Journal Club

Seminar Room

Monday 7th of November, 2016

Hour: 10:00

Title: Cosmological Relaxation of the Electroweak Scale

Presented by: Roberto Vega-Morales

Ref: https://arxiv.org/abs/1504.07551v2

Abstract:

A new class of solutions to the electroweak hierarchy problem is presented that does not require either weak scale dynamics or anthropics. Dynamical evolution during the early universe drives the Higgs mass to a value much smaller than the cutoff. The simplest model has the particle content of the standard model plus a QCD axion and an inflation sector. The highest cutoff achieved in any technically natural model is 10^8 GeV.

Hour: 10:00

Title: Relaxation from particle production

Presented by: Roberto Vega-Morales

Ref: https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.01786v1

Abstract:

We consider using particle production as a friction force by which to implement a "Relaxion" solution to the electroweak hierarchy problem. Using this approach, we are able to avoid superplanckian field excursions and avoid any conflict with the strong CP problem. The relaxation mechanism can work before, during or after inflation allowing for inflationary dynamics to play an important role or to be completely decoupled.