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Minimal lepton flavor violating realizations of minimal seesaw models

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Abstract

We study the implications of the global U(1) R symmetry present in minimal lepton flavor violating implementations of the seesaw mechanism for neutrino masses. In the context of minimal type I seesaw scenarios with a slightly broken U(1) R , we show that, depending on the R-charge assignments, two classes of generic models can be identified. Models where the right-handed neutrino masses and the lepton number breaking scale are decoupled, and models where the parameters that slightly break the U(1) R induce a suppression in the light neutrino mass matrix. We show that within the first class of models, contributions of right-handed neutrinos to charged lepton flavor violating processes are severely suppressed. Within the second class of models we study the charged lepton flavor violating phenomenology in detail, focusing on μ → eγ, μ → 3e and μ − e conversion in nuclei. We show that sizable contributions to these processes are naturally obtained for right-handed neutrino masses at the TeV scale. We then discuss the interplay with the effects of the right-handed neutrino interactions on primordial B − L asymmetries, finding that sizable right-handed neutrino contributions to charged lepton flavor violating processes are incompatible with the requirement of generating (or even preserving preexisting) B − L asymmetries consistent with the observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFPA, Dep. AGO, Universite de Liege, Bat B5, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liege 1, Belgium

    D. Aristizabal Sierra & A. Degee

  2. J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, P.O. Box 3000, 1001, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    J. F. Kamenik

  3. Department of Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    J. F. Kamenik

Authors
  1. D. Aristizabal Sierra
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  2. A. Degee
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  3. J. F. Kamenik
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Correspondence to D. Aristizabal Sierra.

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ArXiv ePrint: 1205.5547

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Sierra, D.A., Degee, A. & Kamenik, J.F. Minimal lepton flavor violating realizations of minimal seesaw models. J. High Energ. Phys. 2012, 135 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2012)135

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