Abstract: Detailed information on isomeric states in A approximate to 135 nuclei is exploited to shell-model calculations in the region northwest of doubly magic nucleus Sn-132. The N = 79 isotones Xe-133 and Ba-135 are studied after multinucleon transfer in the Xe-136 + Pb-208 reaction employing the high-resolution Advanced GAmma Array (AGATA) coupled to the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy and in a pulsed-beam experiment at the FN tandem accelerator of the University of Cologne Germany utilizing a Be-9 + Te-130 fusion-evaporation reaction at a beam energy of 40 MeV. Isomeric states are identified via delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy. Hitherto tentative excitation energy spin and parity assignments of the 2017-keV J(pi) = 23/2(+) isomer in Xe-133 are confirmed and a half-life of T-1/2 = 8.64(13) ms is measured. The 2388-keV state in Ba-135. is identified as a J(pi) = 23/2(+) isomer with a half-life of 1.06(4) ms. The new results show a smooth onset of isomeric J(pi) = 23/2(+) states along the N = 79 isotones and close a gap in the high-spin systematics towards the recently investigated J(pi) = 23/2(+) isomer in Nd-139. The resulting systematics of M2 reduced transition probabilities is discussed within the of the nuclear shell model. Latest large-scale shell-model calculations employing the SN100PN, GCN50:82, SN100-KTH and a realistic effective interaction reproduce the experimental findings generally well and give insight into the structure of the isomers.

Abstract: We study different manifestations of the speed of light in theories of gravity where metric and connection are regarded as independent fields. We find that for a generic gravity theory in a frame with locally vanishing affine connection, the usual degeneracy between different manifestations of the speed of light is broken. In particular, the space-time causal structure constant (c(ST)) may become variable in that local frame. For theories of the form f(R, R-mu nu R-mu nu), this variation in c(ST) has an impact on the definition of the luminosity distance (and distance modulus), which can be used to confront the predictions of particular models against Supernovae type Ia (SN Ia) data. We carry out this test for a quadratic gravity model without cosmological constant assuming (i) a constant speed of light and (ii) a varying speed of light (VSL), and find that the latter scenario is favored by the data.

Abstract: The occurrence of octupolar shapes in the Ba isotopic chain was recently established experimentally up to N = 90. To further extend the systematics, the evolution of shapes in the most neutron-rich members of the Z = 56 isotopic chain accessible at present, Ba-148,Ba-150, has been studied via beta decay at the ISOLDE Decay Station. This paper reports on the first measurement of the positive-and negative-parity low-spin excited states of 150Ba and presents an extension of the beta-decay scheme of Cs-148. Employing the fast timing technique, half-lives for the 2(1)(+) level in both nuclei have been determined, resulting in T-1/2 = 1.51(1) ns for Ba-148 and T-1/2 = 3.4(2) ns for Ba-150. The systematics of low-spin states, together with the experimental determination of the B(E2 : 2(+) -> 0(+)) transition probabilities, indicate an increasing collectivity in Ba148-150, towards prolate deformed shapes. The experimental data are compared to symmetry conserving configuration mixing (SCCM) calculations, confirming an evolution of increasingly quadrupole deformed shapes with a definite octupolar character.

Abstract: We study the electromagnetic form factors of the doubly charmed baryons, using covariant chiral perturbation theory within the extended on-mass-shell scheme. Vector-meson contributions are also taken into account. We present results for the baryon magnetic moments, charge, and magnetic radii. While some of the chiral Lagrangian parameters could be set to values determined in previous works, the available lattice results for Xi(+)(CC) and Omega(+)(CC) only allow for robust constraints on the low-energy constant combination, c(89) (= -1/3 c(8) + 4c(9)). The couplings of the doubly charmed baryons to the vector mesons have been estimated assuming the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule. We also give the expressions for the form factors of the double-beauty baryons considering the masses predicted in the framework of quark models. A comparison of our results with those obtained in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory at the same chiral order is made.

Abstract: Within the standard model, non-renormalizable operators at dimension six (d = 6) violate baryon and lepton number by one unit and thus lead to proton decay. Here, we point out that the proton decay mode with a charged pion and missing energy can be a characteristic signature of d = 6 operators containing a light sterile neutrino, if it is not accompanied by the standard pi(0)e(+) final state. We discuss this effect first at the level of effective operators and then provide a concrete model with new physics at the TeV scale, in which the lightness of the active neutrinos and the stability of the proton are related.