Abstract: We study here the A(b)(0) -> J/psi p pi(-) reaction in analogy to the A(b)(0) -> J/psi pK(-) one, and we note that in both decays there is a sharp structure (dip or peak) in the J/psi p mass distribution around 4450 MeV, which is associated in the A(b)(0) -> J/psi pK(-) experiment to an exotic pentaquark baryonic state, although in J/psi p pi(-) it shows up with relatively low statistics. We analyze the A(b)(0) -> J/psi p pi(-) interaction along the same lines as the A(b)(0) -> J/psi pK(-) one, with the main difference stemming from the reduced Cabibbo strength in the former and the consideration of the pi(-)p final state interaction instead of the K(-)p one. We find that with a minimal input, introducing the pi(-)p and J/psi p interaction in S-wave with realistic interactions, and the empirical P-wave and D-wave contributions, one can accomplish a qualitative description of the pi(-)p and J/psi p mass distributions. More importantly, the peak structure followed by a dip of the experimental J/psi p mass distribution is reproduced with the same input as used to describe the data of A(b)(0) -> J/psi pK(-) reaction. The repercussion for the triangular singularity mechanism, invoked in some works to explain the pentaquark peak, is discussed.

Abstract: The MiniBooNE experiment has reported results from the analysis of v(e) and (v) over bar (e) appearance searches, which show an excess of signal-like events at low reconstructed neutrino energies, with respect to the expected background. A significant component of this background comes from photon emission induced by (anti) neutrino neutral current interactions with nucleons and nuclei. With an improved microscopic model for these reactions, we predict the number and distributions of photon events at the MiniBooNE detector. Our results are compared to the MiniBooNE in situ estimate and to other theoretical approaches. We find that, according to our model, neutral current photon emission from single-nucleon currents is insufficient to explain the events excess observed by MiniBooNE in both neutrino and antineutrino modes.

Abstract: Current cosmological tensions show that it is crucial to test the predictions from the canonical ACDM paradigm at different cosmic times. One very appealing test of structure formation in the Universe is the growth rate of structure in our universe f, usually parametrized via the growth index gamma, with f equivalent to Omega(m)(a)gamma and gamma similar or equal to 0.55 in the standard ACDM case. Recent studies have claimed a suppression of the growth of structure from a variety of cosmological observations, characterized by gamma > 0.55. By employing different self-consistent growth parametrizations schemes, we show here that gamma < 0.55, obtaining instead an enhanced growth of structure today. This preference reaches the 3 sigma significance using cosmic microwave background observations, supernova Ia and baryon acoustic oscillation measurements. The addition of cosmic microwave background lensing data relaxes such a preference to the 2 sigma level, since a larger lensing effect can always be compensated with a smaller structure growth, or, equivalently, with gamma > 0.55. We have also included the lensing amplitude AL as a free parameter in our data analysis, showing that the preference for AL > 1 still remains, except for some particular parametrizations when lensing observations are included. We also do not find any significant preference for an oscillatory dependence of AL, AL + Am sin l. To further reassess the effects of a nonstandard growth, we have computed by means of N-body simulations the dark matter density fields, the dark matter halo mass functions and the halo density profiles for different values of gamma. Future observations from the Square Kilometer Array, reducing by a factor of 3 the current errors on the gamma parameter, further confirm or refute with a strong statistical significance the deviation of the growth index from its standard value.