## 30 May, 2012

In High Energy Physics on June 4, 2012 by physthjc

1) Local Dark Matter

• On the Local dark matter
abstract:  An analysis of the kinematics of 412 stars at 1-4 kpc from the Galactic mid-plane by Moni Bidin et al. (2012) has claimed to derive a local density of dark matter that is an order of magnitude below standard expectations. We show that this result is incorrect and that it arises from the invalid assumption that the mean azimuthal velocity of the stellar tracers is independent of Galactocentric radius at all heights; the correct assumption—that is, the one supported by data—is that the circular speed is independent of radius in the mid-plane. We demonstrate that the assumption of constant mean azimuthal velocity is physically implausible by showing that it requires the circular velocity to drop more steeply than allowed by any plausible mass model, with or without dark matter, at large heights above the mid-plane. Using the correct approximation that the circular velocity curve is flat in the mid-plane, we find that the data imply a local dark-matter density of 0.008 +/- 0.002 Msun/pc^3= 0.3 +/- 0.1 Gev/cm^3, fully consistent with standard estimates of this quantity. This is the most robust direct measurement of the local dark-matter density to date.

2) Pseudo-scalar state of a two-Higgs doublet

• Is the LHC observing the Pseudo-Scalar state of a two-Higgs doublet model?
abstract:  The ATLAS and CMS collaborations have recently shown data suggesting the presence of a Higgs boson in the vicinity of 125 GeV. We show that a two-Higgs doublet model spectrum, with the pseudo-scalar state being the lightest, could be responsible for the diphoton signal events. In this model, the other scalars are considerably heavier and are not excluded by the current LHC data. If this assumption is correct, future LHC data should show a strengthening of the $\gamma\gamma$ signal, while the signals in the $ZZ^{(*)}\to 4\ell$ and $WW^{(*)}\to 2\ell 2\nu$ channels should diminish and eventually disappear, due to the absence of diboson tree-level couplings of the CP-odd state. The heavier CP-even neutral scalars can now decay into channels involving the CP-odd light scalar which, together with their larger masses, allow them to avoid the existing bounds on Higgs searches. We suggest additional signals to confirm this scenario at the LHC, in the decay channels of the heavier scalars into $AA$ and $AZ$. Finally, this inverted two-Higgs doublet spectrum is characteristic in models where fermion condensation leads to electroweak symmetry breaking. We show that in these theories it is possible to obtain the observed diphoton signal at or somewhat above of the prediction for the standard model Higgs for the typical values of the parameters predicted.