Boucenna, M. S., Hirsch, M., Morisi, S., Peinado, E., Taoso, M., & Valle, J. W. F. (2011). Phenomenology of dark matter from A_4 flavor symmetry. J. High Energy Phys., 05(5), 037–20pp.
Abstract: We investigate a model in which Dark Matter is stabilized by means of a Z(2) parity that results from the same non-abelian discrete flavor symmetry which accounts for the observed patter of neutrino mixing. In our A(4) example the standard model is extended by three extra Higgs doublets and the Z(2) parity emerges as a remnant of the spontaneous breaking of A(4) after electroweak symmetry breaking. We perform an analysis of the parameter space of the model consistent with electroweak precision tests, collider searches and perturbativity. We determine the regions compatible with the observed relic dark matter density and we present prospects for detection in direct as well as indirect Dark Matter search experiments.
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Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Martin-Albo, J., Sorel, M., Ferrario, P., Monrabal, F., Muñoz, J., et al. (2011). Sense and sensitivity of double beta decay experiments. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 06(6), 007–30pp.
Abstract: The search for neutrinoless double beta decay is a very active field in which the number of proposals for next-generation experiments has proliferated. In this paper we attempt to address both the sense and the sensitivity of such proposals. Sensitivity comes first, by means of proposing a simple and unambiguous statistical recipe to derive the sensitivity to a putative Majorana neutrino mass, m(beta beta). In order to make sense of how the different experimental approaches compare, we apply this recipe to a selection of proposals, comparing the resulting sensitivities. We also propose a “physics-motivated range” (PMR) of the nuclear matrix elements as a unifying criterium between the different nuclear models. The expected performance of the proposals is parametrized in terms of only four numbers: energy resolution, background rate (per unit time, isotope mass and energy), detection efficiency, and beta beta isotope mass. For each proposal, both a reference and an optimistic scenario for the experimental performance are studied. In the reference scenario we find that all the proposals will be able to partially explore the degenerate spectrum, without fully covering it, although four of them (KamLAND-Zen, CUORE, NEXT and EXO) will approach the 50 meV boundary. In the optimistic scenario, we find that CUORE and the xenon-based proposals (KamLAND-Zen, EXO and NEXT) will explore a significant fraction of the inverse hierarchy, with NEXT covering it almost fully. For the long term future, we argue that Xe-136-based experiments may provide the best case for a 1-ton scale experiment, given the potentially very low backgrounds achievable and the expected scalability to large isotope masses.
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Pierre Auger Collaboration(Abreu, P. et al), & Pastor, S. (2011). Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 06(6), 022–17pp.
Abstract: The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported. evidence for anisotropy in the distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies E > E-th = 5.5 x 10(19) eV. These show a correlation with the distribution of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at E > E-th are heavy nuclei with charge Z, the proton component of the sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies E/Z. We here report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above E-th/Z (for illustrative values of Z = 6, 13, 26). If the anisotropies above E-th are due to nuclei with charge Z, and under reasonable assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies.
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Villaescusa-Navarro, F., Miralda-Escude, J., Pena-Garay, C., & Quilis, V. (2011). Neutrino halos in clusters of galaxies and their weak lensing signature. J. Cosmol. Astropart. Phys., 06(6), 027–14pp.
Abstract: We study whether non-linear gravitational effects of relic neutrinos on the development of clustering and large-scale structure may be observable by weak gravitational lensing. We compute the density profile of relic massive neutrinos in a spherical model of a cluster of galaxies, for several neutrino mass schemes and cluster masses. Relic neutrinos add a small perturbation to the mass profile, making it more extended in the outer parts. In principle, this non-linear neutrino perturbation is detectable in an all-sky weak lensing survey such as EUCLID by averaging the shear profile of a large fraction of the visible massive clusters in the universe, or from its signature in the general weak lensing power spectrum or its cross-spectrum with galaxies. However, correctly modeling the distribution of mass in baryons and cold dark matter and suppressing any systematic errors to the accuracy required for detecting this neutrino perturbation is severely challenging.
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Morisi, S., Patel, K. M., & Peinado, E. (2011). Model for T2K indication with maximal theta(23) and trimaximal theta(12). Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 053002–6pp.
Abstract: Recently T2K experiment gives hint in favor of large reactor angle theta(13). Most of the models, with tribimaximal mixing at the leading order, can not reproduce such a large mixing angle since they predict typically corrections for the reactor angle of the order theta(13) similar to lambda(2)(C), where lambda(C) similar to 0.2. In this paper, we discuss the possibility to achieve large theta(13) within the T2K region with maximal atmosphericmixing angle, sin(2)theta(23) = 1/2, and trimaximal solar mixing angle, sin(2)theta(12) = 1/3, through the deviation from the exact tribimaximal mixing. We derive the structure of neutrino mass matrix that leads to the large theta(13) leaving maximal theta(23) and trimaximal theta(12). It is shown that such a structure of neutrino mass matrix can arise in a model with S(4) flavor symmetry.
