Perturbative S-matrix unitarity (S†S = 1) in Rμν2 gravity

We show that in the quadratic curvature theory of gravity, or simply [Formula: see text] gravity, the tree-level unitarity bound (tree unitarity) is violated in the UV region but an analog for [Formula: see text]-matrix unitarity [Formula: see text] is satisfied. This theory is renormalizable, and hence the failure of tree unitarity is a counter example of Llewellyn Smith’s conjecture on the relation between them. We have recently proposed a new conjecture that [Formula: see text]-matrix unitarity gives the same conditions as renormalizability. We verify that [Formula: see text]-matrix unitarity holds in the matter-graviton scattering at the tree level in the [Formula: see text] gravity, demonstrating our new conjecture.

Electric dipole moments in the extended scotogenic models

Electric dipole moments (EDMs) of charged leptons arise from a new source of CP violation in the lepton sector. In this paper, we calculate the EDMs of the charged leptons in the minimal scotogenic model with two singlet fermions, and the models extended with one or two triplet fermions instead of the singlet fermions, taking into account the constraints of the neutrino oscillation data, the charged lepton flavor violation and perturbative unitarity bound for the Yukawa couplings. We show that the hybrid model with one singlet and one triplet fermions predicts an electron EDM larger than the other models in both normal and inverted neutrino mass hierarchy. We find some parameter space has already been ruled out by the current upper bound of the electron EDM and further parameter space can be explored by future experiments.

Maximally self-interacting dark matter: models and predictions

We study self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) scenarios, where the s-wave self-scattering cross section almost saturates the Unitarity bound. Such self-scattering cross sections are singly parameterized by the dark matter mass, and are featured by strong velocity dependence in a wide range of velocities. They may be indicated by observations of dark matter halos in a wide range of masses, from Milky Way’s dwarf spheroidal galaxies to galaxy clusters. We pin down the model parameters that saturates the Unitarity bound in well-motivated SIDM models: the gauged Lμ− Lτ model and composite asymmetric dark matter model. We discuss implications and predictions of such model parameters for cosmology like the H0 tension and dark-matter direct-detection experiments, and particle phenomenology like the beam-dump experiments.

Unitarity bound violation in holography and the instability toward the charge density wave

We study the spectral function of holographic fermions with Pauli term. We find the [Formula: see text]-dependent instability signaled by the tachyonic spectrum ([Formula: see text]-gap) from the [Formula: see text] regime where unitarity is violated. We suggest that this is the instability toward the charge density wave (CDW) based on the similarity of the unitarity violation in conformal field theory (CFT) and the nesting Fermi surface phenomena in weakly interaction system: both of them give divergent enhancement of degree of freedom.

$S$ -matrix unitarity and renormalizability in higher-derivative theories

We investigate the relation between $S$-matrix unitarity ($SS^\dagger=1$) and renormalizability in theories with negative-norm states. The relation has been confirmed in many field theories, including gauge theories and Einstein gravity, by analyzing the unitarity bound, which follows from the $S$-matrix unitarity and the norm positivity. On the other hand, renormalizable theories with a higher-derivative kinetic term do not necessarily satisfy the unitarity bound because of the negative-norm states. In these theories it is not known whether the $S$-matrix unitarity provides a nontrivial constraint related to the renormalizability. In this paper, by relaxing the assumption of norm positivity we derive a bound on scattering amplitudes weaker than the unitarity bound, which may be used as a consistency requirement for $S$-matrix unitarity. We demonstrate in scalar field models with a higher-derivative kinetic term that the weaker bound and the renormalizability imply identical constraints.

Bootstrap experiments on higher dimensional CFTs

Recent programs on conformal bootstrap suggest an empirical relationship between the existence of nontrivial conformal field theories and nontrivial features such as a kink in the unitarity bound of conformal dimensions in the conformal bootstrap equations. We report the existence of nontrivial kink-like behaviors in the unitarity bound of scalar operators in the adjoint representation of the [Formula: see text] symmetric conformal field theories. They have interesting properties: (1) the kink-like behaviors exist in [Formula: see text] dimensions; (2) the location of kink-like behaviors are when the unitarity bound hits the space–time dimension [Formula: see text]; (3) there exists a “conformal window” of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text].