117867179
Comment on 'On an unverified nuclear decay and its role in the DAMA experiment' (arXiv:1210.5501)
We briefly remind references and arguments, already discussed in the past, which confute erroneous claims in arXiv:1210.5501.
117048271
First DAMA/LIBRA Results and Beyond
The DAMA project is an observatory for rare processes and it is operative deep underground at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. Its main apparatus is the DAMA/LIBRA set-up, consisting of ≃250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl) detectors. Its first results — obtained by exploiting over four annual cycles the model independent annual modulation signature for Dark Matter (DM) particles — confirm by those of the former DAMA/NaI, supporting the evidence for Dark Matter presence in the galactic halo at 8.2 σ C.L.. The DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA data, in fact, satisfy all the many peculiarities of the DM annual modulation signature. Neither systematic effects nor side reactions able to account for the observed modulation amplitude and to contemporaneously satisfy all the several requirements of the DM signature are available. Future perspectives are also addressed.
118311956
DAMA investigations on Dark Matter at Gran Sasso: results and perspectives
The DAMA/NaI experiment (≃ 100 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl)) at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the I.N.F.N. had the unique feature to effectively investigate the presence of Dark Matter particles in the galactic halo by exploiting the model independent annual modulation signature. A total exposure of more than 105 kg × day, collected over seven annual cycles, has pointed out at 6.3 σ C.L. an effect which satisfies all the many peculiarities of the signature. Neither systematics nor side reactions able to account for the observed effect were found. No experiment whose result can be directly compared in a model independent way with the experimental one of DAMA/NaI is available so far. Searches in space experiments are not in contradiction with DAMA/NaI. Several (but still few with respect to the possibilities) corollary model dependent quests for the candidate particle have also been carried out; others are in progress. At present the second generation DAMA/LIBRA set‐up (≃ 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(...
17766827
Investigating electron interacting dark matter
Some extensions of the standard model provide dark matter candidate particles which can have a dominant coupling with the lepton sector of the ordinary matter. Thus, such dark matter candidate particles (chi(0)) can be directly detected only through their interaction with electrons in the detectors of a suitable experiment, while they are lost by experiments based on the rejection of the electromagnetic component of the experimental counting rate. These candidates can also offer a possible source of the 511 keV photons observed from the galactic bulge. In this paper this scenario is investigated. Some theoretical arguments are developed and related phenomenological aspects are discussed. Allowed intervals and regions for the characteristic phenomenological parameters of the considered model and of the possible mediator of the interaction are also derived considering the DAMA/NaI data.
119701812
Signals from dark Universe: DAMA/LIBRA at LNGS
The DAMA/LIBRA set-up (about 250 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl) sensitive mass) is running at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of the INFN. The first DAMA/LIBRA results point out the presence of a dark matter particle component in the galactic halo, as well as the former DAMA/NaI set-up; cumulatively the data support such evidence at 8.2σ CL and satisfy all the peculiarities of the dark matter annual modulation signature.
124862840
DIRECT DETECTION OF DARK MATTER PARTICLES
118551349
New Higgs Inflation in a No-Scale Supersymmetric SU(5) GUT
Higgs inflation is attractive because it identifies the inflaton with the electroweak Higgs boson. In this work, we construct a new class of supersymmetric Higgs inflationary models in the no-scale supergravity with an SU(5) GUT group. Extending the no-scale Kahler potential and SU(5) GUT superpotential, we derive a generic potential for Higgs inflation that includes the quadratic monomial potential and a Starobinsky-type potential as special limits. This type of models can accommodate a wide range of the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r = O(10^{-3}-10^{-1})$, as well as a scalar spectral index $n_s \sim 0.96$.
14029700
Higgsless Deconstruction Without Boundary Condition
Deconstruction is a powerful means to explore the rich dynamics of gauge theories in four and higher dimensions. We demonstrate that gauge symmetry breaking in a compactified higher dimensional theory can be formulated via deconstructed 4D moose theory with {\it spontaneous symmetry breaking} and {\it without boundary condition.} The proper higher-D boundary conditions are automatically induced in the continuum limit rather than being imposed. We identify and analyze the moose theories which exhibit {\it delayed unitarity violation} (effective unitarity) as a {\it collective effect} of many gauge groups, without resorting to any known 5D geometry. Relevant phenomenological constraints are also addressed.
119221143
Octahedral symmetry with geometrical breaking: New prediction for neutrino mixing angle theta(13) and CP violation
We propose octahedral group O-h as the family symmetry of the neutrino-lepton sector. We find that O-h contains subgroups Z(2)(mu tau) circle times Z(2)(s) and Z(4)(l) for realizing the bimaximal (BM) mixings theta(23) = theta(12) = 45 degrees, where Z(2)(mu tau) circle times Z(2)(s) and Z(4)(l) serve as the residual symmetries of neutrinos and charged leptons, respectively. We present geometric interpretations of BM mixing in the octahedron, and construct natural geometrical breaking of Z(4)(l), leading to nontrivial deviations from the BM mixings. Our theory makes truly simple predictions of a relatively large reactor angle, theta(13) similar or equal to 45 degrees - theta(12) = 7.5 degrees-13.7 degrees(3 sigma), the nearly maximal atmospheric angle and the approximate maximal Dirac CP violation. These agree well with the current neutrino data, and will be further probed by the on-going and upcoming oscillation experiments.
119177190
Probing LHC Higgs Signals from Extended Electroweak Gauge Group
We study the effects of the extended electroweak gauge sector on the signal strengths of the Higgs boson at the LHC. Extension of the Higgs sector associate with the extension of the electroweak gauge symmetry. In our setup, there are two neutral Higgs states ($h$, $H$) and three new gauge bosons ($W'^{\pm}$, $Z'$). We assume the lightest scalar, $h$, is what LHC found and its mass is 125 GeV. We find the enhancement of $\mu(gg \to h \to \gamma \gamma)$. On the other hand, other decay processes are same as or smaller than the SM expectation.
119248663
LHC Higgs signatures from extended electroweak gauge symmetry
A bstractWe study LHC Higgs signatures from the extended electroweak gauge symmetry SU(2) ⊗ SU(2) ⊗ U(1). Under this gauge structure, we present an effective UV completion of the 3-site moose model with ideal fermion delocalization, which contains two neutral Higgs states (h, H) plus three new gauge bosons (W′, Z′). We study the unitarity, and reveal that the exact E2 cancellation in the longitudinal VLVL scattering amplitudes is achieved by the joint role of exchanging both spin-1 new gauge bosons W′/Z′ and spin-0 Higgs bosons h/H. We identify the lighter Higgs state h with mass 125 GeV, and derive the unitarity bound on the mass of heavier Higgs boson H. The parameter space of this model is highly predictive. We study the production and decay signals of this 125 GeV Higgs boson h at the LHC. We demonstrate that the h Higgs boson can naturally have enhanced signals in the diphoton channel gg → h → γγ, while the event rates in the reactions gg → h → W W∗ and gg → h → ZZ∗ are generally suppressed relative to the SM expectation. Searching the h Higgs boson via the associated production and the vector boson fusions are also discussed for our model. We further analyze the LHC signals of the heavier Higgs boson H as a new physics discriminator from the SM. For wide mass-ranges of H, we derive constraints from the existing LHC searches, and study the discovery potential of H at the LHC (8 TeV) and LHC (14 TeV).