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BABAR Collaboration(del Amo Sanchez, P. et al), Lopez-March, N., Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Measurement of the gamma gamma* -> eta and gamma gamma* -> eta ' transition form factors. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 052001–19pp.
Abstract: We study the reactions e(+)e(-) --> e(+)e(-) eta((')) in the single-tag mode and measure the gamma gamma* --> eta((')) transition form factors in the momentum-transfer range from 4 to 40 GeV(2). The analysis is based on 469 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected at PEP-II with the BABAR detector at e(+)e(-) center-of-mass energies near 10.6 GeV.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Amoros, G., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Escobar, C., et al. (2011). Search for squarks and gluinos using final states with jets and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector in root s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions. Phys. Lett. B, 701(2), 186–203.
Abstract: A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded by the ATLAS experiment in root s = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. No excess above the Standard Model background expectation was observed in 35 pb(-1) of analysed data. Gluino masses below 500 GeV are excluded at the 95% confidence level in simplified models containing only squarks of the first two generations, a gluino octet and a massless neutralino. The exclusion increases to 870 GeV for equal mass squarks and gluinos. In MSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan beta = 3, A(0) = 0 and μ> 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded below 775 GeV. These are the most stringent limits to date.
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BABAR Collaboration(Lees, J. P. et al), Martinez-Vidal, F., & Oyanguren, A. (2011). Search for CP violation using T-odd correlations in D(+) -> K(+)K(S)(0) pi(+)pi(-) and D(s)(+) -> K(+)K(S)(0) pi(+)pi(-) decays. Phys. Rev. D, 84(3), 031103–9pp.
Abstract: We search for CP violation in a sample of 20 000 Cabibbo-suppressed decays, D(+) -> K(+)K(S)(0)pi(+)pi(-), and 30 000 Cabibbo-favored decays, D(+) -> K(+)K(S)(0)pi(+)pi(-). We use 520 fb(-1) of data recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider operating at center of mass energies near 10.6 GeV. We search for CP violation in the difference between the T-odd asymmetries obtained using triple product correlations of the D(+)(D(s)(+)) and D(-)(D(s)(-)) decays, respectively. The T violation parameter values obtained are A(T)(D(+)) = (-12.0 +/- 10.0(stat) +/- 4.6(syst)) x 10(-3) and A(T)(D(s)(+)) = (-13.6 +/- 7.7(stat) +/- 3.4(syst)) x 10(-3), which are consistent with the standard model expectations.
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Boucenna, M. S., & Profumo, S. (2011). Direct and indirect singlet scalar dark matter detection in the lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model. Phys. Rev. D, 84(5), 055011–7pp.
Abstract: A recent study of gamma-ray data from the Galactic center motivates the investigation of light (similar to 7-10 GeV) particle dark matter models featuring tau-lepton pairs as dominant annihilation final state. The lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model provides a natural framework where light, singlet scalar dark matter can pair-annihilate dominantly into tau leptons. We calculate the nucleon-dark matter cross section for singlet scalar dark matter within the lepton-specific two-Higgs-doublet model framework, and compare with recent results from direct detection experiments. We study how direct dark matter searches can be used to constrain the dark matter interpretation of gamma-ray observations, for different dominant annihilation final states. We show that models exist with the correct thermal relic abundance that could fit the claimed gamma-ray excess from the Galactic center region and have direct detection cross sections of the order of what is needed to interpret recent anomalous events reported by direct detection experiments.
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Rodriguez-Alvarez, M. J., Sanchez, F., Soriano, A., Iborra, A., & Mora, C. (2011). Exploiting symmetries for weight matrix design in CT imaging. Math. Comput. Model., 54(7-8), 1655–1664.
Abstract: In this paper we propose several methods of constructing the system matrix (SM) of a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner with two objectives: (1) to construct SMs in the shortest possible time and store them in an ordinary PC without losing quality, (2) to analyze the possible applications of the proposed method to 3D, taking into account SMs' sizes, computing time and reconstructed image quality. In order to build the SM, we propose two new field of view (FOV) pixellation schemes, based on a polar coordinate system (polar grid) by taking advantage of the polar rotation symmetries of CT devices. Comparisons between the SMs proposed are performed using two phantom and a real CT-simulator images. Global error, contrast, noise and homogeneity of the reconstructed images are discussed.
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