral lepton doublet, but rather those of the gauge-singlet mediators required for neutrino mass generation in the canonical Type-I seesaw. This model features a generalized parity symmetry, which is motivated by the solution to the strong CP problem. Since this discrete symmetry doubles the fermionic degrees of freedom in this model, we can generate the required CP violation in the heavy fermion decays with only a single generation of mediators. One of the distinct features of our scenario is that the bounds from thermalization or washout via gauge interactions typically encountered in the canonical left-right symmetric models do not apply here. Moreover, the heavy mediators can decay to both the left and the right-chiral neutrinos, leading to a cancellation in the resulting baryon asymmetry for decays above the left-right symmetry breaking scale. We discuss ways to avoid this cancellation and show that low scale left-right symmetry breaking above the current collider limits v(R )> 18 TeV is viable. The right chiral neutrinos also obtain their masses from the seesaw mechanism, and the lightest one turns out to have a sub-eV scale mass. We find that its abundance is consistent with standard cosmology, and it acts as potentially observable dark radiation.
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Caprini, C., Jinno, R., Konstandin, T., Pol, A. R., Rubira, H., & Stomberg, I. (2025). Gravitational waves from first-order phase transitions: from weak to strong. J. High Energy Phys., 07(7), 217–69pp.
Abstract: We study the generation of gravitational waves (GWs) during a cosmological first-order phase transition (PT) using the recently introduced Higgsless approach to numerically simulate the fluid motion induced by the PT. We present for the first time GW spectra sourced by bulk fluid motion in the aftermath of strong first-order PTs (alpha = 0.5), alongside weak (alpha = 0.0046) and intermediate (alpha = 0.05) PTs, previously considered in the literature. We find that, for intermediate and strong PTs, the kinetic energy in our simulations decays, following a power law in time. The decay is potentially determined by non-linear dynamics and hence related to the production of vorticity. We show that the assumption that the source is stationary in time, characteristic of compressional motion in the linear regime (sound waves), agrees with our numerical results for weak PTs, since in this case the kinetic energy does not decay with time. We then provide a theoretical framework that extends the stationary assumption to one that accounts for the time evolution of the source: as a result, the GW energy density is no longer linearly increasing with the source duration, but proportional to the integral over time of the squared kinetic energy fraction. This effectively reduces the linear growth rate of the GW energy density and allows to account for the period of transition from the linear to the non-linear regimes of the fluid perturbations. We validate the novel theoretical model with the results of simulations and provide templates for the GW spectrum for a broad range of PT parameters.
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Centelles Chulia, S., Herbermann, T., Herrero-Brocal, A., & Vicente, A. (2025). Flavour and cosmological probes of Diracon models. J. High Energy Phys., 09(9), 110–36pp.
Abstract: We present and analyze two minimal extensions of the Standard Model featuring a spontaneously broken global, chiral, and anomaly-free U(1)D symmetry. This breaking generates naturally small Dirac neutrino masses via a seesaw mechanism and yields a physical massless Goldstone boson, the Diracon. Although both models share the same particle content and scalar potential, their distinct symmetry breaking pattern leads to remarkably different phenomenological and cosmological signatures. In the first model, the Diracon couples weakly to charged leptons but right-handed neutrinos can be efficiently produced in the early Universe, resulting in stringent constraints from the effective number of relativistic species, triangle Neff. Conversely, in the second one, right-handed neutrino production is suppressed, and flavour-violating processes such as μ-> eD\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$ \mu \to e\mathcal{D} $$\end{document} provide the most promising probes. These simple but elegant models showcase the complementarity between cosmological observations and low-energy flavour experiments in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model.
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Di Bari, P., King, S. F., & Hossain Rahat, M. (2024). Gravitational waves from phase transitions and cosmic strings in neutrino mass models with multiple majorons. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 068–31pp.
Abstract: We explore the origin of Majorana masses within the majoron model and how this can lead to the generation of a distinguishable primordial stochastic background of gravitational waves. We first show how in the simplest majoron model only a contribution from cosmic string can be within the reach of planned experiments. We then consider extensions containing multiple complex scalars, demonstrating how in this case a spectrum comprising contributions from both a strong first order phase transition and cosmic strings can naturally emerge. We show that the interplay between multiple scalar fields can amplify the phase transition signal, potentially leading to double peaks over the wideband sloped spectrum from cosmic strings. We also underscore the possibility of observing such a gravitational wave background to provide insights into the reheating temperature of the universe. We conclude highlighting how the model can be naturally combined with scenarios addressing the origin of matter of the universe, where baryogenesis occurs via leptogenesis and a right-handed neutrino plays the role of dark matter.
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Figueroa, P., Garcia-Cely, C., & Landini, G. (2026). Dark neutrons as dark matter: collisions in halos and direct detection from dark CP violation. J. High Energy Phys., 10(10), 128–35pp.
