Publications (46)4.56 Total impact
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Article: Two radiative inverse seesaw models, dark matter, and baryogenesis
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ABSTRACT: The inverse seesaw mechanism allows the neutrino masses to be generated by new physics at an experimentally accessible scale, even with O(1) Yukawa couplings. In the inverse seesaw scenario, the smallness of neutrino masses is linked to the smallness of a lepton number violating parameter. This parameter may arise radiatively. In this paper, we study the cosmological implications of two contrasting radiative inverse seesaw models, one due to Ma and the other to Law and McDonald. The former features spontaneous, the latter explicit lepton number violation. First, we examine the effect of the lepton-number violating interactions introduced in these models on the baryon asymmetry of the universe. We investigate under what conditions a pre-existing baryon asymmetry does not get washed out. While both models allow a baryon asymmetry to survive only once the temperature has dropped below the mass of their heaviest fields, the Ma model can create the baryon asymmetry through resonant leptogenesis. Then we investigate the viability of the dark matter candidates arising within these models, and explore the prospects for direct detection. We find that the Law/McDonald model allows a simple dark matter scenario similar to the Higgs portal, while in the Ma model the simplest cold dark matter scenario would tend to overclose the universe.04/2013; -
Article: Symmetry breaking, subgroup embeddings and the Weyl group
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ABSTRACT: We present a systematic approach to writing adjoint Higgs vacuum expectation values (vevs), which break a symmetry G to differently embedded isomorphic copies of a subgroup belonging to the chain $G \supset H_1 \supset ... \supset H_l $, as linear combinations of each other. Given an adjoint Higgs vacuum expectation value h breaking G \rightarrow H, a full complement of vevs breaking G to different embeddings of the subgroup H can be generated through the Weyl group orbit of h. An explicit formula for recovering each vev is given. We focus on the case when H stabilizes the highest weight of the lowest dimensional fundamental representation, where the formula is exceedingly simple. We also discuss cases when the Higgs field is not in the adjoint representation and apply these techniques to current research problems, especially in domain-wall brane model building.03/2012; -
Article: Affleck-Dine dynamics and the dark sector of pangenesis
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ABSTRACT: Pangenesis is the mechanism for jointly producing the visible and dark matter asymmetries via Affleck-Dine dynamics in a baryon-symmetric universe. The baryon-symmetric feature means that the dark asymmetry cancels the visible baryon asymmetry and thus enforces a tight relationship between the visible and dark matter number densities. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the general dynamics of this scenario in more detail and to construct specific models. After reviewing the simple symmetry structure that underpins all baryon-symmetric models, we turn to a detailed analysis of the required Affleck-Dine dynamics. Both gravity-mediated and gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking are considered, with the messenger scale left arbitrary in the latter, and the viable regions of parameter space are determined. In the gauge-mediated case where gravitinos are light and stable, the regime where they constitute a small fraction of the dark matter density is identified. We discuss the formation of Q-balls, and delineate various regimes in the parameter space of the Affleck-Dine potential with respect to their stability or lifetime and their decay modes. We outline the regions in which Q-ball formation and decay is consistent with successful pangenesis. Examples of viable dark sectors are presented, and constraints are derived from big bang nucleosynthesis, large scale structure formation and the Bullet cluster. Collider signatures and implications for direct dark matter detection experiments are briefly discussed. The following would constitute evidence for pangenesis: supersymmetry, GeV-scale dark matter mass(es) and a Z' boson with a significant invisible width into the dark sector.01/2012; -
Article: Stochastic superspace phenomenology at the Large Hadron Collider
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ABSTRACT: We analyse restrictions on the stochastic superspace parameter space arising from 1 fb$^{-1}$ of LHC data, and bounds on sparticle masses, cold dark matter relic density and the branching ratio of the process $B_s \rightarrow \mu^+ \mu^-$. A region of parameter space consistent with these limits is found where the stochasticity parameter, \xi, takes values in the range -2200 GeV < \xi < -900 GeV, provided the cutoff scale is $\mathcal{O}(10^{18})$ GeV.01/2012; -
Article: Quark-lepton symmetric model at the LHC
