118331572
A few final comments to arXiv:1210.7548[hep-ph]
A few final comments on arXiv:1210.7548 are given to confute incorrect arguments claimed there.
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.
2157347
On electromagnetic contributions in WIMP quests
The effect pointed out by A. B. Migdal in 1940's (hereafter named Migdal effect) has so far been usually neglected in the direct searches for WIMP Dark Matter candidates. This effect consists in the ionization and the excitation of bound atomic electrons induced by the recoiling atomic nucleus. In the present paper the related theoretical arguments are developed and some consequences of the proper accounting for this effect are discussed by some examples of practical interest.
124862840
DIRECT DETECTION OF DARK MATTER PARTICLES
17529257
Direct detection of dark-matter particles
In this conference the model-independent result on the presence of 
dark-matter particles in the galactic halo obtained over seven annual cycles by the 
 100 kg highly radiopure NaI(Tl) DAMA/NaI has been presented and several corollary 
investigations have also been discussed. More recently the model-independent 
result obtained over the first four annual cycles by the second generation 250 kg 
highly radiopure NaI(Tl) DAMA/LIBRA set-up at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory 
of the INFN has also been released. Both the experiments have the unique 
feature to effectively investigate the presence of dark-matter particles in the galactic 
halo by exploiting the model-independent annual modulation signature. The 
data collected by the two experiments over eleven annual cycles for a total exposure 
of 0.82 ton × y have pointed out at 8.2σ CL a positive result; several corollary 
model-dependent quests for the candidate particle(s) and related astrophysical, nuclear 
and particle physics scenarios are under updating. The future experimental 
activity can give rise to many new interesting results.
56423317
Results of the DAMA experiment at LNGS
DAMA is searching for rare processes by developing and using several kinds of radiopure scintillators: in particular, NaI(Tl), liquid Xenon and CaF2(Eu). Here more recent results are summarized with particular attention to the investigation of the WIMP annual modulation signature.
8894898
Scales of fermion mass generation and electroweak symmetry breaking
The scale of mass generation for fermions (including neutrinos) and the scale for electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) can be bounded from above by the unitarity of scattering involving longitudinal weak gauge bosons or their corresponding would-be Goldstone bosons. Including the exact n-body phase space we analyze the 2{yields}n (n{>=}2) processes for the fermion-(anti)fermion scattering into multiple gauge boson final states. Contrary to naieve energy power counting, we demonstrate that as n becomes large, the competition between an increasing energy factor and a phase-space suppression leads to a strong new upper bound on the scale of fermion mass generation at a finite value n=n{sub s}, which is independent of the EWSB scale, v=({radical}(2)G{sub F}){sup -1/2}. For quarks, leptons, and Majorana neutrinos, the strongest 2{yields}n limits range from about 3 TeV to 130-170 TeV (with 2 < or approx. s < or approx. 24), depending on the measured fermion masses. Strikingly, given the tiny neutrino masses as constrained by the neutrino oscillations, neutrinoless double-beta decays and astrophysical observations, the unitarity violation of {nu}{sub L}{nu}{sub L}{yields}nW{sub L}{sup a} scattering actually occurs at a scale no higher than {approx}170 TeV. Implications for various mechanisms of neutrino mass generation are analyzed. On the other hand,more » for the 2{yields}n pure Goldstone boson scattering, we find that the decreasing phase-space factor always dominates over the growing overall energy factor when n becomes large, so that the best unitarity bound on the scale of EWSB remains at n=2.« less
118594348
Discovering New Gauge Bosons of Electroweak Symmetry Breaking at LHC-8
We study the physics potential of the 8 TeV LHC (LHC-8) to discover, during its 2012 run, a large class of extended gauge models or extradimensional models whose low-energy behavior is well represented by an $SU(2{)}^{2}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}U(1)$ gauge structure. We analyze this class of models and find that, with a combined integrated luminosity of $40\char21{}60\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{fb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at the LHC-8, the first new Kaluza-Klein mode of the $W$ gauge boson can be discovered up to a mass of about 370\char21{}400 GeV when produced in association with a $Z$ boson.
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 $n_s \sim 0.96$.
119267356
Extending Higgs inflation with TeV scale new physics
Higgs inflation is among the most economical and predictive inflation models, although the original Higgs inflation requires tuning the Higgs or top mass away from its current experimental value by more than 2 sigma deviations, and generally gives a negligible tensor-to-scalar ratio r similar to 10(-3) (if away from the vicinity of critical point). In this work, we construct a minimal extension of Higgs inflation, by adding only two new weak-singlet particles at TeV scale, a vector-quark T and a real scalar S. The presence of singlets (T, S) significantly impact the renormalization group running of the Higgs boson self-coupling. With this, our model provides a wider range of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r = O(0.1) - O(10(-3)) consistent with the favored r values by either BICEP2 or Planck data, while keeping the successful prediction of the spectral index n(s) similar or equal to 0.96. It allows the Higgs and top masses to fully fit the collider measurements. We also discuss implications for searching the predicted TeV-scale vector-quark T and scalar S at the LHC and future high energy pp colliders.
5881766
Scale of mass generation for Majorana neutrinos
Scales of mass generation for Majorana neutrinos (as well as quarks and leptons) can be probed from high energy 2 → n inelastic scattering involving a multiple longitudinal gauge boson final state. We demonstrate that the unitarity of 2 → n scattering puts the strongest new upper limit on the scale of fermion mass generation, independent of the electroweak symmetry breaking scale v = ( √ 2GF) 1 2 . Strikingly, for Majorana neutrinos (quarks and leptons), we find that the strongest 2 → n limits fall in a narrow range, 136 − 170 TeV (3 − 107 TeV) with n = 20 − 24 (n = 2 − 12), depending on the observed fermion masses. Physical implications are discussed.