Abstract: We report an indirect search for nonstandard model physics using the flavor-changing neutral current decays B -> K-(*)mu(+)mu(-). We reconstruct the decays and measure their angular distributions, as a function of q(2) = M(mu mu)(2)c(2), where M-mu μis the dimuon mass, in p (P) over bar collisions at root s = 1.96 Tev using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.8 fb(-1). The transverse polarization asymmetry A(T)((2)) and the time-reversal-odd charge-and-parity asymmetry A(im) are measured for the first time, together with the K* longitudinal polarization fraction F-L and the muon forward-backward asymmetry A(FB) for the decays B-0 -> K*(0)mu(+)mu(-) and B -> K*(+)mu(+)mu(-). The B -> K*mu(+)mu(-) forward-backward asymmetry in the most sensitive kinematic regime, 1 <= q(2) < 6 GeV2/c(2), is measured to be A(FB) 0.29(-0.23)(+0.20) (stat) +/- 0.07 (syst), the most precise result to date. No deviations from the standard model predictions are observed.

Abstract: The transfer of neutrons onto Ne-24 has been measured using a reaccelerated radioactive beam of Ne-24 to study the (d, p) reaction in inverse kinematics. The unusual raising of the first 3/2(+) level in Ne-25 and its significance in terms of the migration of the neutron magic number from N = 20 to N = 16 is put on a firm footing by confirmation of this state's identity. The raised 3/2(+) level is observed simultaneously with the intruder negative parity 7/2(-) and 3/2(-) levels, providing evidence for the reduction in the N = 20 gap. The coincident gamma-ray decays allowed the assignment of spins as well as the transferred orbital angular momentum. The excitation energy of the 3/2(+) state shows that the established USD shell model breaks down well within the sd model space and requires a revised treatment of the proton-neutron monopole interaction.

Abstract: A dark photon kinetically mixing with the ordinary photon represents one of the simplest viable extensions to the standard model, and would induce oscillations with observable imprints on cosmology. Oscillations are resonantly enhanced if the dark photon mass equals the ordinary photon plasma mass, which tracks the free electron number density. Previous studies have assumed a homogeneous Universe; in this Letter, we introduce for the first time an analytic formalism for treating resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities of the photon plasma mass. We apply our formalism to determine constraints from cosmic microwave background photons oscillating into dark photons, and from heating of the primordial plasma due to dark photon dark matter converting into low-energy photons. Including the effect of inhomogeneities demonstrates that prior homogeneous constraints are not conservative, and simultaneously extends current experimental limits into a vast new parameter space.

Abstract: We report on the calculation of W-+/- Zjj production with leptonic decays at hadron-hadron colliders at next-to-leading order in QCD. These processes are important both to test the quartic gauge couplings of the standard model and because they constitute relevant backgrounds to beyond standard model physics searches. Our results show that the next-to-leading order corrections reduce significantly the scale uncertainties and have a nontrivial phase space dependence.

Abstract: The beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities of neutron rich Hg and Tl nuclei have been measured together with beta-decay half-lives for 20 isotopes of Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi in the mass region N greater than or similar to 126. These are the heaviest species where neutron emission has been observed so far. These measurements provide key information to evaluate the performance of nuclear microscopic and phenomenological models in reproducing the high-energy part of the beta-decay strength distribution. This provides important constraints on global theoretical models currently used in r-process nucleosynthesis.