Heavy-heavy form factors and generalized factorization

We reanalyze B -> D pi and B -> K J/psi data to extract a set of parameters which give the relevant hadronic matrix elements in terms of factorized amplitudes. Various sources of theoretical uncertainties are studied, in particular those depending on the model adopted for the form factors. We find that the fit to the B -> D pi branching ratios substantially depends on the model describing the Isgur-Wise function and on the value of its slope. This dependence can be reduced by substituting the BR(B -> D pi) with suitable ratios of non-leptonic to differential semileptonic BRs. In this way, we obtain a model-independent determination of these parameters. Using these results, the B -> D form factors at q^2=M_pi^2 can be extracted from a fit of the BR(B -> D pi). The comparison between the form factors obtained in this way and the corresponding measurements in semileptonic decays can be used as a test of (generalized) factorization free from the uncertainties due to heavy-heavy form factor modeling. Finally, we present predictions for yet-unmeasured D pi and D K branching ratios and extract f_{D_s} and f_{D_s^*} from B -> DD_s decays. We find f_{D_s} = 270 +- 45 MeV and f_{D_s^*}=260 +- 40 MeV, in good agreement with recent measurements and lattice calculations.Comment: 20 pages, 16 ps/eps files, uses epsfig.sty; exp. numbers update

Holography for fermions

The holographic interpretation is a useful tool to describe 5D field theories in a 4D language. In particular it allows one to relate 5D AdS theories with 4D CFTs. We elaborate on the 5D/4D dictionary for the case of fermions in AdS$_5$ with boundaries. This dictionary is quite useful to address phenomenological issues in a very simple manner, as we show by giving some examples.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures; v2: minor corrections, references adde

Partly Supersymmetric Grand Unification

It is shown how grand unification can occur in models which are partly supersymmetric. The particle states which are composite do not contribute to the running of gauge couplings above the compositeness scale, while the elementary states contribute the usual large logarithmns. This introduces a new differential running contribution to the gauge couplings from partly composite SU(5) matter multiplets. In particular, for partly supersymmetric models, the incomplete SU(5) elementary matter multiplets restore gauge coupling unification even though the usual elementary gaugino and Higgsino contributions need not be present.Comment: 14 pages, LaTe

The Other Natural Two Higgs Doublet Model

We characterize models where electroweak symmetry breaking is driven by two light Higgs doublets arising as pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons of new dynamics above the weak scale. They represent the simplest natural two Higgs doublet alternative to supersymmetry. We construct their low-energy effective Lagrangian making only few specific assumptions about the strong sector. These concern their global symmetries, their patterns of spontaneous breaking and the sources of explicit breaking. In particular we assume that all the explicit breaking is associated with the couplings of the strong sector to the Standard Model fields, that is gauge and (proto)-Yukawa interactions. Under those assumptions the scalar potential is determined at lowest order by very few free parameters associated to the top sector. Another crucial property of our scenarios is the presence of a discrete symmetry, in addition to custodial SO(4), that controls the $T$-parameter. That can either be simple CP or a $Z_2$ that distinguishes the two Higgs doublets. Among various possibilities we study in detail models based on SO(6)/SO(4)$\times$ SO(2), focussing on their predictions for the structure of the scalar spectrum and the deviations of their couplings from those of a generic renormalizable two Higgs doublet model.Comment: 54 page

Light custodians in natural composite Higgs models

We present a class of composite Higgs models arising from a warped extra dimension that can satisfy all the electroweak precision tests in a significant portion of their parameter space. A custodial symmetry plays a crucial role in keeping the largest corrections to the electroweak observables below their experimental limits. In these models the heaviness of the top quark is not only essential to trigger the electroweak symmetry breaking, but it also implies that the lowest top resonance and its custodial partners, the custodians, are significantly lighter than the other resonances. These custodians are the trademark of these scenarios. They are exotic colored fermions of electromagnetic charges 5/3, 2/3 and -1/3, with masses predicted roughly in the range 500-1500 GeV. We discuss their production and detection at the LHC.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figure

Factorization, charming penguins, and all that

We discuss few selected topics related to the calculation of hadronic amplitudes relevant for two-body non-leptonic B decays.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 1 eps figure included, uses psfig.sty. Talk given by M.C. at Beauty '97, UCLA, USA, October 13-17, 199

Discovering the composite Higgs through the decay of a heavy fermion

A possible composite nature of the Higgs could be revealed at the early stage of the LHC, by analyzing the channels where the Higgs is produced from the decay of a heavy fermion. The Higgs production from a singly-produced heavy bottom, in particular, proves to be a promising channel. For a value \lambda=3 of the Higgs coupling to a heavy bottom, for example, we find that, considering a 125 GeV Higgs which decays into a pair of b-quarks, a discovery is possible at the 8 TeV LHC with 30 fb^{-1} if the heavy bottom is lighter than roughly 530 GeV (while an observation is possible for heavy bottom masses up to 650 GeV). Such a relatively light heavy bottom is realistic in composite Higgs models of the type considered and, up to now, experimentally allowed. At \sqrt{s}=14 TeV the LHC sensitivity on the channel increases significantly. With \lambda=3 a discovery can occur, with 100 fb^{-1}, for heavy bottom masses up to 1040 GeV. In the case the heavy bottom was as light as 500 GeV, the 14 TeV LHC would be sensitive to the measure of the \lambda\ coupling in basically the full range \lambda>1 predicted by the theory.Comment: 25 pp. v2: Minor changes. v3: Version accepted for publication in JHEP. v4: typos fixe

Warped/Composite Phenomenology Simplified

This is the first of two papers aimed at economically capturing the collider phenomenology of warped extra dimensions with bulk Standard Model fields, where the hierarchy problem is solved non-supersymmetrically. This scenario is related via the AdS/CFT correspondence to that of partial compositeness of the Standard Model. We present a purely four-dimensional, two-sector effective field theory describing the Standard Model fields and just their first Kaluza-Klein/composite excitations. This truncation, while losing some of the explanatory power and precision of the full higher-dimensional warped theory, greatly simplifies phenomenological considerations and computations. We describe the philosophy and explicit construction of our two-sector model, and also derive formulas for residual Higgs fine tuning and electroweak and flavor precision variables to help identify the most motivated parts of the parameter space. We highlight several of the most promising channels for LHC exploration. The present paper focusses on the most minimal scenario, while the companion paper addresses the even richer phenomenology of the minimal scenario of precision gauge coupling unification