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ABSTRACT: We investigate the quark-lepton symmetric model of Foot and Lew in the context of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In this `bottom-up' extension to the Standard Model, quark-lepton symmetry is achieved by introducing a gauged `leptonic colour' symmetry which is spontaneously broken above the electroweak scale. If this breaking occurs at the TeV scale, then we expect new physics to be discovered at the LHC. We examine three areas of interest: the Z$'$ heavy neutral gauge boson, charge $\pm1/2$ exotic leptons, and a colour triplet scalar diquark. We find that the LHC has already explored and/or will explore new parameter space for these particles over the course of its lifetime.12/2011; -
Article: Visible and dark matter from a first-order phase transition in a baryon-symmetric universe
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ABSTRACT: The similar cosmological abundances observed for visible and dark matter suggest a common origin for both. By viewing the dark matter density as a dark-sector asymmetry, mirroring the situation in the visible sector, we show that the visible and dark matter asymmetries may have arisen simultaneously through a first-order phase transition in the early universe. The dark asymmetry can then be equal and opposite to the usual visible matter asymmetry, leading to a universe that is symmetric with respect to a generalised baryon number. We present both a general structure, and a precisely defined example of a viable model of this type. In that example, the dark matter is atomic as well as asymmetric, and various cosmological and astrophysical constraints are derived. Testable consequences for colliders include a Z' boson that couples through the B-L charge to the visible sector, but also decays invisibly to dark sector particles. The additional scalar particles in the theory can mix with the standard Higgs boson and provide other striking signatures.11/2011; -
Article: Baryon Number Violating Scalar Diquarks at the LHC
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ABSTRACT: Baryon number violating (BNV) processes are heavily constrained by experiments searching for nucleon decay and neutron-antineutron oscillations. If the baryon number violation occurs via the third generation quarks, however, we may be able to avoid the nucleon stability constraints, thus making such BNV interactions accessible at the LHC. In this paper we study a specific class of BNV extensions of the standard model (SM) involving diquark and leptoquark scalars. After an introduction to these models we study one promising extension in detail, being interested in particles with mass of O(TeV). We calculate limits on the masses and couplings from neutron-antineutron oscillations and dineutron decay for couplings to first and third generation quarks. We explore the possible consequences of such a model on the matter-antimatter asymmetry. We shall see that for models which break the global baryon minus lepton number symmetry, (B-L), the most stringent constraints come from the need to preserve a matter-antimatter asymmetry. That is, the BNV interaction cannot be introduced if it would remove the matter-antimatter asymmetry independent of baryogenesis mechanism and temperature. Finally, we examine the phenomenology of such models at colliders such as the LHC.10/2011; -
Article: ATLAS and CMS hints for a mirror Higgs boson
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ABSTRACT: ATLAS and CMS have provided hints for the existence of a Higgs-like particle with mass of about 144 GeV with production cross section into standard decay channels which is about 50% that of the standard model Higgs boson. We show that this 50% suppression is exactly what the mirror matter model predicts when the two scalar mass eigenstates, each required to be maximal admixtures of a standard and mirror-Higgs boson, are separated in mass by more than their decay widths but less than the experimental resolution. We discuss prospects for the future confirmation of this interesting hint for non-standard Higgs physics.09/2011; -
Article: Lifshitz theories with extra dimensions and 3+1-d Lorentz invariance
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ABSTRACT: We construct Lifshitz scalar field theories in 4+1 dimensions which retain 3+1-d Lorentz invariance and therefore ensure a unique limiting speed in the 3+1-d world. Such a construction is potentially useful in developing field-theoretic ultraviolet completions of extra-dimensional field theories. The extra dimension y is treated asymmetrically from the usual three spatial dimensions by introducing derivatives of order 2n with respect to y in the action. We show that lambda phi^4 theory becomes progressively less non-renormalisable by power counting as n is increased. This suggests that the non-local theory obtained in the infinite-n limit may be complete in the ultraviolet.07/2011; -
Article: Pangenesis in a Baryon-Symmetric Universe: Dark and Visible Matter via the Affleck-Dine Mechanism
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ABSTRACT: The similarity of the visible and dark matter abundances indicates that they may originate via the same mechanism. If both the dark and the visible matter are charged under a generalized baryon number which remains always conserved, then the asymmetry of the visible sector may be compensated by an asymmetry in the dark sector. We show how the separation of baryonic and antibaryonic charge can originate in the vacuum, via the Affleck-Dine mechanism, due to the breaking of a symmetry orthogonal to the baryon number. Symmetry restoration in the current epoch guarantees the individual stability of the two sectors.05/2011; -
