Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Theories of Flavour”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Froggatt-Nielsen meets the SMEFT

We study the matching of Froggatt-Nielsen theories of flavour onto the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT), upon integrating out a heavy Beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) scalar ‘flavon’ whose vacuum expectation value breaks an Abelian flavour symmetry at energies Λ FN well above the electroweak scale, Λ FN > Λ SM . We include matching contributions to the infrared d SM = 6 (Warsaw basis) SMEFT sourced from ultraviolet contact terms suppressed up to order 1/${\Lambda}_{\textrm{UV}}^2$ in the Froggatt-Nielsen Lagrangian, where Λ UV > Λ FN is an arbitrary ultraviolet scale where further unspecified BSM particles are dynamical. This includes tree-level (one-loop) ultraviolet diagrams with d FN = 6 (5) effective vertices. We first do so with a toy model, but then generalize our findings to arbitrary Frogatt-Nielsen charges. Our results indicate a rich and non-trivial signature of Froggatt-Nielsen theories on the (otherwise) model-independent operators of the SMEFT, and we briefly speculate on extending our analysis to broader classes of BSM flavour models, e.g. non-Abelian and/or gauged theories. We thus take an important step towards determining how to use rapidly developing theoretical and experimental SMEFT technologies to gain unambiguous insight into the SM’s longstanding fermion flavour puzzle.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flavor-changing light bosons with accidental longevity

We consider a model with a complex scalar field that couples to (e, μ) or (μ, τ) within the “longevity” window: [|m l 1 – m l 2 |, m l 1 + m l 2 ] in which l 1 and l 2 are the two different charged leptons. Within such a mass window, even a relatively large coupling (e.g. of the size commensurate with the current accuracy/discrepancy in the muon g – 2 experiment) leads to long lifetimes and macroscopic propagation distance between production and decay points. We propose to exploit several existing neutrino experiments and one future experiment to probe the parameter space of this model. For the μ – e sector, we exploit the muonium decay branching ratio and the production and decay sequence at the LSND experiment, excluding the parametric region suggested by g μ – 2 anomaly. For the τ – μ sector, we analyze three main production mechanisms of scalars at beam dump experiments: the Drell-Yan process, the heavy meson decay, and the muon scattering. We explore the constraints from the past CHARM and NuTeV experiments, and evaluate sensitivity for the proposed beam dump experiment, SHiP. The latter can thoroughly probe the parameter space relevant for the g μ – 2 anomaly.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accidental symmetries, Hilbert series, and friends

Accidental symmetries in effective field theories can be established by computing and comparing Hilbert series. This invites us to study them with the tools of invariant theory. Applying this technology, we spotlight three classes of accidental symmetries that hold to all orders for non-derivative interactions. They are broken by derivative interactions and become ordinary finite-order accidental symmetries. To systematically understand the origin and the patterns of accidental symmetries, we introduce a novel mathematical construct — a (non-transitive) binary relation between subgroups that we call friendship. Equipped with this, we derive new criteria for all-order accidental symmetries in terms of friends, and criteria for finite-order accidental symmetries in terms of friends ma non troppo. They allow us to verify and identify accidental symmetries more efficiently without computing the Hilbert series. We demonstrate the success of our new criteria by applying them to a variety of sample accidental symmetries, including the custodial symmetry in the Higgs sector of the Standard Model effective field theory.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Most general EFTs from spurion analysis Hilbert series and minimal lepton flavor violation

We derive a saturation theorem for general Effective Field Theories (EFTs) constructed using spurion analysis. Let S be a set of spurion fields introduced to organize the breaking of a global symmetry G f , and H S be the subgroup of G f that remains unbroken under a generic vacuum expectation value ⟨S⟩; we show that the EFT Lagrangian constructed from the spurion analysis saturates the EFT Lagrangian without the spurions but restricted to H S invariance, provided that arbitrary powers of the spurion fields are allowed. As examples, we study several implementations of the Minimal Lepton Flavor Violation (MLFV) principle, corresponding to various origins of the neutrino masses. In each scenario, we compute the Hilbert series to obtain the numbers of independent lepton flavor covariants that appear in the corresponding EFT at mass dimension 6. These numbers agree with the number of H S invariants in the EFT without the spurions, demonstrating the saturation theorem.

