Abstract: A measurement of the inclusive W -> μnu production cross-section using data from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of root s=7 TeV is presented. The analysis is based on an integrated luminosity of about 1.0 fb(-1) recorded with the LHCb detector. Results are reported for muons with a transverse momentum greater than 20 GeV/c and pseudorapidity between 2.0 and 4.5. The W+ and W- production cross-sections are measured to be sigma(W+->mu+nu)=861.0 +/- 2.0 +/- 11.2 +/- 14.7pb, sigma(W-->mu-(nu)over bar)=675.8 +/- 1.9 +/- 8.8 +/- 11.6pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is due to the luminosity determination. Cross-section ratios and differential distributions as functions of the muon pseudorapidity are also presented. The ratio of W+ to W- cross-sections in the same fiducial kinematic region is determined to be sigma(W+->mu+nu)/sigma(W-->mu-(nu)over bar) = 1.274 +/- 0.005 +/- 0.009, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. Results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

Abstract: We employ state-of-the art cosmological observables including supernova surveys and BAO information to provide constraints on the mass and mixing angle of a non-resonantly produced sterile neutrino species, showing that cosmology can effectively rule out sterile neutrinos which decay between BBN and the present day. The decoupling of an additional heavy neutrino species can modify the time dependence of the Universe's expansion between BBN and recombination and, in extreme cases, lead to an additional matter-dominated period; while this could naively lead to a younger Universe with a larger Hubble parameter, it could later be compensated by the extra radiation expected in the form of neutrinos from sterile decay. However, recombination-era observables including the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the shift parameter R-CMB and the sound horizon r(s) from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) severely constrain this scenario. We self-consistently include the full time-evolution of the coupled sterile neutrino and standard model sectors in an MCMC, showing that if decay occurs after BBN, the sterile neutrino is essentially bounded by the constraint sin(2) theta less than or similar to 0.026(m(s)/eV)(-2).

Abstract: The differential branching fraction of the rare decay Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda mu(+)mu(-) is measured as a function of q(2), the square of the dimuon invariant mass. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1), collected by the LHCb experiment. Evidence of signal is observed in the q(2) region below the square of the J/psi mass. Integrating over 15 < q(2) < 20 GeV2/c(4) the differential branching fraction is measured as dB(Lambda(0)(b) -> Lambda mu(+)mu(-))/dq(2) = (1.18(-0.08)(+0.09) +/- 0.03 +/- 0.27) x 10(-7) (GeV2/c(4))(-1) where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and due to the normalisation mode Lambda(0)(b) -> J/psi Lambda , respectively. In the q(2) intervals where the signal is observed, angular distributions are studied and the forward-backward asymmetries in the dimuon (A(FB)(l)) and hadron (A(FB)(h)) systems are measured for the first time. In the range 15 < q(2) < 20GeV(2)/c(4) they are found to be A(FB)(l) = -0.05 +/- 0.09 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst) and A(FB)(h) = -0.29 +/- 0.07 (stat) +/- 0.03 (syst).