Article: Cosmological constant in scale-invariant theories
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ABSTRACT: The incorporation of a small cosmological constant within radiatively-broken scale-invariant models is discussed. We show that phenomenologically consistent scale-invariant models can be constructed which allow a small positive cosmological constant, providing certain relation between the particle masses is satisfied. As a result, the mass of the dilaton is generated at two-loop level. Another interesting consequence is that the electroweak symmetry-breaking vacuum in such models is necessarily a metastable `false' vacuum which, fortunately, is not expected to decay on cosmological time scales.12/2010; -
Article: A Model For Late Dark Matter Decay
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ABSTRACT: The standard cold dark matter cosmological model, while successful in explaining the observed large scale structure of the Universe, tends to overpredict structure on small scales. It has been proposed this problem may be alleviated in a class of late-decaying dark matter models, in which the parent dark matter particle decays to an almost degenerate daughter, plus a relativistic final state. We construct explicit particle physics models that realize this goal while obeying observational constraints. To achieve this, we introduce a pair of fermionic dark matter candidates and a new scalar field, which obey either a Z4 or a U(1) symmetry. Through the spontaneous breaking of these symmetries, and coupling of the new fields to standard model particles, we demonstrate that the desired decay process may be obtained. We also discuss the dark matter production processes in these models.11/2010; -
Article: BPS solitons in Lifshitz field theories
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ABSTRACT: Lorentz-invariant scalar field theories in d+1 dimensions with second-order derivative terms are unable to support static soliton solutions that are both finite in energy and stable for d>2, a result known as Derrick's theorem. Lifshitz theories, which introduce higher-order spatial derivatives, need not obey Derrick's theorem. We construct stable, finite-energy, static soliton solutions in Lifshitz scalar field theories in 3+1 dimensions with dynamical critical exponent z=2. We exhibit three generic types: non-topological point defects, topological point defects, and topological strings. We focus mainly on Lifshitz theories that are defined through a superpotential and admit BPS solutions. These kinds of theories are the bosonic sectors of supersymmetric theories derived from the stochastic dynamics of a scalar field theory in one higher dimension. If nature obeys a Lifshitz field theory in the ultraviolet, then the novel topological defects discussed here may exist as relics from the early universe. Their discovery would prove that standard field theory breaks down at short distance scales.10/2010; -
Article: Domain-wall branes in Lifshitz theories
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ABSTRACT: We analyze whether or not Lifshitz field theories in 4 + 1 dimensions may provide ultraviolet-complete domain-wall brane models. We first show that Lifshitz scalar field theory can admit topologically stable domain wall solutions. A Lifshitz fermion field is then added to the toy model, and we demonstrate that 3+1- dimensional Kaluza-Klein zero mode solutions do not exist when the four spatial dimensions are treated isotropically. To recover 3 + 1-dimensional chiral fermions dynamically localized to the domain wall, we must postulate the breaking of full 4-dimensional rotational symmetry down to the subgroup of rotations which mix the usual 3-dimensional spatial directions and fix the extra-dimensional axis in addition to the anisotropy between space and time.08/2010; -
Article: Stable mass hierarchies and dark matter from hidden sectors in the scale-invariant standard model
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ABSTRACT: Scale invariance may be a classical symmetry which is broken radiatively. This provides a simple way to stabilise the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking against radiative corrections. But for such a theory to be fully realistic, it must actually incorporate a hierarchy of scales, including the Planck and the neutrino mass scales in addition to the electroweak scale. The dark matter sector and the physics responsible for baryogenesis may or may not require new scales, depending on the scenario. We develop a generic way of using hidden sectors to construct a technically-natural hierarchy of scales in the framework of classically scale-invariant theories. We then apply the method to generate the Planck mass and to solve the neutrino mass and dark matter problems through what may be termed the "scale-invariant standard model". The model is perturbatively renormalisable for energy scales up to the Planck mass. Comment: v2: minor changes, reference added, published in Phys. Rev. D06/2010; -
Article: Neutrino masses and sparticle spectra from stochastic superspace
