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Rice, S. et al, Algora, A., Tain, J. L., Valencia, E., Agramunt, J., Rubio, B., et al. (2017). Total absorption spectroscopy study of the beta decay of Br-86 and Rb-91. Phys. Rev. C, 96(1), 014320–10pp.
Abstract: The beta decays of Br-86 and Rb-91 have been studied using the total absorption spectroscopy technique. The radioactive nuclei were produced at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On-Line facility in Jyvaskyla and further purified using the JYFLTRAP. Br-86 and Rb-91 are considered to be major contributors to the decay heat in reactors. In addition, Rb-91 was used as a normalization point in direct measurements of mean gamma energies released in the beta decay of fission products by Rudstam et al. assuming that this decaywas well known from high-resolution measurements. Our results show that both decays were suffering from the Pandemonium effect and that the results of Rudstam et al. should be renormalized. The relative impact of the studied decays in the prediction of the decay heat and antineutrino spectrum from reactors has been evaluated.
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Renteria-Estrada, D. F., Hernandez-Pinto, R. J., & Sborlini, G. F. R. (2021). Analysis of the Internal Structure of Hadrons Using Direct Photon Production. Symmetry-Basel, 13(6), 942–10pp.
Abstract: Achieving a precise description of the internal structure of hadrons is crucial for deciphering the hidden properties and symmetries of fundamental particles. It is a hard task since there are several bottlenecks in obtaining theoretical predictions starting from first principles. In order to complement highly accurate experiments, it is necessary to use ingenious strategies to impose constraints from the theory side. In this article, we describe how photons can be used to unveil the internal structure of hadrons. We explore how to describe NLO QCD plus LO QED corrections to hadron plus photon production at colliders and discuss the impact of these effects on the experimental measurements.
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Renner, J., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Hernando, J. A., Izmaylov, A., Monrabal, F., Muñoz, J., et al. (2015). Improved background rejection in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments using a magnetic field in a high pressure xenon TPC. J. Instrum., 10, P12020–19pp.
Abstract: We demonstrate that the application of an external magnetic field could lead to an improved background rejection in neutrinoless double-beta (0 nu beta beta) decay experiments using a high-pressure xenon (HPXe) TPC. HPXe chambers are capable of imaging electron tracks, a feature that enhances the separation between signal events (the two electrons emitted in the 0 nu beta beta decay of Xe-136) and background events, arising chiefly from single electrons of kinetic energy compatible with the end-point of the 0 nu beta beta decay (Q(beta beta)). Applying an external magnetic field of sufficiently high intensity (in the range of 0.5-1 Tesla for operating pressures in the range of 5-15 atmospheres) causes the electrons to produce helical tracks. Assuming the tracks can be properly reconstructed, the sign of the curvature can be determined at several points along these tracks, and such information can be used to separate signal (0 nu beta beta) events containing two electrons producing a track with two different directions of curvature from background (single-electron) events producing a track that should spiral in a single direction. Due to electron multiple scattering, this strategy is not perfectly efficient on an event-by-event basis, but a statistical estimator can be constructed which can be used to reject background events by one order of magnitude at a moderate cost (about 30%) in signal efficiency. Combining this estimator with the excellent energy resolution and topological signature identification characteristic of the HPXe TPC, it is possible to reach a background rate of less than one count per ton-year of exposure. Such a low background rate is an essential feature of the next generation of 0 nu beta beta experiments, aiming to fully explore the inverse hierarchy of neutrino masses.
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Renner, J. et al, Romo-Luque, C., Carrion, J. V., Diaz, J., Martinez, A., Querol, M., et al. (2022). Monte Carlo characterization of PETALO, a full-body liquid xenon-based PET detector. J. Instrum., 17(5), P05044–17pp.
Abstract: New detector approaches in Positron Emission Tomography imaging will play an important role in reducing costs, lowering administered radiation doses, and improving overall performance. PETALO employs liquid xenon as the active scintillating medium and UV-sensitive silicon photomultipliers for scintillation readout. The scintillation time in liquid xenon is fast enough to register time-of-flight information for each detected coincidence, and sufficient scintillation is produced with low enough fluctuations to obtain good energy resolution. The present simulation study examines a full-body-sized PETALO detector and evaluates its potential performance in PET image reconstruction.
