Abstract: Compton imaging represents a promising technique for range verification in proton therapy treatments. In this work, we report on the advantageous aspects of the i-TED detector for proton-range monitoring, based on the results of the first Monte Carlo study of its applicability to this field. i-TED is an array of Compton cameras, that have been specifically designed for neutron-capture nuclear physics experiments, which are characterized by gamma-ray energies spanning up to 5-6 MeV, rather low gamma-ray emission yields and very intense neutron induced gamma-ray backgrounds. Our developments to cope with these three aspects are concomitant with those required in the field of hadron therapy, especially in terms of high efficiency for real-time monitoring, low sensitivity to neutron backgrounds and reliable performance at the high gamma-ray energies. We find that signal-to-background ratios can be appreciably improved with i-TED thanks to its light-weight design and the low neutron-capture cross sections of its LaCl3 crystals, when compared to other similar systems based on LYSO, CdZnTe or LaBr3. Its high time-resolution (CRT similar to 500 ps) represents an additional advantage for background suppression when operated in pulsed HT mode. Each i-TED Compton module features two detection planes of very large LaCl3 monolithic crystals, thereby achieving a high efficiency in coincidence of 0.2% for a point-like 1 MeV gamma-ray source at 5 cm distance. This leads to sufficient statistics for reliable image reconstruction with an array of four i-TED detectors assuming clinical intensities of 10(8) protons per treatment point. The use of a two-plane design instead of three-planes has been preferred owing to the higher attainable efficiency for double time-coincidences than for threefold events. The loss of full-energy events for high energy gamma-rays is compensated by means of machine-learning based algorithms, which allow one to enhance the signal-to-total ratio up to a factor of 2.

Abstract: The W boson mass is measured using proton-proton collision data at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.7fb(-1) recorded during 2016 by the LHCb experiment. With a simultaneous fit of the muon q/p(T) distribution of a sample of W ->mu y decays and the phi* distribution of a sample of Z -> μμdecays the W boson mass is determined to be m(W )= 80354 +/- 23(stat )+/- 10(exp) +/- 17(theory) +/- 9(PDF) MeV, where uncertainties correspond to contributions from statistical, experimental systematic, theoretical and parton distribution function sources. This is an average of results based on three recent global parton distribution function sets. The measurement agrees well with the prediction of the global electroweak fit and with previous measurements.

Abstract: Using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb(-1) collected with the LHCb detector, seven decay modes of the B-C(+) meson into a J/psi or psi(2S) meson and three charged hadrons, kaons or pions, are studied. The decays B-C (+)-> (psi(2S) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-))pi(+), B+C -> (psi(2S)pi(+)pi(-)pi(+), B+C -> J/psi K+pi(-)pi(+) and B+C -> J/K+K-K+ are observed for the first time, and evidence for the B-C (+)-> (psi(2S)K+K-pi(+), decay is found, where J/psi and psi(2S) mesons are reconstructed in their dimuon decay modes. The ratios of branching fractions between the different B-C(+) decays are reported as well as the fractions of the decays proceeding via intermediate resonances. The results largely support the factorisation approach used for a theoretical description of the studied decays.