Abstract: The well-formulation and the well-posedness of the Cauchy problem are discussed for hybrid metric-Palatini gravity, a recently proposed modified gravitational theory consisting of adding to the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian an f(R)-term constructed a la Palatini. The theory can be recast as a scalar-tensor one predicting the existence of a light long-range scalar field that evades the local Solar System tests and is able to modify galactic and cosmological dynamics, leading to the late-time cosmic acceleration. In this work, adopting generalized harmonic coordinates, we show that the initial value problem can always be well-formulated and, furthermore, can be well-posed depending on the adopted matter sources.

Abstract: This article presents measurements of the t-channel single top-quark ((t) over bart) and top-antiquark ( t) total production cross sections sdtq and sd tq, their ratio Rt sdtq= sd tq, and a measurement of the inclusive production cross section sdtq tq in proton-proton collisions at ffiffiffi ps = 7 TeV at the LHC. Differential cross sections for the tq and tq processes are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and the absolute value of the rapidity of t and t, respectively. The analyzed data set was recorded with the ATLAS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.59 fb-1. Selected events contain one charged lepton, large missing transverse momentum, and two or three jets. The cross sections are measured by performing a binned maximum-likelihood fit to the output distributions of neural networks. The resulting measurements are sdtq 46 = 1dstat = 6dsyst pb, sd tq = 23 +/- 1dstat = 3dsyst pb, Rt = 2.04 0.13dstat +/-=0.12dsyst, and sdtq tq = 68 +/-= 2dstat = 8dsyst pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. The uncertainty on the measured cross sections is dominated by systematic uncertainties, while the uncertainty on Rt is mainly statistical. Using the ratio of sdtq tq_ to its theoretical prediction, and assuming that the top-quark-related CKM matrix elements obey the relation jVtbj = jVtsj; jVtdj, we determine jVtbj = 1.02 = 0.07.

Abstract: This Letter presents a search for new resonances decaying to final states with a vector boson produced in association with a high transverse momentum photon, V gamma, with V = W(-> l nu) or Z(-> l(+)l(-)), where l = μor mu. The measurements use 20.3fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of root s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No deviations from the Standard Model expectations are found, and production cross section limits are set at 95% confidence level. Masses of the hypothetical a(T) and omega(T) states of a benchmark Low Scale Technicolor model are excluded in the ranges [275, 960] GeV and [200, 700]boolean OR[750, 890] GeV, respectively. Limits at 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a singlet scalar resonance decaying to Z gamma final states have also been obtained for masses below 1180 GeV.

Abstract: This Letter presents a study of the flavor-changing neutral current radiative B-+/- -> K-+/-pi(-/+)pi(+/-)gamma decays performed using data collected in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energies. In this sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), nearly 14 000 signal events are reconstructed and selected, containing all possible intermediate resonances with a K-+/-pi(-/+)pi(+/-) final state in the [1.1, 1.9] GeV/c(2) mass range. The distribution of the angle of the photon direction with respect to the plane defined by the final-state hadrons in their rest frame is studied in intervals of K-+/-pi(-/+)pi(+/-) mass and the asymmetry between the number of signal events found on each side of the plane is obtained. The first direct observation of the photon polarization in the b -> s(gamma) transition is reported with a significance of 5.2 sigma.

Abstract: This Letter reports on a systematic study of beta-decay half-lives of neutron-rich nuclei around doubly magic Pb-208. The lifetimes of the 126-neutron shell isotone Pt-204 and the neighboring Ir200-202, Pt-203, Au-204 are presented together with other 19 half-lives measured during the “stopped beam” campaign of the rare isotope investigations at GSI collaboration. The results constrain the main nuclear theories used in calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis. Predictions based on a statistical macroscopic description of the first-forbidden beta strength reveal significant deviations for most of the nuclei with N < 126. In contrast, theories including a fully microscopic treatment of allowed and first-forbidden transitions reproduce more satisfactorily the trend in the measured half-lives for the nuclei in this region, where the r-process pathway passes through during beta decay back to stability.