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Ren, X. L., Alvarez-Ruso, L., Geng, L. S., Ledwig, T., Meng, J., & Vicente Vacas, M. J. (2017). Consistency between SU(3) and SU(2) covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory for the nucleon mass. Phys. Lett. B, 766, 325–333.
Abstract: Treating the strange quark mass as a heavy scale compared to the light quark mass, we perform a matching of the nucleon mass in the SU(3) sector to the two-flavor case in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory. The validity of the 19low-energy constants appearing in the octet baryon masses up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order[1] is supported by comparing the effective parameters (the combinations of the 19couplings) with the corresponding low-energy constants in the SU(2) sector[2]. In addition, it is shown that the dependence of the effective parameters and the pion-nucleon sigma term on the strange quark mass is relatively weak around its physical value, thus providing support to the assumption made in Ref.[2] that the SU(2) baryon chiral perturbation theory can be applied to study n(f) = 2 + 1lattice QCD simulations as long as the strange quark mass is close to its physical value.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Yamada, M. (2019). Light majoron cold dark matter from topological defects and the formation of boson stars. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 09(9), 029–25pp.
Abstract: We show that for a relatively light majoron (<< 100 eV) non-thermal production from topological defects is an efficient production mechanism. Taking the type I seesaw as benchmark scheme, we estimate the primordial majoron abundance and determine the required parameter choices where it can account for the observed cosmological dark matter. The latter is consistent with the scale of unification. Possible direct detection of light majorons with future experiments such as PTOLEMY and the formation of boson stars from the majoron dark matter are also discussed.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Wilczek, F. (2018). SO(3) family symmetry and axions. Phys. Rev. D, 98(9), 095008–6pp.
Abstract: Motivated by the idea of comprehensive unification, we study a gauged SO(3) flavor extension of the extended Standard Model, including right-handed neutrinos and a Peccei-Quinn symmetry with simple charge assignments. The model accommodates the observed fermion masses and mixings and yields a characteristic, successful relation among them. The Peccei-Quinn symmetry is an essential ingredient.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., Vaquera-Araujo, C. A., & Wilczek, F. (2017). A model of comprehensive unification. Phys. Lett. B, 774, 667–670.
Abstract: Comprehensive – that is, gauge and family – unification using spinors has many attractive features, but it has been challenged to explain chirality. Here, by combining an orbifold construction with more traditional ideas, we address that difficulty. Our candidate model features three chiral families and leads to an acceptable result for quantitative unification of couplings. A potential target for accelerator and astronomical searches emerges.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2017). Unifying left-right symmetry and 331 electroweak theories. Phys. Lett. B, 766, 35–40.
Abstract: We propose a realistic theory based on the SU(3) c. SU(3) L. SU(3) R. U(1) Xgauge group which requires the number of families to match the number of colors. In the simplest realization neutrino masses arise from the canonical seesaw mechanism and their smallness correlates with the observed V-A nature of the weak force. Depending on the symmetry breaking path to the Standard Model one recovers either a left-right symmetric theory or one based on the SU(3) c. SU(3) L. U(1) symmetry as the “next” step towards new physics.
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Reig, M., Valle, J. W. F., & Vaquera-Araujo, C. A. (2017). Three-family left-right symmetry with low-scale seesaw mechanism. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 100–10pp.
Abstract: We suggest a new left-right symmetric model implementing a low-scale see-saw mechanism in which quantum consistency requires three families of fermions. The symmetry breaking route to the Standard Model determines the profile of the “next” expected new physics, characterized either by the simplest left-right gauge symmetry or by the 3-3-1 scenario. The resulting Z' gauge bosons can be probed at the LHC and provide a production portal for the right-handed neutrinos. On the other hand, its flavor changing interactions would affect the K, D and B neutral meson systems.
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