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# Mass Hierarchy and Vacuum Energy

Cheung, Clifford and Saraswat, Prashant (2018) Mass Hierarchy and Vacuum Energy. . (Submitted) https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20181203-093154510

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## Abstract

A hierarchically small weak scale does not generally coincide with enhanced symmetry, but it may still be exceptional with respect to vacuum energy. By analyzing the classical vacuum energy as a function of parameters such as the Higgs mass, we show how near-criticality, i.e. fine-tuning, corresponds universally to boundaries where the vacuum energy transitions from exactly flat to concave down. In the presence of quantum corrections, these boundary regions can easily be perturbed to become maxima of the vacuum energy. After introducing a dynamical scalar field $\phi$ which scans the Higgs sector parameters, we propose several possible mechanisms by which this field could be localized to the maximum. One possibility is that the $\phi$ potential has many vacua, with those near the maximum vacuum energy expanding faster during a long period of cosmic inflation and hence dominating the volume of the Universe. Alternately, we describe scenarios in which vacua near the maximum could be anthropically favored, due to selection of the late-time cosmological constant or dark matter density. Independent of these specific approaches, the physical value of the weak scale in our proposal is generated naturally and dynamically from loops of heavy states coupled to the Higgs. These states are predicted to be a loop factor heavier than in models without this mechanism, avoiding tension with experimental null results.

Item Type:Report or Paper (Discussion Paper)
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://arxiv.org/abs/1811.12390arXivDiscussion Paper
Additional Information:The authors thank Nathaniel Craig, Michael Geller, Eric Kuflik and Grant Remmen for helpful discussions. CC is supported by a Sloan Research Fellowship and a DOE Early Career Award under Grant No. DE-SC0010255. PS is supported by the DuBridge Fellowship of the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, under Award Number DE-SC0011632.
Group:Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Department of Energy (DOE)DE-SC0010255
Lee A. DuBridge FoundationUNSPECIFIED
Department of Energy (DOE)DE-SC0011632
Other Numbering System:
Other Numbering System NameOther Numbering System ID
CALT-TH2018-048
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20181203-093154510
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20181203-093154510
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:91388
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Joy Painter
Deposited On:03 Dec 2018 19:35