Effective Field Theories↗
DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of high-mass $t\bar{t}\ell ^{+}\ell ^{-}$ production and lepton flavour universality-inspired effective field theory interpretations at $\sqrt{s}=13$ $\text {T}\text {e}\hspace{-1.00006pt}\text {V}$ with the ATLAS detector

Measurements of $t\bar{t}\ell ^{+}\ell ^{-}$ production in the region of high dilepton invariant mass with effective field theory (EFT) interpretations are presented. They are performed using final states with three isolated leptons (electrons or muons) and are based on $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV proton–proton collision data with an integrated luminosity of $140\,\textrm{fb}^{-1}$, recorded from 2015 to 2018 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Measurements of the $t\bar{t}\ell ^{+}\ell ^{-}$ signal strength and cross-section upper-limits are performed inclusively in lepton flavour and separately for electrons and muons. The study also aims to probe anomalous four-fermion interactions including to test for possible lepton flavor universality violation. No significant deviations from the Standard Model predictions are observed and the measurements are interpreted through the EFT formalism to provide new constraints on the relevant operators.

Aad, G. [CNRS/IN2P3] (ORCID:0000000266654934)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Hilbert series for covariants and their applications to minimal flavor violation

We elaborate how to apply the Hilbert series method to enumerating group covariants, which transform under any given representation, including but going beyond group invariants. Mathematically, group covariants form a module over the ring of the invariants. The number of independent covariants is given by the rank of the module, which can be computed by taking a ratio of two Hilbert series. In many cases, the rank equals the dimension of the group covariant representation. When this happens, we say that there is a rank saturation. We apply this technology to revisit the hypothesis of Minimal Flavor Violation in constructing Effective Field Theories beyond the Standard Model. We find that rank saturation is guaranteed in this case, leading to the important consequence that the MFV symmetry principle does not impose any restriction on the EFT, i.e. MFV SMEFT = SMEFT, in the absence of additional assumptions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Residual symmetries and scalar multiplet vacuum alignment in non-Abelian flavour models

We demonstrate that, upon minimizing a renormalizable, single-scalar potential invariant under a non-Abelian symmetry, special orientations in the associated vacuum alignment of the scalar multiplet correspond to the preservation of a discrete residual flavour symmetry in the broken phase of the theory. Conversely, we show that these special scalar alignments are perturbed when additional Lagrangian operators (e.g. renormalizable, multi-flavon operators and/or effective, higher-dimensional operators) are present that break said residual symmetry, leading to a vacuum reorientation and phenomenological consequences. We therefore construct a one-to-one correspondence principle between broken residual symmetries and vacuum alignment corrections, providing a mechanism to identify (and correct) a subtle but persistent form of phenomenologically relevant fine-tuning embedded in — but often ignored by — most successful non-Abelian flavour models. We first establish this correspondence in a set of toy models based on the S4 permutation symmetry, and then apply the lessons learned to the more realistic A4 Altarelli-Feruglio and ∆(27) Universal Texture Zero models.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Variant Nelson-Barr mechanism with minimal flavor violation

Within the general framework of using spontaneous CP violation to solve the strong CP problem, we construct a variant Nelson-Barr model in which the Standard Model (SM) quark contribution to the strong CP phase is cancelled by new heavy QCD-charged fermions. This cancellation is ensured by choosing conjugate representations for the new colored states under the same global flavor symmetry of SM quarks. Choosing the global flavor symmetry to be that of minimal flavor violation, we suppress higher-order corrections to the strong CP phase to well below current experimental constraints. More than two dozen massless Goldstone bosons emerge from spontaneous flavor symmetry breaking, which yield strong astrophysical constraints on the symmetry breaking scale. In the early universe, the Goldstone bosons can be thermally produced from their interactions with the heavy colored fermions and contribute to ΔN eff at a measurable level. As a function of reheating temperature, the predicted ΔN eff shows an interesting plateau behavior we dub the “flavor stairway”, which encodes information about the SM quark flavor structure.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The new physics case for beam-dump experiments with accelerated muon beams

As the field examines a future muon collider as a possible successor to the LHC, we must consider how to fully utilize not only the high-energy particle collisions, but also any lower-energy staging facilities necessary in the R&D process. An economical and efficient possibility is to use the accelerated muon beam from either the full experiment or from cooling and acceleration tests in beam-dump experiments. Beam-dump experiments are complementary to the main collider as they achieve sensitivity to very small couplings with minimal instrumentation. We demonstrate the utility of muon beam-dump experiments for new physics searches at energies from 10 GeV to 5 TeV. We find that, even at low energies like those accessible at staging or demonstrator facilities, it is possible to probe new regions of parameter space for a variety of generic BSM models, including muonphilic, leptophilic, L μ − L τ , and dark photon scenarios. Such experiments could therefore provide opportunities for discovery of new physics well before the completion of the full multi-TeV collider.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Lepton-flavor violating axions at MEG II

