Publications

Article

Can SUSY relax lepton number violation constraints coming from loop corrections to light neutrino masses on the low-scale seesaw mechanism?
Heavy neutrinos from the type-I seesaw model can have a large mixing with active states, motivating their search at collider experiments. However, loop corrections to light neutrino masses constrain the heavy neutrinos to appear in pseudo-Dirac pairs, leading to a potential suppression of lepton number violating parameters. In this work we perform a detailed review of a proposal to relax constraints on lepton number violation by adding supersymmetry (SUSY). We define the conditions necessary to maximize the SUSY screening effect, with the objective of allowing a larger mass splitting between low-scale heavy neutrino masses. We find that the sole addition of SUSY does not guarantee a screening, and that favorable cases have some degree of fine-tuning.
Año de publicación: 2023
From WIMPs to FIMPs with low reheating temperatures
Weakly- and Feebly-Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs and FIMPs) are among the best-motivated dark matter (DM) candidates. In this paper, we investigate the production of DM through the WIMP and FIMP mechanisms during inflationary reheating. We show that the details of the reheating, such as the inflaton potential and the reheating temperature, have a strong impact on the genesis of DM. The strong entropy injection caused by the inflaton decay has to be compensated by a reduction of the portal coupling in the case of WIMPs, or by an increase in the case of FIMPs. We pinpoint the smooth transition between the WIMP and the FIMP regimes in the case of low reheating temperature. As an example, we perform a full numerical analysis of the singlet-scalar DM model; however, our results are generic and adaptable to other particle DM candidates. Interestingly, in the singlet-scalar DM model with low-reheating temperature, regions favored by the FIMP mechanism are already being tested by direct detection experiments such as LZ and XENONnT.
Año de publicación: 2023
The present and future status of heavy neutral leptons
The existence of nonzero neutrino masses points to the likely existence of multiple Standard Model neutral fermions. When such states are heavy enough that they cannot be produced in oscillations, they are referred to as heavy neutral leptons (HNLs). In this white paper, we discuss the present experimental status of HNLs including colliders, beta decay, accelerators, as well as astrophysical and cosmological impacts. We discuss the importance of continuing to search for HNLs, and its potential impact on our understanding of key fundamental questions, and additionally we outline the future prospects for next-generation future experiments or upcoming accelerator run scenarios.
Año de publicación: 2023
Uncovering the Majorana nature through a precision measurement of the CP phase
We show the possibility to discover the neutrino nature by measuring the Majorana CP phase at the DUNE experiment. This phase is turned on by a decoherence environment, possibly originated by physics at the Planck scale. A sizable distortion in the measurement of the Dirac CP violation phase δCP is observed at DUNE when compared with T2HK measurement due to decoherence and the non-null Majorana phase. Being that, when the measurement of the Majorana phase is performed at DUNE, it reaches a precision of 23(21)% for a decoherence parameter Γ=4.5(5.5)×10-24  GeV and a Majorana phase equal to 1.5π. The latter precision is similar to the one obtained at the T2K experiment at its current Dirac CP violation phase measurement.
Año de publicación: 2022
Mass composition modelling at sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
Extragalactic sources are thought to be the origin of the highest energy cosmic rays detected at Earth. In this work, we explore energy-dependent mass compositions of these sources taking a subset of the VCV catalog for distances with z≤≤0.6. We use a power-law spectrum with an exponential cutoff to model individual sources above 10^{18.7} eV. To be more realistic we use the individual distance and radio flux weight of the sources, while sharing other properties as the power law index, Z-dependent rigidity cut and nuclei fraction. We propagate the different nuclei using CRPropa and search for the best stable parameters that fit the features of the spectrum measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. We show that the mass composition at the sources tends to have lighter nuclei, with H and He having the greatest contributions. The power law index found is 2±0.1 and the rigidity cutoff 10^{21±0.31} eV.
Año de publicación: 2022
Assessment of the dimension-5 seesaw portal and impact of exotic Higgs decays on non-pointing photon searches
The Dimension-5 Seesaw Portal is a Type-I Seesaw model extended by d = 5 operators involving the sterile neutrino states, leading to new interactions between all neutrinos and the Standard Model neutral bosons. In this work we focus primarily on the implications of these new operators at the GeV-scale. In particular, we recalculate the heavy neutrino full decay width, up to three-body decays. We also review bounds on the dipole operator, and revisit LEP constraints on its coefficient. Finally, we turn to heavy neutrino pair production from Higgs decays, where the former are long-lived and disintegrate into a photon and a light neutrino. We probe this process by recasting two ATLAS searches for non-pointing photons, showing the expected event distribution in terms of arrival time tγ​ and pointing variable |∆zγ​|.
