Abstract: We investigate the Schwinger pair production phenomena in spatially homogeneous strong electric fields. We first consider scalar QED in four-dimensions and discuss the potential ambiguity in the adiabatic order assignment for the electromagnetic potential required to fix the renormalization subtractions. We argue that this ambiguity can be solved by invoking the conformal anomaly when both electric and gravitational backgrounds are present. We also extend the adiabatic regularization method for spinor QED in two-dimensions and find consistency with the chiral anomaly. We focus on the issue of the renormalization of the electric current < j(mu)> generated by the created pairs. We illustrate how to implement the renormalization of the electric current for the Sauter pulse.

Abstract: The decoupling of heavy fields as required by the Appelquist-Carazzone theorem plays a fundamental role in the construction of any effective field theory. However, it is not a trivial task to implement a renormalization prescription that produces the expected decoupling of massive fields, and it is even more difficult in curved spacetime. Focused on this idea, we consider the renormalization of the one-loop effective action for the Yukawa interaction with a background scalar field in curved space. We compute the beta functions within a generalized DeWitt-Schwinger subtraction procedure and discuss the decoupling in the running of the coupling constants. For the case of a quantized scalar field, all the beta function exhibit decoupling, including also the gravitational ones. For a quantized Dirac field, decoupling appears almost for all the beta functions. We obtain the anomalous result that the mass of the background scalar field does not decouple.

Abstract: The low energy neutrino factory has been proposed as a very sensitive setup for future searches for CP violation and matter effects. Here we study how its performance is affected when the experimental specifications of the setup are varied. Most notably, we have considered the addition of the “platinum'' nu(mu) -> nu(e) channel. We find that, while theoretically the extra channel provides very useful complementary information and helps to lift degeneracies, its practical usefulness is lost when considering realistic background levels. Conversely, an increase in statistics in the ”golden'' nu(mu) -> nu(e) channel and, to some extent, an improvement in the energy resolution, lead to an important increase in the performance of the facility, given the rich energy dependence of the "golden'' channel at these energies. We show that a low energy neutrino factory with a baseline of 1300 km, muon energy of 4.5 GeV, and either a 20 kton totally active scintillating detector or 100 kton liquid argon detector, can have outstanding sensitivity to the neutrino oscillation parameters theta(13), delta, and the mass hierarchy. For our estimated exposure of 2: 8 x 10(23) kton x decays per muon polarity, the low energy neutrino factory has sensitivity to theta(13) and delta for sin(2)(2 theta(13)) > 10(-4) and to the mass hierarchy for sin(2)(2 theta(13)) > 10(-3)

Abstract: We make use of a self-consistent quark-model based study of four-quark charmonium-like states to interpret recent charmonium experimental data. We conclude that there exists a D*(D) over bar* meson-meson molecule with quantum numbers (I-G) J(PC) = (1(-))2(++). Our study confirms the presence of charged charmonium-like resonances on the excited charmonium spectrum. We find support from recent experimental data by the Belle Collaboration [R. Mizuk et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 78, 072004 (2008)]. Confirmation of the experimental data by the Belle Collaboration and the determination of the quantum numbers of the new structures would help in discriminating among different theoretical models and would give further support to the theoretical analysis of T. Fernandez-Carames, A. Valcarce, and J. Vijande [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 222001 (2009)].

Abstract: We study the weak decay of the Lambda(b) into J/psi K Xi. and J/psi eta Lambda states, and relate these processes to the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay mode. The elementary weak transition at the quark level proceeds via the creation of a J/psi meson and an excited sud system with I = 0, which upon hadronization leads to (K) over barN or eta Lambda pairs. These states undergo final-state interaction in coupled channels and produce a final meson-baryon pair. The K. state only occurs via rescattering, hence making the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi process very sensitive to the details of the meson-baryon interaction in strangeness S = -1 and isospin I = 0. We show that the corresponding invariant mass distribution is dominated by the next-to-leading-order terms of the chiral interaction. The I = 0 selectivity of this decay, and its large sensitivity to the higher-order terms, makes its measurement very useful and complementary to the K- p -> K Xi cross section data. The rates of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi and Lambda(b) -> J/psi eta Lambda invariant mass distributions are sizable compared to those of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay, which is measured experimentally, and thus, we provide arguments for an experimental determination of these decay modes that will help us understand better the chiral dynamics at higher energies.