We study the sensitivity of the existing MEG data to lepton flavor violating axion-like particles produced through μ + → e + a$\gamma$ and estimate the discovery potential for the upcoming MEG II experiment in this channel. The MEG II signal efficiency can be improved significantly if a new trigger can be implemented in a dedicated run with a reduced beam intensity. This search would establish the world leading measurement in this channel with only 1 month of data taking.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A flavor of SO(10) unification with a spinor Higgs

We investigate Higgs Parity unification — a realization of SO(10) grand unification based on the Higgs Parity mechanism in which the Standard Model (SM) Higgs resides in a spinor representation. The theory has an intermediate left-right symmetric stage where the SU(2)R symmetry breaking scale is fixed by the vanishing of the SM Higgs quartic coupling. The strong CP problem is solved by parity. Gauge coupling unification successfully predicts αs(MZ) to within 1%. The spinor Higgs naturally leads to a seesaw origin for SM flavor observables. We identify a novel mechanism where large mixing of third generation fermions with additional heavy vector-like fermions accounts for the anarchical nature of the PMNS matrix and the lack of hierarchy in the neutrino mass spectrum, relative to the up-quarks. A fit to quark and lepton masses and mixings, with a minimal parameter set, predicts 1) A testable relation between the top quark mass and αs(MZ) which is about (1 – 2)σ from current best fit values, 2) The order of magnitude of the baryon asymmetry of the universe, via leptogenesis from second-generation right-handed neutrino decays. 3) The proton decay and the neutron EDM are likely observable in next generation experiments, and 4) A normal ordered neutrino mass spectrum where 0νββ decay and the mass of the lightest neutrino are out of reach of next generation experiments.

Baryo-and Leptogenesis↗
DOE OSTI2024

Theoretical underpinnings of CP-violation at the high-energy frontier

We present a general analysis for the discovery potential of CP-violation (CPV) searches in scattering processes at TeV-scale colliders in an effective field theory framework, using the SMEFT basis for higher dimensional operators. In particular, we systematically examine the CP-violating sector of the SMEFT framework in some well motivated limiting cases, based on flavour symmetries of the underlying heavy theory. We show that, under naturality arguments of the underlying new physics (NP) and in the absence of (or suppressed) flavour-changing interactions, there is only a single operator, Q tΦ = Φ † Φ($\overline{q}$ 3 t) $\tilde{\phi}$ which alters the top-Yukawa coupling, that can generate a non-vanishing CP-violating effect from tree-level SM×NP interference terms. We find, however, that CPV from Q tΦ = Φ † Φ($\overline{q}$ 3 t) $\tilde{\phi}$ is expected to be at best of Ο (1%) and, therefore, very challenging if at all measurable at the LHC or other future high-energy colliders. We then conclude that a potentially measurable CP-violating effect of Ο (10%) can arise in high-energy scattering processes only if flavour-changing interactions are present in the underlying NP; in this case a sizable CPV can be generated at the tree-level by pure NP×NP effects and not from SM×NP interference. We provide several examples of CPV at the LHC and at a future e + s - collider to support these statements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing the flavour structure of dimension-6 EFT operators in multilepton final states in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV

An analysis of the flavour structure of dimension-6 effective field theory (EFT) operators in multilepton final states is presented, focusing on the interactions of quarks with Z bosons. For the first time, the flavour structure of these operators is disentangled by simultaneously probing the interactions with different quark generations. The analysis targets the associated production of a top quark pair and a Z boson, as well as diboson processes in final states with at least three leptons, which can be electrons or muons. The data were recorded by the CMS experiment in the years 2016–2018 in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb −1 . Consistency with the standard model of particle physics is observed and limits are set on the selected Wilson coefficients, split into couplings to light- and heavy-quark generations.

Flavour Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

An effective field theory for muon conversion and muon decay-in-orbit

Muon conversion is one of the best probes of charged lepton flavor violation. The experimental limit is soon expected to improve by four orders of magnitude, thus calling for precise predictions of the shape of the signal spectrum. Equally important are precise predictions for muon decay-in-orbit, the main background for muon conversion. While the calculation of electromagnetic corrections to the two processes above the nuclear scale does not involve significant challenges, it becomes substantially more complex below that scale due to multiple scales, bound-state effects and experimental setup. Here, we present a systematic framework that addresses these challenges by resorting to a series of effective field theories. Combining Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET), Non-Relativistic QED (NRQED), potential NRQED, Soft-Collinear Effective Theory I and II, and boosted HQET, we derive a factorization theorem and present the renormalization group equations. Our framework allows for the proper calculation of precise predictions for the rates of the two processes, with crucial implications for the upcoming muon conversion searches. We also provide the most accurate prediction of the signal shape for those searches.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