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ABSTRACT: Based on the stochastic superspace mechanism for softly breaking supersymmetry, we present improved sparticle spectra computations for the minimal model and examine extensions through R-parity violation and the type-I seesaw mechanism that incorporate non-zero neutrino masses for more realistic models. Performing the calculations to two-loop accuracy, we observe a global decrease in predicted sparticle masses. However this does not affect the generic features of the minimal model outlined in our earlier work, including the characteristic light stop mass. We find stop decay channels accessible at the LHC which can be used in combination with our predicted range for the stop mixing angle to falsify the minimal model with stochastic supersymmetry. We then introduce neutrino masses and mixings consistent with experiment by including purely trilinear R-parity violating superpotential terms, resulting in a viable stochastic superspace model absent a dark matter candidate. An alternative method for generating neutrino masses, namely the type-I seesaw mechanism, is found only to be viable when the neutrino Yukawa coupling is small relative to the top Yukawa and the cut-off scale is large. Comment: 11 pages, minor changes and additions, this version to appear in PRD03/2010; -
Article: Dynamics of the infinitely-thin kink
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ABSTRACT: We consider the dynamics of the domain-wall kink soliton, in particular we study the zero mode of translation. In the infinitely-thin kink limit, we show that the zero mode is almost completely frozen out, the only remnant being a dynamically constrained four-dimensional mode of a single but arbitrary frequency. In relation to this result, we show that the usual mode expansion for dealing with zero modes -- implicit collective coordinates -- is not in fact a completely general expansion, and that one must use instead a traditional generalised Fourier analysis.11/2009; -
Article: SO(10) domain-wall brane models
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ABSTRACT: We construct domain-wall brane models based on the grand-unification group SO(10), generalising the SU(5) model of Davies, George and Volkas. Motivated by the Dvali-Shifman proposal for the dynamical localisation of gauge bosons, the SO(10) symmetry is spontaneously broken inside the wall. We present two scenarios: in the first, the unbroken subgroup inside the wall is SU(5) x U(1)X, and in the second it is the left-right symmetry group SU(3) x SU(2)L x SU(2)R x U(1)B-L. In both cases we demonstrate that the phenomenologically-correct fermion zero modes can be localised to the wall, and we briefly discuss how the symmetry-breaking dynamics may be extended to induce breaking to the standard model group with subsequent electroweak breaking. Dynamically localised gravity is realised through the type 2 Randall-Sundrum mechanism. Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures A new section has been added on page 12. 3 new paragraphs have been added to the end of section (IV B) 'Localising Fermions' and 1 new paragraph has been added to section (IV C)'Adding Warped Gravity'. A new reference has been added to the bibliography at position [29]. The paper has been accepted in to Phys. Rev. D08/2009; -
Article: Vector-Field Domain Walls
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ABSTRACT: We argue that spontaneous Lorentz violation may generally lead to metastable domain walls related to the simultaneous violation of some accompanying discrete symmetries. Remarkably, such domain wall solutions exist for space-like Lorentz violation and do not exist for the time-like violation. Because a preferred space direction is spontaneously induced, these domain walls have no planar symmetry and produce a peculiar static gravitational field at small distances, while their long-distance gravity appears the same as for regular scalar-field walls. Some possible applications of vector-field domain walls are briefly discussed. Comment: Published version, to appear in Physical Review DPhysical Review D 01/2009; · 4.56 Impact Factor -
Article: Extra-dimensional cosmology with domain-wall branes
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ABSTRACT: We show how to define a consistent braneworld cosmology in a model in which the brane is constructed as a field-theoretic domain wall of finite thickness. The Friedmann, Robertson-Walker metric is recovered in the region of the brane, but, remarkably, with scale factor that depends on particle energy and on particle species, constituting a breakdown of the weak equivalence principle on sufficiently small scales. This unusual effect comes from the extended nature of particles confined to a domain-wall brane, and the fact that they feel an "average" of the bulk spacetime. We demonstrate how to recover the standard results of brane cosmology in the infinitely-thin brane limit, and comment on how our results have the potential to place bounds on parameters such as the thickness of domain-wall braneworlds.11/2008;
Top co-authors
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Institutions
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2000–2011
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Victoria University Melbourne
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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1998–1999
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University of Melbourne
- School of Physics
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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