A bstract The standard model Higgs quartic coupling vanishes at (10 9 − 10 13 ) GeV. We study SU(2) L × SU(2) R × U(1) B−L theories that incorporate the Higgs Parity mechanism, where this becomes the scale of Left-Right symmetry breaking, v R . Furthermore, these theories solve the strong CP problem and predict three right-handed neutrinos. We introduce cosmologies where SU(2) R × U(1) B−L gauge interactions produce right-handed neutrinos via the freeze-out or freeze-in mechanisms. In both cases, we find the parameter space where the lightest right-handed neutrino is dark matter and the decay of a heavier one creates the baryon asymmetry of the universe via leptogenesis. A theory of flavor is constructed that naturally accounts for the lightness and stability of the right-handed neutrino dark matter, while maintaining sufficient baryon asymmetry. The dark matter abundance and successful natural leptogenesis require v R to be in the range (10 10 − 10 13 ) GeV for freeze-out, in remarkable agreement with the scale where the Higgs quartic coupling vanishes, whereas freeze-in requires v R ≳ 10 9 GeV. The allowed parameter space can be probed by the warmness of dark matter, precise determinations of the top quark mass and QCD coupling by future colliders and lattice computations, and measurement of the neutrino mass hierarchy.
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Dirac neutrinos and N eff . Part II. The freeze-in case
Abstract We discuss Dirac neutrinos whose right-handed component ν R has new interactions that may lead to a measurable contribution to the effective number of relativistic neutrino species N eff . We aim at a model-independent and comprehensive study on a variety of possibilities. Processes for ν R -genesis from decay or scattering of thermal species, with spin-0, spin-1/2, or spin-1 initial or final states are all covered. We calculate numerically and analytically the contribution of ν R to N eff primarily in the freeze-in regime, since the freeze-out regime has been studied before. While our approximate analytical results apply only to freeze-in, our numerical calculations work for freeze-out as well, including the transition between the two regimes. Using current and future constraints on N eff , we obtain limits and sensitivities of CMB experiments on masses and couplings of the new interactions. As a by-product, we obtain the contribution of Higgs-neutrino interactions, Δ N eff SM ≃ 7.5 × 10 -12 , assuming the neutrino mass is 0.1 eV and generated by the standard Higgs mechanism.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2013873
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10314207
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
- Volume:
- 2021
- Issue:
- 03
- ISSN:
- 1475-7516
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract A singlet majoron can arise from the seesaw framework as a pseudo-Goldstone boson when the heavy Majorana neutrinos acquire masses via the spontaneous breaking of global U(1)
L symmetry. The resulting cosmological impacts are usually derived from the effective majoron-neutrino interaction, and the majoron abundance is accumulated through the freeze-in neutrino coalescence. However, a primordial majoron abundance can be predicted in a minimal setup and lead to distinctive cosmological effects. In this work, we consider such a primordial majoron abundance from relativistic freeze-out and calculate the modification to the effective neutrino numberN eff. We demonstrate that the measurements ofN effwill constrain the parameter space from a primordial majoron abundance in an opposite direction to that from neutrino coalescence. When the contributions from both the primordial abundance and the freeze-in production coexist, the U(1)L -breaking scale (seesaw scale)f will be pushed into a “sandwiched window”. Remarkably, for majoron masses below 1 MeV and above the eV scale, the future CMB-S4 experiment will completely close such a low-scale seesaw window forf ∈ [1,105] GeV. We highlight that any new light particle with a primordial abundance that couples to Standard Model particles may lead to a similar sandwiched window, and such a general phenomenon deserves careful investigation. -
A bstract The exchange of a pair of neutrinos with Standard Model weak interactions generates a long-range force between fermions. The associated potential is extremely feeble, ∝ $$ {G}_F^2/{r}^5 $$ G F 2 / r 5 for massless neutrinos, which renders it far from observable even in the most sensitive experiments testing fifth forces. The presence of a neutrino background has been argued to induce a correction to the neutrino propagator that enhances the potential by orders of magnitude. In this brief note, we point out that such modified propagators are invalid if the background neutrino wavepackets have a finite width. By reevaluating the 2- ν exchange potential in the presence of a neutrino background including finite width effects, we find that the background-induced enhancement is reduced by several orders of magnitude. Unfortunately, this pushes the resulting 2- ν exchange potential away from present and near-future sensitivity of tests of new long-range forces.more » « less
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A<sc>bstract</sc> We analyze a Higgs transition from a U(1) Dirac spin liquid to a gapless ℤ2spin liquid. This ℤ2spin liquid is of relevance to the spin
S = 1/ 2 square lattice antiferromagnet, where recent numerical studies have given evidence for such a phase existing in the regime of high frustration between nearest neighbor and next-nearest neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions (theJ 1-J 2model), appearing in a parameter regime between the vanishing of Néel order and the onset of valence bond solid ordering. The proximate Dirac spin liquid is unstable to monopole proliferation on the square lattice, ultimately leading to Néel or valence bond solid ordering. As such, we conjecture that this Higgs transition describes the critical theory separating the gapless ℤ2spin liquid of theJ 1-J 2model from one of the two proximate ordered phases. The transition into the other ordered phase can be described in a unified manner via a transition into an unstable SU(2) spin liquid, which we have analyzed in prior work. By studying the deconfined critical theory separating the U(1) Dirac spin liquid from the gapless ℤ2spin liquid in a 1/N f expansion, withN f proportional to the number of fermions, we find a stable fixed point with an anisotropic spinon dispersion and a dynamical critical exponentz ≠ 1. We analyze the consequences of this anisotropic dispersion by calculating the angular profiles of the equal-time Néel and valence bond solid correlation functions, and we find them to be distinct. We also note the influence of the anisotropy on the scaling dimension of monopoles. -
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Abstract In high-energy astrophysical processes involving compact objects, such as core-collapse supernovae or binary neutron star mergers, neutrinos play an important role in the synthesis of nuclides. Neutrinos in these environments can experience collective flavor oscillations driven by neutrino–neutrino interactions, including coherent forward scattering and incoherent (collisional) effects. Recently, there has been interest in exploring potential novel behaviors in collective oscillations of neutrinos by going beyond the one-particle effective or “mean-field” treatments. Here, we seek to explore implications of collective neutrino oscillations, in the mean-field treatment and beyond, for the nucleosynthesis yields in supernova environments with different astrophysical conditions and neutrino inputs. We find that collective oscillations can impact the operation of the
ν p -process andr -process nucleosynthesis in supernovae. The potential impact is particularly strong in high-entropy, proton-rich conditions, where we find that neutrino interactions can nudge an initialν p -process neutron-rich, resulting in a unique combination of proton-rich low-mass nuclei as well as neutron-rich high-mass nuclei. We describe this neutrino-induced neutron-capture process as the “ν i -process.” In addition, nontrivial quantum correlations among neutrinos, if present significantly, could lead to different nuclide yields compared to the corresponding mean-field oscillation treatments, by virtue of modifying the evolution of the relevant one-body neutrino observables.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2021/03/082