Año de publicación: 2022
Revealing the Majorana nature of neutrinos through a precision measurement of the CP phase
We show that it is possible to reveal the nature of neutrino by measuring the Majorana phase at the DUNE experiment. The Majorana phase is activated in the neutrino oscillation framework due to the introduction of a decoherence environment. Being that depending on the value of the Majorana phase and the intensity of decoherence, the measurement of the Dirac CP violation phase δCPCP​ can be highly spoiled. We will notice the latter by comparing the measurements of the CP phases that will take place in DUNE and T2HK. Finally, we will also assess the possibility of the measurement itself of the Majorana phase at DUNE.
Año de publicación: 2021
Commissioning of CALLISTO spectrometers in Peru and observations of type III Solar Radio Bursts
Two radio spectrometer stations belonging to the e-CALLISTO network were installed in Peru by the Astrophysics Directorate of CONIDA. Given their strategic location near the Equator, it was possible to observe the Sun evenly throughout the whole year and the detector was unique in its time-zone coverage. The receiver located nearby the capital city of Lima took data in the metric and decimetric bands looking for radio bursts. To assess the suitability of the sites and the performance of the antennas, we analysed the radio ambient background and measured their radiation pattern and beam-width. To show the capabilities of the facilities to study solar dynamics in these radio frequencies we have selected and analysed type III Solar Radio Bursts. We have characterised the most common radio bursts with the following mean values: a negative drift rate of -25.8 ± 3.7 MHz/s, a duration of 2.6 ± 0.3 s and 35 MHz bandwidth in the frequency range of 114 to 174 MHz. In addition, for some events, it was possible to calculate a global frequency drift, which on average was 0.4 ± 0.1 MHz/s.
Año de publicación: 2021
CALLISTO facilities in Peru: spectrometer commissioning and observations of type III solar radio bursts
The Astrophysics Directorate of CONIDA has installed two radio spectrometer stations belonging to the e-CALLISTO network in Lima, Peru. Given their strategic location near the Equator, it is possible to observe the Sun evenly throughout the whole year. The receiver located at Pucusana, nearby the capital city of Lima, took data from October 2014 until August 2016 in the metric and decimetric bands looking for radio bursts. During this period, this e-CALLISTO detector was unique in its time-zone coverage. To asses the suitability of the sites and the performance of the antennas, we analyzed the radio ambient background and measured their radiation pattern and beamwidth. To demonstrate the capabilities of the facilities for studying solar dynamics in these radio frequencies, we have selected and analyzed type III Solar Radio Bursts. The study of this kind of burst helps to understand the electron beams traversing the solar corona and the solar atmospheric density. We have characterized the most common radio bursts with the following mean values: a negative drift rate of –25.8 ± 3.7 MHz s−1, a duration of 2.6 ± 0.3 s and 35 MHz bandwidth in the frequency range of 114 to 174 MHz. In addition, for some events, it was possible to calculate a global frequency drift which on average was 0.4 ± 0.1 MHz s−1.
Año de publicación: 2021
Performance of ALICE AD modules in the CERN PS test beam
Two modules of the AD detector have been studied with the test beam at the T10 facility at CERN. The AD detector is made of scintillator pads read out by wave-length shifters (WLS) coupled to clean fibres that carry the produced light to photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs). In ALICE the AD is used to trigger and study the physics of diffractive and ultra-peripheral collisions as well as for a variety of technical tasks like beam-gas background monitoring or as a luminometer. The position dependence of the modules' efficiency has been measured and the effect of hits on the WLS or PMTs has been evaluated. The charge deposited by pions and protons has been measured at different momenta of the test beam. The time resolution is determined as a function of the deposited charge. These results are important ingredients to better understand the AD detector, to benchmark the corresponding simulations, and very importantly they served as a baseline for a similar device, the Forward Diffractive Detector (FDD), being currently built and that will be in operation in ALICE during the LHC Runs 3 and 4.
Año de publicación: 2021