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Right-Handed Neutrinos as the Origin of the Electroweak Scale

Hooman Davoudiasl, Ian M. Lewis

TL;DR

This work proposes a scale-invariant electroweak sector in which heavy right-handed neutrinos radiatively generate all mass scales, including the Higgs potential, while a Z2-odd inert doublet provides a dark matter candidate. Electroweak symmetry breaking arises via a Coleman-Weinberg mechanism, with a two-stage mass-generation process that yields a loop-suppressed H2 mass and a two-loop-suppressed Higgs mass parameter, linking the DM sector to the Higgs potential. Light neutrino masses emerge from a one-loop radiative seesaw, and leptogenesis can be achieved with the heavy neutrinos without spoiling physical naturalness. RG running shows perturbativity up to the Planck scale for TeV-scale DM, and the model naturally points to a DM mass around 1 TeV, making it testable in upcoming direct detection experiments and high-energy colliders.

Abstract

The insular nature of the Standard Model may be explained if the Higgs mass parameter is only sensitive to quantum corrections from physical states. Starting from a scale-free electroweak sector at tree-level, we postulate that quantum effects of heavy right-handed neutrinos induce a mass term for a scalar weak doublet that contains the dark matter particle. In turn, below the scale of heavy neutrinos, the dark matter sector sets the scale of the Higgs potential. We show that this framework can lead to a Higgs mass that respects physical naturalness, while also providing a viable scalar dark matter candidate, realistic light neutrino masses, and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe via leptogenesis. The proposed scenario can remain perturbative and stable up to the Planck scale, thereby accommodating simple extensions to include a high scale (2\times 10^{16} GeV) inflationary sector, implied by recent measurements. In that case, our model typically predicts that the dark matter scalar is close to 1 TeV in mass and could be accessible in near future direct detection experiments.

Right-Handed Neutrinos as the Origin of the Electroweak Scale

TL;DR

This work proposes a scale-invariant electroweak sector in which heavy right-handed neutrinos radiatively generate all mass scales, including the Higgs potential, while a Z2-odd inert doublet provides a dark matter candidate. Electroweak symmetry breaking arises via a Coleman-Weinberg mechanism, with a two-stage mass-generation process that yields a loop-suppressed H2 mass and a two-loop-suppressed Higgs mass parameter, linking the DM sector to the Higgs potential. Light neutrino masses emerge from a one-loop radiative seesaw, and leptogenesis can be achieved with the heavy neutrinos without spoiling physical naturalness. RG running shows perturbativity up to the Planck scale for TeV-scale DM, and the model naturally points to a DM mass around 1 TeV, making it testable in upcoming direct detection experiments and high-energy colliders.

Abstract

The insular nature of the Standard Model may be explained if the Higgs mass parameter is only sensitive to quantum corrections from physical states. Starting from a scale-free electroweak sector at tree-level, we postulate that quantum effects of heavy right-handed neutrinos induce a mass term for a scalar weak doublet that contains the dark matter particle. In turn, below the scale of heavy neutrinos, the dark matter sector sets the scale of the Higgs potential. We show that this framework can lead to a Higgs mass that respects physical naturalness, while also providing a viable scalar dark matter candidate, realistic light neutrino masses, and the baryon asymmetry of the Universe via leptogenesis. The proposed scenario can remain perturbative and stable up to the Planck scale, thereby accommodating simple extensions to include a high scale (2\times 10^{16} GeV) inflationary sector, implied by recent measurements. In that case, our model typically predicts that the dark matter scalar is close to 1 TeV in mass and could be accessible in near future direct detection experiments.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 9 sections, 46 equations, 3 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Model
  3. Scalar Masses
  4. Light Neutrino Masses
  5. Dark Matter Candidate
  6. Running Couplings
  7. Conclusions
  8. A scenario for the origin of right-handed neutrino masses
  9. Thermally Averaged Cross Section

Figures (3)

  • Figure 1: One loop diagram contributing to neutrino mass.
  • Figure 2: Values of (a,b,c) $\lambda_5$ (green and blue shaded) and (c) $\lambda_3$ (dash-dot-dot) as required by being within $2\sigma$ of the DM constraint in Eq. (\ref{['Planck']}) and mass relationship of Eq.(\ref{['mu1mu2']}), respectively. The results are shown for (a) $\kappa=2$, (b) $\kappa=0.5$, and (c) both $\kappa=2$ and $0.5$. In (a) and (b), the red dotted lines are the upper bounds on $\lambda_5$ values that obey PNP and neutrino mass constraints for leptogenesis bounds of $y_N\gtrsim3\times10^{-4}$, $5\times10^{-4}$, and $7\times10^{-4}$.
  • Figure 3: Running scalar quartic couplings versus the renormalization scale $\mu$ the two points (a) $\mu_2=1.1$ TeV and (b) $\mu_2=4$ TeV with $\kappa=1$.