EFT approach to the endpoint of muon decay-in-orbit

As upcoming experiments aim to probe muon conversion with unprecedented precision, equally precise theoretical predictions are crucial to maximize discovery potential. This applies not only to the new physics signal, muon-electron conversion, but also to its only irreducible background, muon decay-in-orbit (DIO) near the endpoint. Accurate computation of higher-order corrections in bound states is a long-standing challenge due to the difficulty of systematically organizing contributions. In previous work, we developed an Effective Field Theory framework to address this issue and applied it to muon conversion. Here, we extend this approach to the DIO endpoint, a more complex problem due to the presence of a neutrino-antineutrino pair in the final state. We present the most precise prediction to date of the background spectrum relevant for future muon conversion searches, achieving next-to-leading logarithmic prime accuracy for QED corrections.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

The price of a large electron Yukawa modification

The theoretical implications of an electron Yukawa modification are considered in the context of a possible Higgs pole run at FCC-ee, aimed at bounding this coupling. We start from an effective field theory viewpoint, considering the impact of renormalisation group effects on related observables and also examining assumptions on the broader UV flavour structure. We then give an overview of the landscape of simplified models, investigating phenomenological constraints arising at higher orders. A short discussion of fine-tuning is also included.

Anomalous Higgs Couplings↗
DOE OSTI2025

Research in Theoretical Particle Physics: Neutrino Masses and The Origin of CP-Violation

The main goal of this project was to investigate the theories of neutrino masses at the low scale and the origin of CP-violation in physics beyond the Standard Model. The origin of neutrino masses is one of the most pressing issues in particle physics. In this proposal, we investigated the theories for neutrino masses based on local total lepton number. In these theories anomaly cancellation predicts the existence of extra fermions with lepton number, and one of them is a good dark matter (DM) candidate. The cosmological constraints on the DM relic density implies that the lepton number symmetry breaking scale must be below the multi-TeV scale. Therefore, one can hope to test the origin of neutrino masses in current or future experiments. We investigated in great detail the anomaly cancellation in these gauge theories, study the different mechanisms for neutrino masses, study the predictions for direct and indirect dark matter experiments. Since these theories predict new sources of CP violation, we investigated the predictions for the electric dipole moments (EDM). The Higgs decays and the different signatures at the Large Hadron Collider were investigated in great detail. Finally, we studied the possible baryogenesis mechanisms in these theories in agreement with the EDM, DM and collider constraints. The origin of CP violation in the Standard Model is unknown. In this proposal, we investigated the simplest mechanisms for spontaneous CP-violation to explain the CP-violation in the CKM matrix and the value of the QCD vacuum angle. We discussed the Nelson-Barr mechanism in gauge theories predicting vector-like quarks from anomaly cancellation such as theories for local baryon number. We discussed the Bento-Branco-Parada mechanism in gauge theories to explain the CP-Violation in the CKM matrix. We will investigate models with two Higgs doublets in the context of the minimal theory for quark-lepton unification. We will show the non-decoupling effects in the Higgs sector, the main constraints coming from flavour violating processes when the Yukawa couplings are related by the gauge symmetry in theories for quark-lepton unification. We will investigate the predictions for electric dipole moments in these theories. The possibility to have successful baryogenesis was investigated. Finally, we investigated the relation between CP-violation in the quark and leptonic sectors. The future results from these studies could help us to understand two main issues in physics beyond the Standard Model: The Origin of Neutrino Masses and CP-violation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Alpha-alpha scattering in the Multiverse

We investigate the phase shifts of low-energy α-α scattering under variations of the fundamental parameters of the Standard Model, namely the light quark mass, the electromagnetic fine-structure constant as well as the QCD θ-angle. As a first step, we recalculate α-α scattering in our Universe utilizing various improvements in the adiabatic projection method, which leads to an improved, parameter-free prediction of the S- and D-wave phase shifts for laboratory energies below 10 MeV. We find that positive shifts in the pion mass have a small effect on the S-wave phase shift, whereas lowering the pion mass adds some repulsion in the two-alpha system. The effect on the D-wave phase shift turns out to be more pronounced as signaled by the D-wave resonance parameters. Variations of the fine-structure constant have almost no effect on the low-energy α-α phase shifts. We further show that up-to-and-including next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion, variations of these phase shifts with respect to the QCD θ-angle can be expressed in terms of the θ-dependent pion mass.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