Fermion masses, quark mixing and Flavor Changing Neutral Currents from a gauged SU(3)_F family symmetry

Within a broken local gauge vector-like $SU(3)_F$ family symmetry, we address the problem of quark masses and mixing, and study some rare flavor violating processes induced by the new gauge bosons, which can generate transitions between different families and so introduce "Flavor Changing Neutral Currents"(FCNC) couplings at tree level. We find out that some of the most dangerous FCNC processes, like for instance;

Galileon p-form theories

I will discuss the generalization to p-forms of the Galileon idea: to
construct the most general theory of an (abelian gauge invariant) p-form
with (strictly) second order field equations. Such theory have recently be
fully classified for space-time dimension strictly smaller than 12. The
covariantization of these theories will also be discussed.

Conformal symmetry in the Standard Model and Gravity

I will discuss prospects of formulating simple extensions of the standard model and gravity that exhibit local Weyl symmetry in the ultraviolet. The principal advantage of such constructions is that they naturally address the gauge and gravitational hierarchy problem. Furthermore, I will argue that Cartan-Einstein gravity provides a natural framework for conformal symmetry, as this theory contains torsion vector which can be interpreted as the Weyl vector.

Hidden symmetries and Goldstone bosons from higher dimensions?

Free massless scalars have a shift symmetry. This is usually broken by interactions, such that quantum corrections induce a quadratically divergent mass term. In the Standard Model this leads to the hierarchy problem, the question why the Higgs mass is so much smaller than the Planck mass. We present an example where a large scalar mass term is avoided by coupling the scalar to an infinite tower of massive states, obtained from a six-dimensional theory compactified on a torus with magnetic flux.

Chern-Weil theorem, Lovelock Lagrangians in critical dimensions and boundary terms in gravity actions

We show how to translate into tensorial language the Chern-Weil theorem for the Lorentz symmetry, which equates the difference of the Euler densities of two manifolds to the exterior derivative of a transgression form. For doing so we need to introduce an auxiliary, hybrid, manifold whose geometry we construct explicitely. This allows us to find the vector density, constructed out of spacetime quantities only, whose divergence is the exterior derivative of the transgression form.

Stochastic effective action for a spectator scalar in inflation

We discuss the IR dynamics of a light scalar field in inflation. We demonstrate from a functional integral perspective how the full quantum theory gives rise to Starobinsky's semi-classical and local stochastic description when the field is smoothed on scales comparable to the Hubble horizon. We then apply the functional renormalization group to the stochastic dynamics by progressively integrating out frequencies. The resulting effective action determines the approach to equilibrium and allows for the computation of unequal time correlators for large time separations.

A classical computation of (pre)Hawking radiation backreaction

In this talk I will discuss how a gravitationally collapsing object emits classical radiation at a rate equal to the quantum radiation rate if suitable initial conditions are chosen for two classical fields. The coupled dynamics of gravitational collapse and radiation are then solved for in a simple toy model, illustrating how the classical system may be used to gain insight into Hawking evaporation.

Brussels sprouts, black hole mass and pre-holography

We present the first evidence on the fact that topological invariants should renormalize anti-de Sitter gravity with quadratic-curvature corrections. This argument is based on the computation of energy for Einstein black holes in the theory, which appears as a alternative procedure to linearized methods (e.g., Deser-Tekin formula).

Thermalization and hydrodynamics of the quark-gluon plasma

There is experimental evidence that the quark-gluon plasma produced in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions is well described by viscous hydrodynamics, with a low value of the viscosity (relative to the entropy density). This observation, added to the recent discovery that the same description works well also for high energy proton-nucleus or high multiplicity proton-proton collisions, is raising a number of interesting theoretical questions: How does the system of gluons freed in the early stage of a collision evolve towards local thermal equilibrium?

Revisiting the infrared physics of particles of arbitrary spin

After a brief overview of the recent developments relating different aspects of the infrared physics of spin-1 and spin-2 particles, I will revisit Weinberg's constraints on the S-matrix of massless higher-spin particles from the viewpoint of asymptotic symmetries in flat space. I will also discuss the hints that this analysis provides on possible higher-spin extensions of the BMS symmetry.

LABORATOIRE

ASTROPARTICULE & COSMOLOGIE

Théorie