Rare decays of B mesons provide sensitive probes of physics beyond the Standard Model. Since many years, measurements of angular observables in the decay B -> K* mu mu by the LHCb experiment have attracted considerable attention, in particular due to the persistent discrepancy in the observable P5'. More recent results also hint at a non-zero value for the observable S7, raising important...
In this talk I will review aspects of the inflationary Schwinger effect and its implications for dark matter. As part of this I will review the calculation of the Schwinger current in de Sitter space and show how peculiar IR divergences found in previous calculations can be cured. I will then review how the dark matter relic abundance can be generated through the inflationary Schwinger effect...
The QCD axion provides a compelling solution to the strong-CP problem and a leading dark-matter candidate. Its relic abundance depends on the epoch of Peccei–Quinn symmetry breaking and the thermal history of the early Universe. This talk examines how axion dark matter can populate the 0.49–1.49 μeV mass window targeted by haloscopes in Frascati National Laboratories. Although standard...
