Entropy considerations in constraining the mSUGRA parameter space
We explore the use of two criteria to constraint the allowed parameter space in mSUGRA models. Both criteria are based in the calculation of the present density of neutralinos as dark matter in the Universe. The first one is the usual ''abundance'' criterion which is used to calculate the relic density after the ''freeze-out'' era. To compute the relic density we used the numerical public code micrOMEGAs. The second criterion applies the microcanonical definition of entropy to a weakly interacting and self-gravitating gas evaluating then the change in the entropy per particle of this gas between the ''freeze-out'' era and present day virialized structures (i.e systems in virial equilibrium). An ''entropy-consistency'' criterion emerges by comparing theoretical and empirical estimates of this entropy. The main objective of our work is to determine for which regions of the parameter space in the mSUGRA model are both criteria consistent with the 2{sigma} bounds according to WMAP for the relic density: 0.0945 < {omega}CDMh2 < 0.1287. As a first result, we found that for A0 = 0, sgn{mu} +, small values of tan{beta} are not favored; only for tan{beta} {approx_equal} 50 are both criteria significantly consistent.

title: Finite unification at all-loops

title: Finite GUTs within conventional N=1 gauge theories
abstract: Finite Unified Theories (FUTs) are conventional N=1 supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories, which can be made all-loop finite, both in the dimensionless (gauge and Yukawa couplings) and dimensionful (soft supersymmetry breaking terms) sectors. This remarkable property leads to a drastic reduction in the number of free parameters, which in turn leads to an accurate prediction of the top quark mass in the dimensionless sector, and predictions for the Higgs boson mass and the s-spectrum in the dimensionful sector. Among the characteristics of the latter ones are: 1) The lightest Higgs boson mass is predicted to be in the window 120–130 GeV, in case the LSP is neutralino, while in case the LSP is the τ (which can be consistently accommodated in presence of bilinear R-parity violating terms) it can be as light as 111 GeV. 2) The s-spectrum starts above several hundreds of GeV.

title: Conditions for vacuum stability in an S3 extension of the Standard Model
abstract: In this work we study the Higgs sector in the minimal S3 extension of the Standard Model. The S3 extended Standard Model, which has three Higgs doublets fields that belong to the three-dimensional reducible representation of the permutation group S3, has naturally new phenomena: there are several Higgs bosons, charged, neutral and pseuodscalar ones, and more than one potential minimum. We analyzed the stability of the minimal S3 invariant extension of the Higgs potential and show that at tree-level, the potential minimum preserving electric charge and CP symmetries, when it exists, is the global one.

title: Top quark mass predictions from gauge Yukawa unification
abstract: Gauge-Yukawa Unification (GYU) is a renormalization group invariant functional relation among gauge and Yukawa couplings which holds beyond the unification point in Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). Here, GYU is obtained by requiring finiteness and reduction of couplings to all orders in perturbation theory. We examine the consequences of GYU in various supersymmetric GUTs and in particular the predictions for the top quark mass. These predictions are such that they distinguish already GYU from ordinary GUTs. Moreover, when more accurate measurements of the top quark mass are available, it is expected that it will be possible to discriminate among the various GYUs.

title: Finite unified theories and the top quark mass
abstract: We present results of a study of two phenomenologically interesting SU (5) supersymmetric Grand Unified models, which are finite to all-loops before spontaneous symmetry breaking. The finiteness conditions provide us with relationships among the Yukawa and gauge couplings at the unification point, which in turn predict a heavy top quark mass (∼ 175 – 190 GeV).

title: Measurement of branching ratio and $B_s^0$ lifetime in the decay $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi f_0(980)$ at CDF
abstract: We present a study of Bs0 decays to the CP-odd final state J/ψ f0(980) with J/ψ → µ+µ- and f0(980) → π+π-. Using pp collision data with an integrated luminosity of 3.8 fb-1 collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron we measure a Bs0 lifetime of τ(B0s → J/ψ f0(980)) = 1.70-0.11+0.12(stat) ± 0.03(syst) ps. This is the first measurement of the Bs0} lifetime in a decay to a CP eigenstate and corresponds in the standard model to the lifetime of the heavy Bs0 eigenstate. We also measure the product of branching fractions of B0s → J/ψ f0(980) and f0(980) → π+π- relative to the product of branching fractions of B0s → J/ψφ and φ→K+K- to be Rf0/ψ = 0.257 ± 0.020(stat) ± 0.014(syst), which is the most precise determination of this quantity to date.

title: Search for the standard model Higgs Boson produced in association with top quarks using the full CDF data set.
abstract: A search is presented for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with top quarks using the full Run II proton-antiproton collision data set, corresponding to 9.45 fb(-1), collected by the Collider Detector at Fermilab. No significant excess over the expected background is observed, and 95% credibility-level upper bounds are placed on the cross section σ(ttH → lepton + missing transverse energy+jets). For a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV/c(2), we expect to set a limit of 12.6 and observe a limit of 20.5 times the standard model rate. This represents the most sensitive search for a standard model Higgs boson in this channel to date.

title: Inclusive search for standard model Higgs boson production in the WW decay channel using the CDF II detector.
abstract: We present a search for standard model (SM) Higgs boson production using pp collision data at square root(s) = 1.96 TeV, collected with the CDF II detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb(-1). We search for Higgs bosons produced in all processes with a significant production rate and decaying to two W bosons. We find no evidence for SM Higgs boson production and place upper limits at the 95% confidence level on the SM production cross section (sigma(H)) for values of the Higgs boson mass (sigma(H)) in the range from 110 to 200 GeV. These limits are the most stringent for m(H) > 130 GeV and are 1.29 above the predicted value of sigma(H) for c = 165 GeV.