Abstract: The antiproton experiment PANDA at FAIR is designed to bring hadron physics to a new level in terms of scope, precision and accuracy. In this work, its unique capability for studies of hyperons is outlined. We discuss groundstate hyperons as diagnostic tools to study non-perturbative aspects of the strong interaction, and fundamental symmetries. New simulation studies have been carried out for two benchmark hyperon-antihyperon production channels: (p) over barp -> (Lambda) over bar Lambda and (p) over barp -> (Xi) over bar+Xi(-). The results, presented in detail in this paper, show that hyperon-antihyperon pairs from these reactions can be exclusively reconstructed with high efficiency and very low background contamination. In addition, the polarisation and spin correlations have been studied, exploiting the weak, self-analysing decay of hyperons and antihyperons. Two independent approaches to the finite efficiency have been applied and evaluated: one standard multidimensional efficiency correction approach, and one efficiency independent approach. The applicability of the latter was thoroughly evaluated for all channels, beam momenta and observables. The standard method yields good results in all cases, and shows that spin observables can be studied with high precision and accuracy already in the first phase of data taking with PANDA.

Abstract: We report a measurement of the D-0 and D+ lifetimes using D-0 -> K-pi(+) and D+ -> K-pi(+)pi(+) decays reconstructed in e(+)e(-) -> c (c) over bar data recorded by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. The data, collected at center-of-mass energies at or near the (sic)(4S) resonance, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 72 fb(-1). The results, (tau)(D-0) = 410.5 +/- 1.1 (stat) +/- 0.8(syst) fs and tau(D-0) = 1030.4 +/- 4.7 (stat) +/- 3.1 (syst) fs, are the most precise to date and are consistent with previous determinations.

Abstract: By using a novel technique that establishes a correspondence between general relativity and metric-affine theories based on the Ricci tensor, we are able to set stringent constraints on the free parameter of Born-Infeld gravity from the ones recently obtained for Born-Infeld electrodynamics by using light-by light scattering data from ATLAS. We also discuss how these gravity theories plus matter fit within an effective field theory framework.

Abstract: The early cosmology, driven by a single scalar field, both massless and massive, in the context of Eddington-inspired Born-Infeld gravity, is explored. We show the existence of nonsingular solutions of bouncing and loitering type (depending on the sign of the gravitational theory's parameter, epsilon) replacing the Big Bang singularity, and discuss their properties. In addition, in the massive case, we find some new features of the cosmological evolution depending on the value of the mass parameter, including asymmetries in the expansion/contraction phases, or a continuous transition between a contracting phase to an expanding one via an intermediate loitering phase. We also provide a combined analysis of cosmic chronometers, standard candles, BAO, and CMB data to constrain the model, finding that for roughly |epsilon|& LSIM;5 & BULL;10-8m2 the model is compatible with the latest observations while successfully removing the Big Bang singularity. This bound is several orders of magnitude stronger than the most stringent constraints currently available in the literature.

Abstract: We present in this work a new calculation of the standard-model benchmark value for the effective number of neutrinos, N-eff(SM), that quantifies the cosmological neutrinoto-photon energy densities. The calculation takes into account neutrino flavour oscillations, finite-temperature effects in the quantum electrodynamics plasma to O(e(3)), where e is the elementary electric charge, and a full evaluation of the neutrino-neutrino collision integral. We provide furthermore a detailed assessment of the uncertainties in the benchmark N(eff)(SM )value, through testing the value's dependence on (i) optional approximate modelling of the weak collision integrals, (ii) measurement errors in the physical parameters of the weak sector, and (iii) numerical convergence, particularly in relation to momentum discretisation. Our new, recommended standard-model benchmark is N-eff(SM) 3.0440 +/- 0.0002, where the nominal uncertainty is attributed predominantly to errors incurred in the numerical solution procedure (vertical bar delta N-eff vertical bar similar to 10(-4)), augmented by measurement errors in the solar mixing angle sin(2) theta(12) (vertical bar delta N-eff vertical bar similar to 10(-4)).