Eur. Phys. J. C (2004) 34: 447-475
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s2004-01731-7

theoretical physics

The role of spurions in Higgs-less electroweak effective theories

¹ Groupe Physique Théorique, Unité mixte de recherche 8608, IPN Orsay, Université Paris-Sud XI, 91406, Orsay, France
² Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, DH13LE, Durham, UK

^* e-mail: johannes.hirn@durham.ac.uk

Abstract

Inspired by recent developments of moose models, we reconsider low-energy effective theories of Goldstone bosons, gauge fields and chiral fermions applied to low-energy QCD and to Higgs-less electroweak symmetry breaking. Couplings and the corresponding reduction of symmetry are introduced via constraints enforced by a set of non-propagating covariantly constant spurion fields. Relics of the latter are used as small expansion parameters conjointly with the usual low-energy expansion. Certain couplings can only appear at higher orders of the spurion expansion and, consequently, they become naturally suppressed independently of the idea of dimensional deconstruction. At leading order this leads to a set of generalized Weinberg sum rules and to the suppression of non-standard couplings to fermions in Higgs-less EWSB models with the minimal particle content. Within the latter, higher spurion terms allow for a fermion mass matrix with the standard CKM structure and C P violation. In addition, Majorana masses for neutrinos are possible. Examples of non-minimal models are briefly mentioned.