Abstract: We consider confining gauge theories with a non-vanishing topological angle theta, which induces CP-violating interactions among dark pions and dark baryons, with dark matter consisting of dark neutrons. The theta term generates scalar pion-baryon couplings analogous to the CP-violating pion-nucleon interactions of QCD. These interactions give rise to an attractive long-range Yukawa potential mediated by the dark pions, whose strength is proportional to theta. Since the dark pions are naturally light pseudo-Goldstone bosons, the resulting force can lead to sizable dark matter self-interactions, providing a simple and theoretically motivated realization of the self-interacting dark matter paradigm.We also investigate the implications for direct detection in scenarios where the dark sector communicates with the Standard Model through a dark photon portal. The theta term induces dark electric dipole moments proportional to theta, which couple directly to the electric fields of nuclei and can substantially enhance direct detection rates. We show how the underlying interactions shape the recoil spectra and discuss the possibility of identifying the CP-violating origin of the signal through its time dependence. Finally, we analyze the interplay between dark matter self-interactions and direct detection signals, showing that both are controlled by the same CP-violating parameter. Our results demonstrate that the topological angle theta can play a central role in determining the phenomenology of composite dark matter.
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Fu, B. W., Ghoshal, A., King, S. F., & Hossain Rahat, M. (2024). Type-I two-Higgs-doublet model and gravitational waves from domain walls bounded by strings. J. High Energy Phys., 08(8), 237–25pp.
Abstract: The spontaneous breaking of a U(1) symmetry via an intermediate discrete symmetry may yield a hybrid topological defect of domain walls bounded by cosmic strings. The decay of this defect network leads to a unique gravitational wave signal spanning many orders in observable frequencies, that can be distinguished from signals generated by other sources. We investigate the production of gravitational waves from this mechanism in the context of the type-I two-Higgs-doublet model extended by a U(1)R symmetry, that simultaneously accommodates the seesaw mechanism, anomaly cancellation, and eliminates flavour-changing neutral currents. The gravitational wave spectrum produced by the string-bounded-wall network can be detected for U(1)R breaking scale from 1012 to 1015 GeV in forthcoming interferometers including LISA and Einstein Telescope, with a distinctive f3 slope and inflexion in the frequency range between microhertz and hertz.
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Garcia-Cely, C., Landini, G., Marsili, L., & Zapata, O. (2026). Pion dark matter in a θ vacuum: a thermal relic with sharp velocity-dependent self-interactions. J. High Energy Phys., 02(2), 105–32pp.
Abstract: As recently proposed, a non-vanishing topological angle may play a central role in QCD-like theories of dark matter (DM). In this work, we introduce a dark photon portal to the Standard Model in order to establish thermal equilibrium in the early Universe, and discuss the ensuing phenomenological constraints, including the stability of DM. accounts for the observed DM relic abundance and yields velocity-dependent DM self-interactions in astrophysical halos. Due to the sharp velocity dependence arising from a Breit-Wigner resonance, dedicated studies are required to assess the gravothermal evolution in detail, especially in the core-collapse regime. This is particularly timely in light of self-interacting DM interpretations of strong-lensing systems such as SDSS J0946+1006, which can be naturally explained within our framework.
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Ghoshal, A., Gouttenoire, Y., Heurtier, L., & Simakachorn, P. (2023). Primordial black hole archaeology with gravitational waves from cosmic strings. J. High Energy Phys., 08(8), 196–43pp.
Abstract: Light primordial black holes (PBHs) with masses smaller than 10(9) g (10(-24) M-circle dot) evaporate before the onset of Big-Bang nucleosynthesis, rendering their detection rather challenging. If efficiently produced, they may have dominated the universe energy density. We study how such an early matter-dominated era can be probed successfully using gravitational waves (GW) emitted by local and global cosmic strings. While previous studies showed that a matter era generates a single-step suppression of the GW spectrum, we instead find a double-step suppression for local-string GW whose spectral shape provides information on the duration of the matter era. The presence of the two steps in the GW spectrum originates from GW being produced through two events separated in time: loop formation and loop decay, taking place either before or after the matter era. The second step – called the knee – is a novel feature which is universal to any early matter-dominated era and is not only specific to PBHs. Detecting GWs from cosmic strings with LISA, ET, or BBO would set constraints on PBHs with masses between 10(6) and 10(9) g for local strings with tension G μ= 10(-11), and PBHs masses between 10(4) and 10(9) g for global strings with symmetry-breaking scale eta = 10(15) GeV. Effects from the spin of PBHs are discussed.
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Strumia, A., & Landini, G. (2025). Optical gravitational waves as signals of gravitationally-decaying particles. J. High Energy Phys., 04(4), 068–23pp.
Abstract: Long-lived heavy particles present during the big bang could have a decay channel opened by gravitons. Such decays can produce gravitational waves with large enough abundance to be detectable, and a peculiar narrow spectrum peaked today around optical frequencies. We identify which particles can decay in one or two gravitons. The maximal gravitational wave abundance arises from theories with extra hidden strong gauge dynamics, such as a confining pure-glue group. An interesting abundance also arises in theories with perturbative couplings. Future observation might shed light on early cosmology and allow some spectroscopy of sub-Planckian gravitationally-decaying particles, plausibly present in a variety of theories such as gauge unification, supersymmetry, extra dimensions, strings.
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