The hard X-ray source IGR J11215-5952 is a peculiar transient, displaying very short X-ray outbursts every 165 days. We obtained high-resolution spectra of the optical counterpart, HD 306414, at different epochs, spanning a total of three months, bef
ore and around the 2007 February outburst with the combined aims of deriving its astrophysical parameters and searching for orbital modulation. We fit model atmospheres generated with the fastwind code to the spectrum. We also cross-correlated each individual spectrum to the best-fit model to derive radial velocities. From its spectral features, we classify HD 306414 as B0.5 Ia. From the model fit, we find Teff = 24 700 K and log g = 2.7, in good agreement with the morphological classification. Using the interstellar lines in its spectrum, we estimate a distance to HD 306414 d > 7 kpc. Assuming this distance, we derive R* = 40 Rsol and Mspect = 30 Msol (consistent, within errors, with Mevol = 38 Msol). Radial velocity changes are not dominated by the orbital motion, and we find an upper limit on the semi-amplitude for the optical component Kopt < 11 +- 6 km/s. Large variations in the depth and shape of photospheric lines suggest the presence of strong pulsations, which may be the main cause of the radial velocity changes. Very significant variations, uncorrelated with those of the photospheric lines are seen in the shape and position of the Halpha emission feature around the time of the X-ray outburst, but large excursions are also observed at other times. HD 306414 is a normal B0.5 Ia supergiant. Its radial velocity curve is dominated by an effect that is different from binary motion, and is most likely stellar pulsations. The data available suggest that the X-ray outbursts are caused by the close passage of the neutron star in a very eccentric orbit, perhaps leading to localised mass outflow. (abridged).
Multi Higgs doublet models are interesting extensions of the Standard Model that can be related to flavor. The reason is that most flavor models usually involve the presence of several additional scalar fields. In this work we present an analysis tha
t shows that for renormalizable flavor models based on the cyclic group of order $N$, if there is one flavored SU(2) double Higgs per generation, the smallest $N$ that can be used to reproduce the Nearest-Neighbor-Interaction texture for the quark mass matrices is N=5. Results for the Higgs spectrum and consistency under $K - bar{K}$ mixing in a specific model with $Z_5$ are also presented.
A scenario is presented where the $s$, $c$, and $b$ quark fusion Higgs production cross sections are enhanced with respect to those of the Standard Model. In particular the $c$ quark fusion production is very important and can account for a significa
nt contribution at the Large Hadron Collider. The light Higgs couplings to vector bosons are sufficiently suppressed to allow its mass to lie below the LEP bound of 115 GeV and due to enhanced couplings to second family fermions, the Higgs decay to $mu$ pairs is large enough to be detectable. This is accomplished with a model incorporating three Higgs doublets charged under a flavor symmetry.
In the recently proposed dark left-right gauge model of particle interactions, the left-handed fermion doublet $( u,e)_L$ is connected to its right-handed counterpart $(n,e)_R$ through a scalar bidoublet, but $ u_L$ couples to $n_R$ only through $phi
_1^0$ which has no vacuum expectation value. The usual R parity, i.e. $R = (-)^{3B+L+2j}$, can be defined for this nonsupersymmetric model so that both $n$ and $Phi_1$ are odd together with $W_R^pm$. The lightest $n$ is thus a viable dark-matter candidate (scotino). Here we explore the phenomenology associated with the $SU(2)_R$ gauge group of this model, which allows it to appear at the TeV energy scale. The exciting possibility of $Z to 8$ charged leptons is discussed.
