Abstract: Results obtained by various experiments show that the D-s0(*)(2317) and D-s1(2460) mesons are very narrow states located below the DK and D*K thresholds, respectively. This is markedly in contrast with the expectations of naive quark models and heavy quark symmetry. Motivated by a recent lattice study which addresses the mass shifts of the c _ s ground states with quantum numbers J(P) = 1+ [D-s1 (2317)] and JP = 1(+) [D-s1(2460)] due to their coupling with S-wave D-(*) K thresholds, we perform a similar analysis within a nonrelativistic constituent quark model in which quark-antiquark and meson-meson degrees of freedom are incorporated. The quark model has been applied to a wide range of hadronic observables, and thus the model parameters are completely constrained. The coupling between quark- antiquark and mesonmeson Fock components is done using a P-3(0) model in which its only free parameter gamma has been elucidated, performing a global fit to the decay widths of mesons that belong to different quark sectors, from light to heavy. We observe that the coupling of the 0(+)(1(+)) meson sector to the DK (D*K) threshold is the key feature to simultaneously lower the masses of the corresponding D-s0(*)(2317) and D-s1(2460) states predicted by the naive quark model and describe the D-s1(2536) meson as the 1(+)state of the j(q)(p) =3/2(+) doublet predicted by heavy quark symmetry, reproducing its strong decay properties. Our calculation allows us to introduce the coupling with the D- wave D*K channel and the computation of the probabilities associated with the different Fock components of the physical state.

Abstract: The LHCb Collaboration has recently observed four J/psi phi structures called X(4140), X(4274), X(4500), and X(4700) in the B+ -> J/psi phi K+ decays. We study them herein using a nonrelativistic constituent quark model in which the degrees of freedom are quark-antiquark and meson-meson components. The X(4140) resonance appears as a cusp in the J/psi phi channel due to the near coincidence of the D-s(+/-) D-s(*+/-) and J/psi phi mass thresholds. The remaining three [X(4274), X(4500), and X(4700)] appear as conventional charmonium states with quantum numbers 3(3)P(1), 4(3)P(0), and 5(3)P(0), respectively, and their masses and widths are slightly modified due to their coupling with the corresponding closest meson-meson thresholds. A particular feature of our quark model is a lattice-based screened linear confining interaction that has been constrained in the light-quark sector and usually produces higher excited heavy-quark states with lower masses than standard quark model predictions.

Abstract: We report results on the long-term variation of the neutron counting rate at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, of importance for several low-background experiments installed there, including rare-event searches. The measurement campaign was performed employing the High Efficiency Neutron Spectrometry Array (HENSA) mounted in Hall A and lasted 412 live days. The present study is the first long-term measurement of the neutron rate with sensitivity over a wide range of neutron energies (from thermal up to 0.1 GeV and beyond) performed in any underground laboratory so far. Data on the environmental variables inside the experimental hall (radon concentration, air temperature, air pressure and humidity) were also acquired during all the measurement campaign. We have investigated for the first time the evolution of the neutron rate for different energies of the neutrons and its correlation with the ambient variables.

Abstract: The low-lying energy levels of proton-rich Cu-56 have been extracted using in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy with the state-of-the-art gamma-ray tracking array GRETINA in conjunction with the S800 spectrograph at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. Excited states in Cu-56 serve as resonances in the Ni-55(p,gamma)Cu-56 reaction, which is a part of the rp process in type-I x-ray bursts. To resolve existing ambiguities in the reaction Q value, a more localized isobaric multiplet mass equation (IMME) fit is used, resulting in Q = 639 +/- 82 keV. We derive the first experimentally constrained thermonuclear reaction rate for Ni-55(p,.) Cu-56. We find that, with this newrate, the rp processmay bypass the (56)Niwaiting point via the Ni-55(p,gamma) reaction for typical x-ray burst conditions with a branching of up to similar to 40%. We also identify additional nuclear physics uncertainties that need to be addressed before drawing final conclusions about the rp-process reaction flow in the Ni-56 region.

Abstract: The understanding of stellar structure represents the crossroads of our theories of the nuclear force and the gravitational interaction under the most extreme conditions observably accessible. It provides a powerful probe of the strong field regime of General Relativity, and opens fruitful avenues for the exploration of new gravitational physics. The latter can be captured via modified theories of gravity, which modify the Einstein-Hilbert action of General Relativity and/or some of its principles. These theories typically change the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations of stellar's hydrostatic equilibrium, thus having a large impact on the astrophysical properties of the corresponding stars and opening a new window to constrain these theories with present and future observations of different types of stars. For relativistic stars, such as neutron stars, the uncertainty on the equation of state of matter at supranuclear densities intertwines with the new parameters coming from the modified gravity side, providing a whole new phenomenology for the typical predictions of stellar structure models, such as mass-radius relations, maximum masses, or moment of inertia. For non-relativistic stars, such as white, brown and red dwarfs, the weakening/strengthening of the gravitational force inside astrophysical bodies via the modified Newtonian (Poisson) equation may induce changes on the star's mass, radius, central density or luminosity, having an impact, for instance, in the Chandrasekhar's limit for white dwarfs, or in the minimum mass for stable hydrogen burning in high-mass brown dwarfs. This work aims to provide a broad overview of the main such results achieved in the recent literature for many such modified theories of gravity, by combining the results and constraints obtained from the analysis of relativistic and non-relativistic stars in different scenarios. Moreover, we will build a bridge between the efforts of the community working on different theories, formulations, types of stars, theoretical modelings, and observational aspects, highlighting some of the most promising opportunities in the field.