Frame-Independent Classification of Single-Field Inflationary Models.

Seemingly unrelated models of inflation that originate from different physical setups yield, in some cases, identical predictions for the currently constrained inflationary observables. In order to classify the available models, we propose to express the slow-roll parameters and the relevant observables in terms of frame and reparametrization invariant quantities. The adopted invariant formalism makes manifest the redundancy that afflicts the current description of inflation dynamics and offers a straightforward way to identify classes of models which yield identical phenomenology.

Electroweak symmetry breaking from the soft portal into dark matter and prediction for direct detection.

Scalar dark matter (DM) can have dimensionful coupling to the Higgs boson-the soft portal into DM-which is predicted to be unsuppressed by the underlying SO(10) grand unified theory (GUT). The dimensionful coupling can be large, μ/v>>1, without spoiling the perturbativity of low energy theory up to the GUT scale. We show that the soft portal into DM naturally triggers radiative electroweak symmetry breaking (EWSB) via large 1-loop DM corrections to the effective potential.

Relation between the neutrino and quark mixing angles and grand unification.

We argue that there exists a simple relation between the quark and lepton mixings, which supports the idea of grand unification and probes the underlying robust bimaximal fermion mixing structure of still unknown flavor physics. In this framework the quark mixing matrix is a parameter matrix describing the deviation of neutrino mixing from exactly bimaximal, predicting theta(sol)+theta(C)=pi/4, where theta(C) is the Cabibbo angle, theta(atm)+theta(CKM)(23)=pi/4 and theta(MNS)(13) approximately theta(CKM)(13) approximately O(lambda(3)), in perfect agreement with experimental data. Both non-Abelian and Abelian flavor symmetries are needed for such a prediction to be realistic.

CP asymmetry in B-->phiK(S) decays in left-right models and its implications for Bs decays.

In left-right models the gluonic penguin contribution to b-->ss;s transition is enhanced by m(t)/m(b) due to the presence of (V+A) currents and by large values of loop functions. Together those effects may overcome the suppression due to the small left-right mixing angle xi less, similar 0.013.